Episode Details

Ever booked a flight with one airline and boarded a plane painted with another's colors? That's code-sharing — and it's not just a branding quirk. In this episode, we break down the hidden architecture of airline alliances: who's legally responsible for your flight, who has operational control, and why the airline that sold you the ticket has zero authority once the plane pushes back. From the Qantas-American deal that started it all to the hard firewall between marketing and operating carriers, we explain why the name on your boarding pass is often just a commercial illusion.