Two airlines, same destination, same exact times...confused!
 

I am trying to book flights to Dublin from both Atlanta and Orlando (connecting thru Atlanta). For the Orlando folks, Delta has the best fare. For the Atlanta folks, Air France has the best fare. BUT....the flights are at the EXACT same times, and the Air France flight says it's operated by Delta. The flight numbers are different so they have to be different planes, right??

I am trying to coordinate with my parents who want to be on the same flight as us, but I can't justify paying $50 more per ticket for my tickets if the flights depart and arrive at the exact same time.

No, they don't have to be different planes. Everything you state suggests that it is the same plane, the same flight from Atlanta to Paris. It sounds like Air France "codeshares" with Delta. Delta operates the flight, but Air France gives it an Air France flight number for its passengers.

Hmm...interesting. Is it normal for the fare to be cheaper thru Air France than thru Delta if it's the same exact flight?

"<i>Is it normal for the fare to be cheaper thru Air France than thru Delta if it's the same exact flight?</i>"

price sure - or it could be more expensive. Lots of airlines code share flights w/ other airlines. But each charges their own fares. Often the same or similar - but could be hundreds of $$ different.

Got it, that makes sense - thanks so much for clarifying! My mom would have killed me if we had ended up on different flights :)

Tricky thing will be getting seats together. Let us know.

I'm sorry. I read Air France and was thinking Paris, but you're going to Dublin. If you want an absolute confirmation, call Delta to be sure, but it sounds like a codeshare.

Wherever you're seeing the price, it probably says in small print somewhere, "Operated by Delta" on the Air France price.

When you book a codeshare flight, at the airport you check in with the airline operating the flight, regardless of who sold you the ticket.

I called Delta just to be sure, and they confirmed that it is the same flight. I was wrong, however, in that the price difference between Delta and Air France (for the same flight) was minimal (less than $10). I had my dates screwed up when I posted last night -- too much confusion with all of the various airline sites and booking 2 sets of tickets from 2 different destinations.

Anyhoo...thanks to all for your responses. We are going to Ireland - woohoo!

Air France/KLM and DL/NW operate their trans-Atlantic routes as joint-ventures. Which is why prices are often the same regardless who you book with.

That is different from regular codeshares that don't receive anti-trust immunity. In those cases, one airline buy seats on another and they're supposed to set their prices independently.