Group Fare Air Tickets: How Group Fares Work in Bangladesh
A group fare is a price an airline quotes for passengers travelling together on the same flights, usually 10 or more, under a group contract. The contract sets a deposit, a deadline for names, a deadline for full payment and ticketing, and limits on name changes and cancellations. In Bangladesh, a February 2025 ministry circular, as reported, also requires each passenger's name and passport details on group bookings from the start.
Key points
- Most airlines treat 10 or more passengers on a common flight and date as a group. Fewer than 10 is a normal booking.
- A group fare is a quote with a contract, not a published fare. The deposit, name and ticketing deadlines matter as much as the price.
- Missing a deadline can release the seats and cost the deposit.
- Name changes are limited and charged. A different traveller is not a free swap.
- Since February 2025, group bookings in Bangladesh need names, passport numbers and passport copies under a ministry circular, as reported. Check how airlines apply it today.
- For Umrah and worker groups, confirm visas and travel documents before the ticketing deadline, not after.
What is a group fare?
A group fare is a single negotiated price for a block of seats for a group travelling together. The airline quotes it on request, usually through its group desk, and attaches group terms.
Emirates' group bookings page defines a group booking as "10 passengers or more travelling together in Economy Class, Business Class or First Class on a common flight/date on a single itinerary." Cathay Pacific's group terms set a "Minimum 10 passengers per Booking ID."
| Normal (individual) fare | Group fare | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Published fare, changes with demand | Quoted for the group. Often held for a short time before you book |
| Payment | Full payment at ticketing | Deposit first, balance by a final deadline |
| Names | At booking | By a name deadline set in the contract. In Bangladesh, at booking (see below) |
| Changes | Per the fare rule | Limited share of name changes and rebookings, with fees |
| Fewer passengers | Cancel per the fare rule | Shortfall or materialisation penalties |
| Ticketing | You issue | Often issued after the airline's group team confirms payment and names |
How does a group booking work, step by step?
- Request. Send the route, dates, cabin, number of adults, children and infants, and one-way or return.
- Offer. The airline replies with a price per person and the group terms. An offer is often held only briefly. Cathay holds a saved offer for 96 hours, and no seats are held until you book.
- Book and pay the deposit by the deposit deadline.
- Submit the name list with passport details by the name deadline. In Bangladesh, do this at booking.
- Pay the balance and ticket by the final deadline.
- Manage changes within the contract: name changes, reductions, rebookings.
- Travel. Brief the group on baggage, check-in times and documents.
To see what a real contract looks like, here are the main terms from Cathay Pacific's group booking terms for its South Africa market (version 2.0, effective 21 May 2026). They are one airline's terms in one market, not Bangladesh terms, but the same kinds of clauses appear in most group contracts.
| Term | Cathay Pacific (South Africa, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Minimum size | 10 passengers per booking |
| Deposit | Amount and deadline in the contract. A deposit due on a weekend or holiday must be paid one day before |
| Names and full payment | 21 days before departure, or the contract date if earlier |
| Ticketing trigger | 100% payment plus complete names. "Full payment without submission of names shall not constitute a valid trigger" |
| Materialisation | At least 80% of contracted seats must be ticketed. Otherwise 20% of the net fare per unused seat |
| Cancellation after ticketing deadline | 100% of the base fare per passenger |
| Name changes | Up to 10% of the group until 5 days before departure, USD 70 each plus fare and tax difference |
| Deposit refund | Only after ticketing and at least 80% materialisation |
Deposits and deadlines: what to watch
Group money is lost on deadlines more often than on price.
- The deposit secures the seats. Under Cathay's terms, missing the deposit "may result in automatic release or cancellation of reserved group inventory without prior notice." Missing the final payment can mean "forfeiture of any deposit paid."
- Materialisation (attrition). If fewer people travel than you contracted, expect a penalty per empty seat. Contract only the number you are confident of.
- Your customers' deadlines must come first. Collect deposits and passports from your customers before the airline's deadlines, with a buffer of several days.
- Price can be revised. Extra baggage or changes to the group can change the fare. Confirm the final fare and taxes before paying the balance.
