Same destination, same departure airport, same departure hour, different flights
I have booked through different agencies a flight from the Tokyo Haneda airport to Munich Airport, Germany. The two different agencies have given me, based on my requirements, two tickets, but I did not verify that the flights and thus airplanes are actually the same.
It turns out that the same airline company, Lufthansa, is operating a flight departing at 12:45 and reaching Munich. There are two flight codes: LH4923 and LH0715. Like stated, they both take off at the same exact hour.
Is this normal? Could it be that only one airplane will actually fly? I would like to have the tickets I bought to be associated to the same airplane. I am not sure if I can make any changes on a short notice.
Can anyone confirm that these are indeed different airplanes departing for the same destination at the same time?
Later edit:
it is indeed not a normal/common situation, but it turns out that this is what they actually do. ANA and Lufthansa have agreed to fly separately, but simultaneously from the same source and same destination.
passengers are advised to check all flight details, even if the same company operates (directly or under a code-share) the flight
Useful fact:
- if desired, one can change the company, but it is usually only possible from ANA to Lufthansa. There is an exchange and ticket reissue fee amounting approximately 200 dollars. This is possible, of course, only if there are any available seats remaining.
Best Answer
In this case LH 4923 is a codeshare flight operated by NH 217 (All Nippon Airways); LH 715 really is a different flight.
You can tell flights are codeshare as they will depart at the same time, from the same gate - but with different flight numbers, as depicted on this picture:
(Source: Wikipedia)
Lufthansa and ANA have a "joint venture" which enables them to coordinate prices and schedules, and share revenues, on routes between Japan and Europe. Therefore the extra capacity was deliberately organized to capture the high demand for travel at this time.
It is quite common for flights to clump together and depart at around the same time, because if a departure time is popular with customers, then of course everyone wants to put their plane on at that time to charge higher fares.
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Why do the same flights take different times?
The jet stream is the real reason your flight time varies depending on the direction of your destination. Jet streams are air currents that happen at very high altitudes, including those which planes frequently fly in.Can two flights have the same flight number on the same day?
Yes, the same flight number can be used to refer to multiple flights active at the same time. This happens fairly regularly if a flight is heavily delayed. The previous days flight may still be active the same time as the current days flight takes off.Can you link two separate flights with the same airline?
A: It depends, but the general rule is NO. Some airlines will through check baggage onto separately ticketed flights, but some won't (even if both tickets are with the same airline). Some airlines will take pity if your delay is due to them, but others don't.Does a connecting flight have to be with the same airline?
Fly on a single ticket when you need to connect flightsTypically, any connecting itinerary you arrange on a single ticket conforms with whatever connecting times apply. That's true even on tickets that involve two airlines, as long as those airlines have interline agreements.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, Oleksandr Pidvalnyi, Shoval Zonnis