8 things you need to know for your student’s upcoming flight

Students should check-in for their flight on the airline’s website 24 hours before their flight. For this, you will use the student’s name and confirmation code. That code will have a two letter indicator of the airline (“UA” for United Airlines for example) followed by the six-character code. The confirmation code can be found on the PDF in the flight email sent to parents and in the Hub for students and host families.

It is common practice for airlines to combine the passengers first and middle name(s) on their ticket. It is completely okay for a passenger’s name to appear on their ticket as LAST/FIRSTMIDDLE.

Accents or other special characters are usually not included in the spelling of the passenger’s name. Additionally, some accents will be replaced with an “e”. For example, Müller would appear as Mueller.

All students’ international tickets include one checked bag (as well as their carry-on and personal item). If your student will check more than one bag or any special luggage, reference the airline’s baggage policy on their website so they know what to expect.

Students’ checked luggage will be sent to their destination and will not need to be picked up on any layovers at connecting airports. This will be different if a student has “separate tickets” in their itinerary which is uncommon and will be communicated.

It is best to arrive to the airport 3 hours before the flight for international itineraries. Better safe than sorry!

Many airlines operate with “partner” airlines and are part of an airline “alliance.” If you are unfamiliar with your student’s airline, do a quick Google search for their partner airlines to avoid any potential confusion. For example, KLM and Delta are partners, as are British Airways and American Airlines.

If students have flight issues, the quickest and best way to resolve the issue is for them to request help at the airline’s help desk. Of course, they (and you) can also feel free to call the Travel Support team at 800-634-8351 or email us at [email protected] for assistance.