Which airline is associated with the passenger's original flight reservation?

The concept of the booking airline refers to the airline with which the passenger made their original flight reservation. This airline is responsible for the management of that reservation, including issue of the ticket and handling changes to the itinerary.

The booking airline holds the contractual obligations to the passenger based on that reservation. When a passenger books a flight, they often do so directly with the airline or through a travel agency, and the entity that manages this booking is categorized as the booking airline. This designation is vital in the travel industry as it helps clarify responsibility in various scenarios, such as cancellations, rebookings, and customer service inquiries regarding the flight.

In contrast, the other terms can be related but do not specifically denote the airline linked to the original reservation. For example, the boarding airline is the carrier that operates the flight the passenger boards, which may not always be the same as the booking airline if the passenger is on a codeshare or connection involving multiple carriers. Scheduled airline typically describes an airline that operates flights according to a timetable but does not imply any specific relationship to an individual passenger's reservation. A cancelled flight simply denotes a flight that is no longer operating and does not relate to a specific airline associated with a reservation.