How to coordinate airplane tickets?
I'm sorry if this is a duplicate question (or a trivial one) - I don't know what to search for (my searches for the question title only bring back mathematical answers).
I'm planning on dropping off my daughter with my grandparents for the summer break and returning at the end of summer to pick her up.
The problem is, I'm not familiar with the ordering process - I bought simple 2-way tickets in the past but in this case she needs one return ticket for the whole summer and I need 2 separate return tickets, one at the beginning of summer (for the drop-off) and another at the end of the summer (to pick her up). Obviously, the leaving / returning dates must coincide on the tickets and I'd want her to sit next to me on the flights. The trips are between Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Budapest (BUD).
What is the easiest way to get such an arrangement? I don't think this is supported on sites like Travelocity and the like.
Best Answer
The best way I've found to make this kind of booking is either:
- Get a travel agent to do it for you, they can "link" separate tickets and arrange seating, or
- Decide which airline you want to fly, call the airline booking line, and work through it with them on the phone.
The travel agent option is probably a lot less headache than talking to an airline booking agent directly.
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When you buy two plane tickets will they be together?
If you purchase multiple tickets in a single transaction, the price will be the same for each of the tickets. If not enough of the lowest-cost seats are available, you'll pay a higher cost for all of the seats. Buy the tickets one at a time to make sure you get all of the lowest-cost seats available.How do you get plane seats next to each other?
You can call the airlines' reservation line and let them know you're all part of one family group\u2014most of the time the agent can link the reservations or make a note that will identify you as a family within the seating system. Arriving at the airport early can help ensure families sit together.How do I get my plane tickets together?
8 Ways to Get Seats Together on Your Next FlightWhat is sequence on plane ticket?
Sequence: This is the order in which you checked in to your flight, e.g. if your sequence number is 066 you're the 66th person to check in.How To Fill ICAO Flight Plan
More answers regarding how to coordinate airplane tickets?
Answer 2
This started as a comment on Mophotla but it expanded so much it needs be an answer.
First, the two bookings trick is a great trick.
To expand on the three bookings booking process: search with whatever engine you prefer but book with the airlines directly. I checked Air France, British Airways, Air Canada and all of them offer seats after booking any time before check in for a fee. I heartily recommend subscribing to Expertflyer -- for five dollars a month you can look at the seat map before booking:
The results look like this.
As a footnote, towards Budapest I found it much, much better to have a short flight first in North America then the long one. Waiting hours in the morning in Europe after the overnight transatlantic flight is brutal. I absolutely refuse to do this and check into a hotel instead if my routing is such.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Jacob Halter, Ravish Maqsood, Jacob Halter, Jacob Halter