Codeshare Flights and Your Arlanda Pickup: Which Number to Give

A codeshare means the airline you booked with sells seats on a flight that's physically operated by a different airline — your ticket might say one flight number, while the aircraft, crew and the number air traffic control actually tracks belong to the operating carrier. Both numbers usually refer to the same physical flight; it's a commercial arrangement, not two different journeys.

This is worth knowing simply so you're not confused if the number on your boarding pass doesn't match what you gave us, or vice versa — it doesn't mean anything has gone wrong, just that you're looking at two labels for the same flight.

Flight tracking generally resolves most reliably against the operating carrier's number, since that's the number tied directly to the actual aircraft's schedule and status. The marketing carrier's number usually resolves to the same flight too, but where there's any doubt, the operating number is the one to trust.

If you're not sure which is which, your booking confirmation from the airline you actually paid usually shows both, often labelled "operated by" — that's the number worth giving us.

1. Check your original booking confirmation for an "operated by" line — most airlines include it for codeshare flights.
2. Check the airline's own app or website using your booking reference; it usually shows the operating flight number alongside the marketing one.
3. If you're still unsure, give us the number you have and mention it might be a codeshare — we can help confirm which one tracking should follow.
4. On the day, your boarding pass or the departure board at your origin airport will usually show the operating flight number too.

Occasionally the marketing and operating numbers genuinely look like they belong to different journeys, which can happen with more complex codeshare arrangements or last-minute equipment changes. If that happens, don't guess — contact us with both numbers and whatever else you know about the flight (departure airport, expected time), and we'll help work out which one tracking should actually be watching.

It's a small enough detail to double-check rather than assume, since getting the wrong number entered means tracking is following a flight that isn't actually yours, and your pickup timing could end up based on inaccurate information as a result.