How do I book flights when dh flying one way with dcs and me the other?

[Dunlurking]

Help please! Has anyone done this or know how you do an internet booking to do it?

Because of my work commitments dh is going to take the dcs out (long haul scheduled flight)to visit inlaws and I will join them later. I will bring them back in time for school but he will stay out a few days longer. How can we do the booking, pay all at the same time on his credit card, and ensure the dcs booking is seen to be with the travelling parent for the purposes of seating? I thought the card holder had to travel with the party, and I'm not sure how to alter the dates of individual travellers all within one booking.

Thanks if you can talk me through this!

You need to call them.

The cardholder does not have to be a traveller but you need to tell them that. I had to book DS flight separate to mine and the airline have linked the 2 bookings together. But it could only be done over the phone

That was quick Grockle. Thanks for the reply. So do you do the internet bookings as 3 separate ones then call the airline after it is done and ask them to link them?

Why do they need to be "linked"? Just book 4 flights - DP and DCs outward, your outward, you and DCs return, DPs return.

I have done internet bookings as separate ones and then called airline to link them. That way you don't pay fee for booking over the phone. I have always found that there are ways around the credit card holder not being present issue. Different airlines have different rules, so you need to check with your airline. But in several cases, I booked flights for dh with my credit card and then had to fax my id to airline to ok his using ticket without my credit card and then they added a note in the reservations and it was all fine. One time I had a problem was with Alitalia and they messed up all our seat reservations and wanted to seat dd and ds separately from me and dh. Since dd was 2 at the time and a-pain-in-the-ass going through a difficult stage and whining non-stop, they readily found people willing to change seats and let us sit together.

But ginmakesitallok I don't understand how I can do that for return flight bookings. I'm feeling dense here

Am also slightly bothered by fact that will have to list ds as an adult for payment purposes, but he is only 13 so really really want it to be obvious that he (and dd) should be seated with a parent and so I want to get this booking/linking straight in my head, as well as with the airline, so I won't be worrying.

I think my brain must just be sludge this morning. Still I have at least checked the airline website again and I see there is a form dh completes at least 4 days before travel to authorise us to travel without him as the cardholder. At least I have got my head round that one!

Cross posted SofiaAmes. Thanks for that. Yes I wanted to get the internet prices as they were quite good.

So I do just do the best I can with separate bookings then call airline.

That's why they'll link the tickets together, Dunlurking. I had to book separate tickets for me a DS (DS one way and mine a return flying by myself on the way their and with DS on the way back). The airlines (BA & Virgin) both said they'd link the tickets together to ensure that they knew we must travel together.