It is often necessary to split your group into smaller groups when your total group size exceeds the amount of seats available on your desired flight itinerary. It’s important to note the following when planning a group trip:
- Regional and smaller airports usually feature aircrafts that sit between 50 to 70 passengers. Depending on the demand for the desired itinerary, this might mean only 20-30 seats are available for a group contract.
- Airlines only allow 30-50% of the space on a plane to be assigned to groups. In other words, even though a flight’s seat map may show the main cabin has 100 available seats, only 30-50 seats may be the maximum group size allowed to book on that flight.
- Certain destinations are in high demand by groups, meaning that there is competition between travel agencies, tour operators and other parties to book up space on flights to these locations. Destinations like Orlando, Florida sees hundreds of groups daily for parties visiting Disney World, ranging from high school senior trips, performance groups, competitive groups and leisure groups to name a few. Depending on the time of year, destination and route, even booking out 9-10 months out in advance may not guarantee your entire party can be seated on the same aircraft.
As general guidance, if your group is larger than 60 passengers you can expect your group to be split across more than one flight itinerary.
