A group fare is a price an airline quotes for one party - typically ten or more passengers, though the threshold varies by airline - travelling together on the same flights. A series fare is a price on a block of seats repeated across many departures, which a supplier then sells to many unrelated travellers through agents.
Both involve seats held before names are known, both use deposits and name deadlines, and both are negotiated rather than filed publicly. That is why they get confused. The difference lies in who the seats are for and how many departures they cover.
One party versus a pipeline of bookings
A group request starts with a real need: a wedding party, a school trip, a corporate offsite, a pilgrimage group. The agent or tour operator asks the airline's group desk for a quote on specific dates. The airline prices that request on its own merits, considering load factor and expected demand.
A series starts with forecast demand. The supplier does not know who will travel, only that it can probably sell a certain number of seats on each departure. It commits to the block first and finds the passengers afterwards, booking by booking.
Comparison table
| Point of comparison | Group fare | Series fare |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | A known party with a travel date | Forecast trade demand on a route |
| Departures covered | Usually one outbound and one return | Many departures, often weekly or daily over a season |
| Passengers | Travel together, one booking | Unrelated travellers, many separate bookings |
| Who books it | Agent or tour operator handling the group | Supplier commits; agents book individual seats from the block |
| Pricing | Quoted per request by the airline group desk | Negotiated net fare for the whole block, resold with margin |
| Deposit | Common, tied to that group | Common, tied to the block or season |
| Name list | All names for the party by one deadline | Names submitted per departure as bookings come in |
| Attrition | Allowed drop in group size, per contract | Release of unsold seats before cut-off, per contract |
Deposits and deadlines in each model
With a group, the timeline is linear. Quote, accept, pay deposit, confirm final numbers, submit names, pay balance, ticket. Most airlines allow some attrition - the group can shrink by a set amount without penalty - and charge or forfeit deposit beyond that.
With a series, the same cycle runs in parallel across every departure in the block. On a weekly series there may be one name list deadline every seven days, each with its own utilisation question. Illustrative example: a 12-week series of 20 seats per departure produces 12 separate name lists, 12 release decisions and 240 seats to track, even though it is one contract.
That volume is why series suppliers lean on inventory systems while a one-off group can be run from an email thread.
Which one should an agent use?
Some situations blur the line. A tour operator may treat each fixed departure as its own group with the airline, while selling it to agents exactly like series inventory. The contract terms matter more than the label.
- A defined party with fixed dates - request a group fare, or ask a supplier whether series seats on those dates can cover the party.
- Individual customers on a busy route - book from a series block if one is available through your suppliers.
- A tour operator running repeated departures - a series or allotment usually fits better than raising a new group request for every date.
- Uncertain numbers - check attrition terms closely in either case, because they decide how much the deposit is at risk.
Managing both without double-handling
Suppliers who hold both group blocks and series blocks benefit from managing them in one inventory view, so seat counts, deadlines and names are not split across tools. EazyPNR supports this kind of pre-held inventory; see the group fare platform and series fare platform pages for how each is handled.
Key takeaways
- A group fare serves one party on one itinerary; a series fare serves many travellers across many departures.
- Group pricing is quoted per request; series pricing comes from one negotiated net fare for the block.
- Both use deposits and name deadlines, but a series repeats them for every departure.
- Attrition and release terms differ by airline and contract, so read them before committing.
Frequently asked questions
How many passengers make a group?
Many airlines start group handling at around ten passengers, but the threshold and the conditions differ by airline and market.
Can series seats be used for a group?
Often yes, if the supplier has enough seats on the required departure. The group then follows the series fare rules rather than group desk terms.
Which carries more deposit risk?
It depends on the contract. A series spreads risk across many departures but exposes the supplier to repeated release decisions; a group concentrates risk in one booking.