Quote:
Originally Posted by Wormius
Why doesn't Flair show up on any of the flight search websites as an option for a flight leg, even when separate tickets are selected? A lot of flights orginating out of YVR to Asia are pretty cheap compared to YYC, and if you use Flair to get to YVR, especially when Flair has $138 return flights.
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On most search engines, the airlines usually need to be partners or affiliated in some way (codeshares, alliances, etc). This is because if something happens on a leg of your flight, and you miss your connection, the airlines involved are still responsible for getting you there.
If you booked a ticket with say Flair from Calgary to Vancouver, and then Air Canada from Vancouver to Tokyo...
...Air Canada has zero relationship with Flair, so if you miss your connection in Vancouver, Air Canada would have no responsibility for getting you to Tokyo. In their eyes, you booked a flight from Vancouver, not from Calgary.
And the search engines generally don't want to issue a ticket like that, where the airlines have no relationship.
BUT, there is something called 'virtual interlining', where some search engines do issue tickets with itineraries involving airlines that have no relationship with each other.
The most well known search site for developing the technology to do this is Kiwi.com, and they claim to shoulder the responsibility should a connection be missed, and have insurance to get you there.
Occasionally I do see Kayak experimenting with this as well.
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