- Diary every date in Dhaka time: offer expiry, deposit, names, final payment and ticketing, and the last day for name changes.
How do name lists and name changes work?
The name list is the passenger list attached to the group, with names exactly as on each passport. In Bangladesh, under the 2025 circular below, it must exist from the start.
On 11 February 2025, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism issued a circular aimed at ticket hoarding. As reported by The Financial Express, it required:
- every booking, including group bookings, to use the passenger's name, passport number and a passport photocopy;
- bookings not ticketed in the passenger's name within three days to be cancelled automatically;
- the actual sale price of group tickets to be reported to the ministry and published.
A January 2026 ordinance amending the travel agency law also targeted false bookings, but it has ceased to have effect, according to the official Laws of Bangladesh website. Confirm the current rules with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and check how airlines apply the 2025 circular, before you plan any group that cannot be named and ticketed quickly.
On changes:
- A name correction (a spelling error) is different from a name change (a different person). Most airlines allow small corrections but treat a new person as a new sale.
- Group contracts usually allow name changes for only a small share of the group, before a cut-off, with a fee.
- Repeatedly cancelling and rebooking group names can be treated as churning. See ADMs and how to avoid them.
Umrah and worker groups: what is different?
The basics are the same, but the documents and timing need more care.
Umrah groups
- Demand peaks in certain seasons, Ramadan especially, so groups for busy dates need to be requested early.
- Visa and permit rules for Umrah are set by Saudi authorities and can change. Confirm them before the ticketing deadline, because group tickets are hard to refund.
- Check the baggage allowance for the group fare. It may differ from the individual fare, and adding bags later can change the price.
Worker (labour) groups
- Workers often travel one-way. Check that the fare's conditions and baggage suit the passenger's visa and purpose of travel.
- Workers need valid employment visas and the clearances Bangladesh requires for overseas employment, such as BMET (Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training) emigration clearance. Check with the airline whether the visa type needs any extra clearance before boarding.
- Book with the worker's own passport details and confirm each person is ready to fly before ticketing. The 2025 circular, as reported, requires names and passport details on every booking, so do not block unnamed seats.
For both: only accept group seats you can verify with the airline in the passenger's name. When the online agency Flight Expert collapsed in August 2025, Bangladesh Monitor reported that group tour operators were "forced to refund clients from their own pockets" because the tickets had been cancelled.
Group fares on Ticket Lagbe
Ticket Lagbe offers group fares to registered agencies, alongside individual fares from GDS, NDC and direct airline connections. The deposit, name, change and refund terms for any group fare depend on the airline and the offer. Get them in writing before you take money from your customers. Your Key Account Manager and the 24/7 support team can help with questions on a specific group.
After ticketing, individual changes follow the normal after-sales process. See our guides to void, refund and reissue and ticketing time limits. New to the trade? Start with how to start a travel agency in Bangladesh, or contact us.
Frequently asked questions
What is a group fare air ticket?
It is a ticket sold at a price the airline quotes for a group travelling together on the same flights, usually 10 or more passengers. The group contract sets its own deposit, name, payment and ticketing deadlines, and limits on changes.
How many passengers are needed for a group booking?
Most airlines start at 10. Emirates, for example, defines a group as 10 or more passengers travelling together in the same cabin on a common flight and date. Check each airline, because the minimum and the rules differ.
Do I need passenger names to book group seats in Bangladesh?
Yes. A February 2025 circular from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, as reported by The Financial Express, requires the passenger's name, passport number and a passport copy for every booking, including group bookings. Check with the airline how it applies the rule, and collect passports before you request seats.
Can I change names on a group booking?
Usually only a limited share of the group, before a deadline, and for a fee. One airline's 2026 group terms allow name changes for up to 10% of the group until five days before departure, at USD 70 per passenger plus any fare and tax difference.
Is a group deposit refundable?
Often not, or only under conditions. Group contracts commonly let the airline release the seats if the deposit is late, and keep the deposit if the balance or names are not received in time. Read the deposit clause before you pay.
Is a group fare always cheaper than individual tickets?
Not always. A group fare fixes one price for the block, but individual fares can sometimes be lower, and group tickets carry stricter conditions. Compare both for the same dates before you commit.