Pros and cons of single PNR when travelling with a work colleague

[defurax]

I almost always travel alone for work, but this time a colleague will be accompanying me for a trip in the US in May. Since he has no status with QF or any OW airline, I was thinking that I should book us together on the same PNR so he can enjoy First class checkin, express immigration, free seat selection, etc.
What are people here doing when travelling with colleagues? Any other advantages or disadvantages of booking a work colleague on the same ticket?

Thanks for your help!

Cheers

 

[Hvr]

Always have a single PNR. If something needs to be changed and they need to upgrade someone it will be easier to get one, i.e. you.

When travelling with colleagues I'll guest into the lounge but am much happier to sit several rows in front of and away from them.

Take them with you via the first class check in anyway.

 

[samh004]

The common one I see is whether you want to sit next to him for the whole flight... are they someone you'd enjoy discussing work with for the flight, will they talk your ear off, do you see the flight as work time or alone time, etc? While being on the same PNR doesn't mean you need to sit together, does give you the flexibility to help him choose a good seat away from you if you prefer.

Ultimately, other than seat selection, if you're travelling together, he'll get the same benefits as you simply by flashing your card I believe, someone will correct me.

You can always book together and split the PNR later.

 

[defurax]

Always have a single PNR. If something needs to be changed and they need to upgrade someone it will be easier to get one, i.e. you.

The common one I see is whether you want to sit next to him for the whole flight... are they someone you'd enjoy discussing work with for the flight, will they talk your ear off, do you see the flight as work time or alone time, etc?

Ultimately, other than seat selection, if you're travelling together, he'll get the same benefits as you simply by flashing your card I believe, someone will correct me.

You can always book together and split the PNR later.

Very valid points. In the event we want to be seated together can I ask the premium desk to seat us together even if we are on different PNR?

 

[samh004]

Very valid points. In the event we want to be seated together can I ask the premium desk to seat us together even if we are on different PNR?

I'd imagine in such a scenario, they'd be more likely to find you a seat near him, than him a seat near you, if you catch my drift

 

[chrisb]

Pro: Sitting together.
Con: Sitting together.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Reminds me of a group of offshore rig workers where the company booked all 8 of them on the one pnr.

On arrival at checkin the conversation went something along the lines of "I don't want to sit next to this **** or that **** or I'll knock his block off".

I'll echo the above sentiments of everyone else ie stay on separate pnrs as this person can still get the benefits of First checkin etc without being in the same booking as long as you checkin together.

Don't be too hasty to get seats together & tell them about the Flounge unless you know them really well or you may live to regret it. Even if you do know them at work, sometimes people turn into gremlins when they travel so the last thing you'll want is to sit next to the class clown all the way to your destination wishing you'd never told them stuff that in hindsight, should probably have been classified information.

 

[NM]

Don't be too hasty to get seats together & tell them about the Flounge unless you know them really well or you may live to regret it. Even if you do know them at work, sometimes people turn into gremlins when they travel so the last thing you'll want is to sit next to the class clown all the way to your destination wishing you'd never told them stuff that in hindsight, should probably have been classified information.

but if the travelling "companion" is your non-status boss, inviting to the FLounge can be a positive experience .

 

[simongr]

The only benefit accrues to your colleague - they will get better seats.

Are you flying in J? If so then the seat question is sort of moot as there isn't really a bad seat in J (despite my wailing that I couldnt get into 12D and the tears that followed).

The cons are:

- Sitting next to your colleague
- Being dependent on your colleague getting to the airport at the same time as you to check in and not have you waiting for them to arrive
- Sitting next to your colleague
- Less likely for you to get an OpUp
- Sitting next to your colleague
- No chance to use points to upgrade
- Sitting next to your colleague
- Being dependent on getting two seats together that are decent. Yes I noted above that there are no bad seats in J but there are bad seats in whY and there are better seats in J. For example if on a QF A380 you need two seats together to be free to get into Emerald City - if travelling on separate PNRs you only need one seat
- Did I mention sitting next to your colleague as that is an issue

 

[significance]

Another issue is what happens if one of you needs to cancel or change your flight. This happened recently when I was travelling with my husband on a single PNR. We had a weekend trip planned to Melbourne, but then I needed to cancel my flight due to a work trip (a meeting in Melbourne cropped up the day before our planned trip, and I didn't want to fly home on Friday night just to fly back at dawn the next day). I found I couldn't cancel my ticket without cancelling his as well, and making a new booking.

