Airline Group Booking: BA, easyJet, Ryanair, Lufthansa
How group desks at British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Lufthansa work: minimum size, how to ask, name deadlines and payment, from each airline's page.
Every airline runs its own group desk, with its own rules. British Airways, easyJet and Lufthansa start at 10 passengers. Ryanair starts at 15. Names, payment and deadlines differ on each page. One request to one airline gets you one price on one network. A specialist desk like Easy Group Flights takes one request for 10+ passengers and compares several airlines, so you see the options side by side before you commit to one carrier's rules.
Everything below comes from each airline's public group page, as of October 2026. Airlines change these pages. Check the live version before you pay.
British Airways group booking
The British Airways group travel page, as of October 2026, defines a group as "six or more people travelling in First" and "ten or more people travelling in any other cabin", excluding infants under 2.
How to ask: the UK and Ireland section has a quote request. Once the quote arrives, the page says you call to complete the booking, and British Airways will "secure your flights for two weeks, free of charge." Customers outside the UK, Ireland and North America are told to contact their local British Airways office.
Names are not needed to start. The same page says you can tell British Airways who is travelling up to 2 weeks before departure. If the itinerary includes other airlines, it asks for passenger details at least 30 days before departure.
Money: for bookings made more than 12 weeks out, the page asks for a 20% non-refundable deposit within two weeks, with the balance due eight weeks before departure. Closer bookings pay in full earlier. Name changes are free before tickets are issued and charged after.
easyJet group booking
The easyJet group bookings page, as of October 2026, says "a minimum of 10 passengers travelling on at least one flight." There are two routes.
Up to 40 people can book on the normal website. The easyJet help page says you then enter every name at booking and pay in full on one card.
The group desk is the second route. You call or use the Group Bookings Request Form, and the team sends a quote. The easyJet group terms say booking itself is done by calling the team. Names go on a manifest, due at least 5 days before the first flight.
Three lines worth reading twice. The terms say a quote "does not reserve seats." The full value is paid when the booking is made. And the groups page says group fares "are not discounted and are generally priced more than our internet rates", because they add name flexibility and pooled baggage. Deposit: not stated on the public page, because full payment is due at booking.
Ryanair group booking
The Ryanair Help Centre article on group bookings, as of October 2026, sets the floor at 15 passengers, up to 189 or 197 depending on the aircraft. Groups of 10 to 14 fall below that line.
How to ask: fill in a group booking request form. The quote is valid for 5 days, subject to availability. You accept it by email, Ryanair creates the booking references, and sends a payment link. The article says group bookings must be made at least 14 days before departure.
The Ryanair group booking terms say payment is 100% at time of booking, and all names must be submitted 7 days before the outbound departure. Deposit: not stated on the public page, because the terms ask for full payment.
The Ryanair group travel page lists the same fare for all group members, flexible name changes and assigned group seating as benefits.
Lufthansa group booking
The Lufthansa group travel page (UK English version), as of October 2026, defines a group as "at least 10 passengers (> 2 years old) traveling together on the same flight." The US version of the page blocked our fetch, so the facts here come from the UK English page.
How to ask: an online form, with an offer sent by email. The page asks for at least 28 days' notice and says processing currently takes up to seven days. The online request only covers departures from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium, with a billing address in those countries or Liechtenstein. Everyone else is told to use a travel agency.
Names are not needed at request. The page says names are due 14 days before departure, and the booking is cancelled if they are missing. Tickets are issued at the same point. Payment is due within seven days of booking. Up to 20% of the group can be cancelled free before tickets are issued, as long as 10 people remain. Dates, route and cabin cannot change. Deposit: not stated on the public page.
The page also says the group price "can be higher than the single seat fare sold online."
Side by side
| As of October 2026 | British Airways | easyJet | Ryanair | Lufthansa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum group | 10 (6 in First) | 10 | 15 | 10 |
| How to request | Quote form, then call | Request form or call; booking by phone | Request form, payment link by email | Online form, offer by email |
| Names at request | No | No (desk route); yes on web up to 40 | No | No |
| Name deadline | 2 weeks before departure | 5 days before first flight | 7 days before outbound | 14 days before departure |
| Payment | 20% deposit, balance 8 weeks out (early bookings) | Full at booking | 100% at booking | Within 7 days of booking |
| Quote holds seats | Two weeks, free | No | Not stated | Not stated |
| Group price vs web | Not stated | Generally higher | Not stated | Can be higher |
Read the table as a starting point, not a contract. Each carrier's written quote is what binds you.
When to call the airline directly vs a specialist
Go direct when the answer is already obvious. If your group of 16 flies one Ryanair route, or 25 colleagues fly British Airways from London because the client requires it, the airline desk is built for that. The rules are published and the team knows its own network. You lose nothing by asking them.
A specialist earns its place when the answer is not obvious:
- You do not know which airline is best. One airline desk quotes one airline. Comparing four means four forms, four timelines and four sets of terms.
- You are between 10 and 14 people. Ryanair's group desk starts at 15.
- Names arrive late. Weddings, schools and sports squads rarely have a final list at deposit. You want seats held before names, with the deadline written on the quote.
- Finance wants one invoice. Several airline files means several payment schedules. A specialist puts the group on one invoice.
- You depart from outside an airline's online area. Lufthansa's own form only covers four departure countries.
Easy Group Flights is IATA-accredited and quotes in about 2 hours. The difference is not access to secret fares. It is one request, a multi-airline comparison, and one desk that tracks the deadlines. For the longer version, see specialist vs airline desk and how airline group fares work.
Planning by trip type? Start at wedding trips, school trips or sports team trips.
FAQ
What is the minimum for an airline group booking?
As of October 2026, British Airways, easyJet and Lufthansa start at 10 passengers on their public group pages. Ryanair starts at 15. British Airways counts six in First as a group.
Do I need passenger names to request a group quote?
Not at these four airlines' group desks, per their pages. Names are due later: 2 weeks before departure at British Airways, 14 days at Lufthansa, 7 days at Ryanair, 5 days at easyJet.
Are group fares cheaper than booking online?
Not automatically. easyJet's page says group fares are generally priced above its internet rates. Lufthansa's says the group price can be higher than the single seat fare. You pay for flexibility, not a guaranteed discount.
Does a group quote hold the seats?
It depends on the airline. British Airways says it secures flights for two weeks free once you complete the booking. easyJet's terms say a quote does not reserve seats. Ask in writing.
We are 12 people. Can we use Ryanair's group desk?
Not per its public terms, which set a minimum of 15. A specialist desk can compare other carriers for a group of 12.
Can one request cover several airlines?
Not at an airline desk. A specialist runs one brief across several carriers. Get a group quote with dates, airports and headcount.
Ready? Easy Group Flights is an IATA-accredited specialist desk for 10+ passengers.
Get a group quote
Related: Specialist vs airline desk · How airline group fares work · Group flight deposits and payment schedule
