Groups of 10 or more air seats must be contracted directly through the airline group departments. Most airlines will require your agency to do the ticketing, and we can do that here in the air department. We do have group ticketing fees, and a process outlined below.
The benefits of a group air contract:
- Your contracted seats will all be at the same rate.
- Your group does not need to supply the name list and payment until closer to the departure date.
- Most contracts allow dropping seats without cost by the utilization date.
- After the utilization date and before the ticketing date, you may still be able to drop a percentage of seats. There may be a fee of $50 -$200, depending on the airline and destination.
- Group contracts will typically allow a certain number of name changes with minimal cost.
The risks of booking several separate reservations instead of a group contract:
- You can only book 7 seats at a time in Agent Air, and with each booking, you are using up inventory, which may cause the next booking to be a higher fare. That next higher fare could be $30 more per person or several hundred dollars more per person, depending on the airline, the destination, and the inventory available.
- In the case of schedule changes, the airline may move each booking to a different flight, whereas with a group contract, they will work with you and do everything they can to keep your group together.
One challenge of a group air contract is that the tickets must all be issued to one credit card. [This should not be a debit card, as debit cards will inevitably fail to go through for the entire group and cause complications.]
An opportunity worth mentioning is that a group contract through a tour operator may be a viable and profitable option for you, depending on the destination and the needs of the group. If you are booking land components for the group you may want to research tour operator options, especially if the group is traveling to an All Inclusive resort in Mexico or the Caribbean.
If you are ready to proceed with requesting a group quote from Delta, United or American Airlines, here are their Group Department phone numbers. After you receive your group quotes, let us know If you need any help deciphering the contract details. There will be several dates and deadlines to understand. If you are interested in getting a group quote from American Airlines, you will have to be listed as a user on their group portal before they will speak with you. Please send a request for a login for AA Groups to [email protected] and we will set up your account.
Delta Group Desk:
844-201-9356
United Group Desk:
800-231-6194
American Airlines Group Desk:
800-221-2255
Airlines like Alaska Air, JetBlue, and Southwest do their own ticketing for group contracts. Other airlines might have an option to ticket for you, but the ticketing fees are typically per person, making our flat fees a savings when compared. For airlines that require your agency to do the ticketing, here is our process and ticketing fees:
WorldVia Travel Quest Group Air Ticketing Program:
- Advisors are responsible for researching the flights and prices.
- Advisors will obtain and manage their own airline contract.
- Advisors must cancel unused seats by the utilization date or be responsible for airline fees per their contract.
- Advisors will notify our air department of their contract immediately and set up their ticketing date with our team.
- Advisors must be available to the air team on the ticketing date.
- Advisors are responsible for correctly collecting names, gender, and dates of birth and verifying all information.
- Only one credit card, not debit card, is allowed for all tickets. [For organizations that prefer to pay by wire transfer, we can help you arrange for the funds come directly to us before ticketing. Must advise us of wire transfers with enough notice for the bank to clear the funds before our ticketing date.]
Send a copy of your group contract to [email protected] as soon as you contract a group. Please allow our team to help you understand the deadlines and penalties if this is your first group or if you have any questions. We will secure a date on our calendar for ticketing at this time.
At least one day before the WorldVia Travel Quest ticketing date, you will provide us with the following:
- Passenger Name List (We will send you a name list template when you send us a contract.)
- Form of payment
- The price you are expecting per ticket (Remember that taxes can fluctuate until the day of ticketing.)
- Ticketing Instruction Letter (You will request this from the carrier’s group department one day before our scheduled ticketing date.)
Once ticketing has been completed, you will receive an email confirmation. It is the agent’s responsibility to review and verify that all information is correct. Any corrections must be submitted to the ticketing department by 4pm ET on the day of ticketing.
Group Ticketing Fees:
Please note that group departments will typically divide a large group into several PNRs. If you have any passengers who have deviated from the main group for a different flight or a different class of service, they will also be in a separate PNR.
Please note that group departments will typically divide a large group into several PNRs. If you have any passengers who have deviated from the main group for a different flight or a different class of service, they will also be in a separate PNR.
Domestic Groups
$200 ticketing fee
$25 fee per additional PNR
International Groups - US Carriers
$300 ticketing fee
$35 fee per additional PNR
International Groups - All other Carriers
$500 ticketing fee
$50 fee per additional PNR
Exchanges
$25 Domestic
$50 International Carriers
Name Changes
$25 Domestic
$50 International Carriers
$50 International Carriers
Refunds
$35 Domestic or International