 

[vertisol]

I always have my assistant book flights for any traveling colleagues on different PNR and she also knows to use QBT to find us seats as far away from each other as possible too. Nothing against most of them but my time on an airplane is mine to switch off. Not something I get to do between a life of work and a 2 year old at home.

One guy can't work out why he's always on row 22 of the 737....

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I always have my assistant book flights for any traveling colleagues on different PNR and she also knows to use QBT to find us seats as far away from each other as possible too. Nothing against most of them but my time on an airplane is mine to switch off. Not something I get to do between a life of work and a 2 year old at home.

One guy can't work out why he's always on row 22 of the 737....

What's to stop your colleague rearranging his own seating?

 

[samh004]

Another issue is what happens if one of you needs to cancel or change your flight. This happened recently when I was travelling with my husband on a single PNR. We had a weekend trip planned to Melbourne, but then I needed to cancel my flight due to a work trip (a meeting in Melbourne cropped up the day before our planned trip, and I didn't want to fly home on Friday night just to fly back at dawn the next day). I found I couldn't cancel my ticket without cancelling his as well, and making a new booking.

You can just split PNR's. I've done it in the past, then you can change your flights separately.

 

[vertisol]

What's to stop your colleague rearranging his own seating?

He hasn't worked that out yet....

 

[Hvr]

He hasn't worked that out yet....

Sounds dumb enough to be your boss, maybe he has pointy hair?

 

[BensAdventures]

I travel a fair bit with my boss, and fortunately we travel we together, but we virtually never ever sit together! We spend enough time together in lounges, meetings, meals etc, a few hours of peace is enjoyed by both of us! One notable exception was a flight from MIA-EYW after a very busy week in the US, but we just tried to see how many drinks we could consume in a 45 min flight! Crazy weekend followed!

 

[harvyk]

- Being dependent on your colleague getting to the airport at the same time as you to check in and not have you waiting for them to arrive

not really a prob, a couple of years ago I did a CBR - xSYD - PER trip, and I was able to check myself in without my colleague there no probs. (he was of the school of turning up at the last minute, which didn't work too well ths time as SYD was down to just the east-west and there where massive delays. I got placed onto an earlier flight and got to SYD no probs, he took our original flight and then circled SYD for 2.5 hours. I was sitting on the PER flight when he hadn't even landed yet.)

 

[ozbeachbabe]

not really a prob, a couple of years ago I did a CBR - xSYD - PER trip, and I was able to check myself in without my colleague there no probs.

(he was of the school of turning up at the last minute, which didn't work too well ths time as SYD was down to just the east-west and there where massive delays. I got placed onto an earlier flight and got to SYD no probs, he took our original flight and then circled SYD for 2.5 hours. I was sitting on the PER flight when he hadn't even landed yet.)

There's nothing to stop a NB checking in without the WP, however the NB would not be eligible to use F Checkin unless travelling in F so the would need to use the general queue or OLCI if they had already printed out their boarding passes st home.

As for lounge access if your WP travelling companion has a tardy reputation of arriving at the airport I wouldn't be entertaining thoughts of eggs benedict in the Flounge.

 

[harvyk]

There's nothing to stop a NB checking in without the WP, however the NB would not be eligible to use F Checkin unless travelling in F so the would need to use the general queue or OLCI if they had already printed out their boarding passes st home.

As for lounge access if your WP travelling companion has a tardy reputation of arriving at the airport I wouldn't be entertaining thoughts of eggs benedict in the Flounge.

That is true, he had to do pleb lines with no lounge... Didn't bother me as I had lounge and J line...

 

[legroom]

....I almost always travel alone for work, but this time a colleague will be accompanying me for a trip in the US in May....

That is a rather long trip to sit next to anyone when you would rather have some "private" time.

Personally, I would not mind SYD MEL or the like but sitting next to someone you know (but not a relative) and feel obliged to continue with some conversations is not something I would look forward to for a 13-14 hrs flight.

The only persons I would do so would be my family members.

You could always make his/her booking using your QFF account (with your status) using his/her CC of course.

Your colleague would then have a separate booking number but you could - courtesy of your status - select a good seat for him / her, preferably 2-3 rows away from you.

As others have commented, lounge access / priority check in are not an issue most people would mind helping a colleague.