Booking flight tickets for someone in another country? First time flying

1. Book tickets directly with the airline, and book everything, the whole trip under one booking. Make sure your fiancé and her father are on the same booking. Do not split the trip over multiple bookings even if it were to save some money.

What this gives you is:

• The airline you booked with is responsible for them for the whole trip. If there are cancellations or delays, and flights missed as a result it is the airline that needs to sort them out, rebook them, and if they can't immediately continue, put them up in a hotel.
• Luggage will be checked through, so there ought not to be a reason not to take checked luggage. Means less stuff in the cabine, and a more comfortable trip.
• Two persons on the same booking will normally be put next to each other on the plane.

Do not, again, split the ticket. The issues and stress that "self connecting" come with are not things you want to inflict upon a first time traveller.

2. Make sure that when booking you enter the names of your fiancé and her father exactly as they appear on their passports. Ask them about this in advance.

3. Nowadays you do not need to print out anything. Go to the departure airport on time. Present yourself at the check in desk with your passports and you will get your boarding passes there, for all segments of your trip. Luggage is taken of you and will be returned to you on your arrival at the final destination.

The main catch for buying tickets for other people is credit card requirements: if the credit card holder's name doesn't match the booking name, quite a few airlines require either that they present the physical card at check-in, or a specific authorization from the credit card holder (you). So if possible, it's easier to let them pay (or book yourself using their credit card), then reimburse.

Other than that, it's the same as booking any other ticket. You need to provide their details (passport etc), of course, and should provide their telephone/email as at least one contact point. For most airlines all you need these days is the booking reference (PNR) and matching ID, but carrying a print-out never hurts.

This is easier than it appears.

1. in theory, airlines can demand to see the credit card that paid for the ticket, when you arrive at the airport. In practice, this has never happened to me. I have flown on tickets that were bought for me when I literally didn't know the name of the person at my client company who bought them. I have bought tickets for family members. No-one has ever asked to see the credit card. Since you have the option of using a card they will have with them, you might as well just in case.

2. This is important. The name on the tickets should match the name on the ID. I have heard of people having issues when a short form or nickname is used (eg Kate/Katherine or Jim/James.) Since you're taking the time to think about this, use the names on their ID for the tickets.

3. You never print a ticket. You might print a boarding pass at home, or you might check in on your phone without ever printing one, or you might get your boarding pass at the airport. I often arrive at the airport without anything printed that relates to my flight. Sometimes I do print my receipt from the airline, because it often smooths things related to immigration. (For example showing that it is a return ticket.) While you may not need it, the receipt also contains various codes and numbers that can help the airline staff find your ticket if for some reason their names alone don't work. You don't need to print it though -- I once passed my laptop across the desk to a Lufthansa agent to show them a PDF for a ticket they couldn't find.

You didn't ask, but you should also consider 4, whether they need a visa, and 5, whether Covid restrictions allow them into the country at the moment. Many countries are requiring written permission letters in advance, even for people who don't normally need a visa. And what's more, some airline staff don't know these rules as well as they should. (A recent trip involved one passenger saying "she's my wife, we don't need a letter" way more times than he should have had to.)