Codeshare-does it matter who I book with?

I would book thru Delta. Last year when Air France went on strike Delta was still running.

I would book through Air France or KLM as they're who you're flying with (they are the same company). Delta doesn't really come into it, unless you have an account with them already

Unless the FF miles are important to you, and the prices are the same, book with anyone you want. Personally, I would choose either Air France or KLM as they are the actual operators.

All things being equal, book with who you are flying with. Sometimes that makes service things like picking seats or ordering special meals easier. Code share partners don’t always communicate perfectly on these details- depends on the airlines and their systems.

If it’s all equal I book through the airline that operates my first long flight. Just in case there’s a hang up I’d rather have it on the way home. The hang up would be difficulty picking a seat or checking in online, actually getting on the flight won’t be a problem.

Thanks for the input! I think I’ll book through Air France as that’s our first flight. And I agree i’d rather deal with potential problems at the end of the trip.

I’d book with the European Carrier so EU 261 rules apply.

Is it possible that the operating airline will let you choose seats if you book through them, whereas they wouldn't if booked through Delta? I think I may have heard of that being true. Also that they might give preference to their own customers in bumping, etc.

Code share partner-issued tickets will in many cases have limitations on giving you access as things such as advance seat reservation or advance excess luggage purchase.

If miles or points on reward programs are not an issue, I'd always prefer to book with the airline that is flying the most critical segment, in this case, the one flying the intercontinental flight.

When things go smooth as they do most of the time, it doesn't make a difference. If there are issues with missing luggage, delayed flights with missing connections, change of aircraft, it is my experience that dealing with the flying company makes it easier to sort things out.

The way we choose is if you have to cancel the flight, which airline would you prefer to use the credit with? I always pick the domestic carrier for that reason.

I agree with Kelly, above, that after the strikes last year with Air France (AF) I would be more likely to book with Delta. But having said that, my flight was on one of the AF strike dates last spring and they were unbelievably helpful in switching me to an operational Delta flight. (At no charge even though my original flight had not yet been canceled.)

Of course, you're then subject to availability for a new flight and seats. It worked out extremely well for me in that I was able to book an even better flight that would have been more expensive initially. But that might not always be the luck of a late date switch.

The key for me was to switch early at the first notice that my flight might be impacted. (As it turns out, my original flight was not canceled.)

We leave in a few days on Delta codeshare flights - KLM, Alitalia (Amsterdam to Milan) and Air France. I booked on Delta because it was less expensive than the same flights booked through KLM or Air France. I purchased seats for the two transatlantic flights through the Delta website, and seats were automatically assigned for the Alitalia flight. I can go to each of the airlines websites, type in confirmation codes, and see all of our information, including the seat numbers. Now, if I had done my research, and known that Alitalia had such restrictive luggage policies, I might not have booked these particular tickets, because we're going to have to check our bags (we can't get our bags down to 17 lbs!), but that's a topic for another thread.

Since my status is on United, when I have an option with a code-share, I book with United. It not only allows me the bonus on points, but I can use my status to upgrade and choose seats, a code share does not always provide that flexibility. If Delta is your primary carrier, you may want to check on ability to use your loyalty program with the code-shares.

If you don't care about points or loyalty program benefits, then my recommendation is booking with the code-share on your most critical leg of your flight. I had to rebook once on Singapore Airline, they had a ticket but because I booked through United, I was not entitled to the ticket, it only showed on the Singapore Airline ticketing system and I had to take a later flight to get the United ticket.

I’d book with the European Carrier so EU 261 rules apply.

Just as a clarification, the booking carrier doesn't make a difference -- on flights out of the EU, EU 261 applies to all carriers, and on flights into the EU it's the operating carrier that matters.

An Air France-operated flight from New York to Paris is covered by EU 261 whether it's booked through AF or Delta, but a Delta-operated flight from New York to Paris isn't covered by EU 261 at all, even if it's booked through Air France.

Last year, we booked international flights on Delta, who have a larger carryon size allowance.. Because they codeshare with Air France and I am leery of any confusion or last minute airline/codeshare substitutions(and perhaps that never happens), I used a smaller carryon that meets Air France limits to avoid any possible drama. It may have been overkill on my part, but I didn't have to worry.

Since I accrue FF miles and elite status, I pick the airline in which I accrue both. For me, that's Delta.

Just as a clarification, the booking carrier doesn't make a difference -- on flights out of the EU, EU 261 applies to all carriers, and on flights into the EU it's the operating carrier that matters.

Yes, this is what I meant.

You need to be on European metal for the US to Europe flight in order to get EU261 protections.

Maybe a small nit, but my businss booked me through Air France as opposed to Delta, only the return overseas flight was on Air France, the other three flights on Delta planes. No real difference, still get FF miles in my Delta account, although, my Delta App was mostly useless and I was not eligible for upgrades, even on the Delta planes

Remember Air France and KLM are jointly owned per a merger in 2004. I would book with one of those two airlines for your trip.

Partners in an alliance often acknowledge each other's points. I usually fly Air Canada and Lufthansa and my points go to United's scheme. It gets too complicated to calculate whether these are "full" points, though.

Is selecting a particular seat on the plane at no cost important to you? I'd do a little checking. It used to be that Delta would allow for free seat selection. I don't know if that is true anymore.