Is Booking Mixed Origin Airline Tickets Possible?

[daveh]

My Thai in-laws have US visas. They don't speak English too well, so the last time they visited the US, I also paid for my niece to come and escort them through the transit terminal, immigration, and customs.

Instead of doing this, I'd like to go to Thailand, stay a while for a vacation, then have them return with me for a visit. However, I'm finding it difficult to book, in a single transaction, round trip flights originating from the US, and round trip flights originating in Bangkok. I want them to be in the same transaction so I can guarantee that the in-laws are on the same flights. I'm afraid if I book my tickets first, then have someone in Bangkok book their tickets, they may find the flights I take unavailable.

When I talked to a travel agent in the US, she said she cannot even book tickets originating outside the US. <deleted>?

Does anyone have any experience doing this?

Thanks.

[TheWalkingMan]

Maybe you could try booking online. I used these guys before My link and I think if you should be able to book those flights. Maybe by opening the link twice you could get the flights.

[daveh]

Maybe you could try booking online. I used these guys before My link and I think if you should be able to book those flights. Maybe by opening the link twice you could get the flights.

Booking online doesn't solve the problem since they are not in the same transaction. It would still be possible to commit to one purchase, then have the other denied. I'll call an airline to see what they say.

[Ricardo]

Your problem is that you're trying to book two different itineraries, as part of the same transaction, I doubt this will be possible as it's quite unusual & I suspect most airline booking-systems aren't set-up to cope with this.

But if you book the two itineraries separately, via the same web-site (perhaps direct with an airline ?) & the second-one only a few minutes after the first, you would have to be extremely unlucky for it not to be possible to get space on the same flights. You might try selecting adjacent seats, to ensure that you're all sitting together on the planes, at the time of booking ?

Having used your credit-card, to pay for their booking, you should definitely plan to check-in together in Bangkok, and have the card with you when you do, to avoid the possible problem that the person-paying (you) isn't travelling on their e-ticket. This would also apply when they check-in for their return to Bangkok, which you wouldn't be accompanying them on, if I understand correctly.

Complex but doable, IMO. Good Luck !

[laxbkk]

They don't need to be on the same transaction, here's what you need to match on 2 different transactions:

Airline

date

flight number

If those match, you're guaranteed to have the same flight with your inlaws. The easiest way to do this is to book on airlines' website. For example, if you go to EVA's website, you would first book your roundtrip. Then, book their roundtrip originating on your departure date. Just make sure you book the same flight time/number as your flight. Eva has just one plane departing at 4 from BKK, so you're guaranteed to be on the same flight.

[daveh]

They don't need to be on the same transaction, here's what you need to match on 2 different transactions:

Airline

date

flight number

If those match, you're guaranteed to have the same flight with your inlaws. The easiest way to do this is to book on airlines' website. For example, if you go to EVA's website, you would first book your roundtrip. Then, book their roundtrip originating on your departure date. Just make sure you book the same flight time/number as your flight. Eva has just one plane departing at 4 from BKK, so you're guaranteed to be on the same flight.

I'm not an idiot. I know that I can do just this. However, this does *not* guarantee that after I book my tickets, my return flight is still available to them....NO MATTER HOW QUICKLY I ATTEMPT TO BOOK THEM. The most probable failure is if I book the *last* available seat (specifically in Evergreen Deluxe since EVA was mentioned). If you were to try to do this 100 different times, I'd bet anything you will run into failure at least once.

With respect to my name on the credit card, this is yet another problem with EVA (and others?). EVA does require that person who owns the credit card, must be flying. I even asked them if I could simply go to the airport with my wife to show them the card and my ID, and they said no. I really don't know what's up with that rule. If I doubt their online system would even let me book my in-laws flight since I'm not in the itinerary.

[laxbkk]

They don't need to be on the same transaction, here's what you need to match on 2 different transactions:

Airline

date

flight number

If those match, you're guaranteed to have the same flight with your inlaws. The easiest way to do this is to book on airlines' website. For example, if you go to EVA's website, you would first book your roundtrip. Then, book their roundtrip originating on your departure date. Just make sure you book the same flight time/number as your flight. Eva has just one plane departing at 4 from BKK, so you're guaranteed to be on the same flight.

I'm not an idiot. I know that I can do just this. However, this does *not* guarantee that after I book my tickets, my return flight is still available to them....NO MATTER HOW QUICKLY I ATTEMPT TO BOOK THEM. The most probable failure is if I book the *last* available seat (specifically in Evergreen Deluxe since EVA was mentioned). If you were to try to do this 100 different times, I'd bet anything you will run into failure at least once.

With respect to my name on the credit card, this is yet another problem with EVA (and others?). EVA does require that person who owns the credit card, must be flying. I even asked them if I could simply go to the airport with my wife to show them the card and my ID, and they said no. I really don't know what's up with that rule. If I doubt their online system would even let me book my in-laws flight since I'm not in the itinerary.

With regards to the credit card, this is a fairly common situation. If you purchase a ticket with your cc and won't be traveling on the same itinerary, you need to sign an Indemnity of Payment with the airline. The procedure ease varies with each airline. I believe China Airlines will let you do this by fax or at the airport, not sure about EVA. Try searching the website or call and ask specifically about Indemnity of Payment.

I would still book 2 separate itineraries for you and the inlaws over a website. The odds of a flight getting sold out if you do this within a few minutes are tiny and if it does happen, at most you would be on the hook for $100 cancellation fee with China or Eva, I'm not sure if they charge a change fee now, but you can find out.

[SiamRose]

It is VERY unlikely you will have the problem you describe, especially if the trip is several months away and the bookings are made only a minute apart.

But if you are determined to have zero risk, just book a series of one-way flights.

[SiamRose]

However, this does *not* guarantee that after I book my tickets, my return flight is still available to them..

There is no way to GUARANTEE you are all on the same flight. There is always a risk the airline will bump some of you off because the flight is overbooked, or someone's name accidentally got put on a no-fly list.