How to read a PNR: GDS booking lines decoded

Agents see PNRs in a reservation system (a GDS) or as a text copy that a colleague or supplier sends. The details change a little between systems, but the logic is shared. This guide decodes a typical booking line step by step, explains the status codes you meet most, and lists the mistakes that cost agencies money.

What a PNR is and what it is not

A PNR is a booking record with a six character reference, for example X7K2LM. It holds the passenger names, the flights (segments), contact details, ticketing information and remarks. It is not a ticket. A PNR can exist for days before payment, and it can be cancelled by the airline if the time limit passes. The ticket is a separate record with a thirteen digit number, created when you issue. See what is an electronic ticket receipt for that difference.

A full example, line by line

Below is a sample booking as it might be pasted from a system. Names and numbers are invented.

RP/SAMPLE/KBL1A0001   X7K2LM
1.AHMADI/KARIM MR
 1  RQ4401 Y 30OCT 5 KBLDEL HK1  0930 1240   *1A/E*
 2  AI2487 Y 30OCT 5 DELBLR HK1  1800 2050   *1A/E*
 3  AI2488 Y 06NOV 5 BLRDEL HK1  0600 0850#1
TK TL29OCT/1800
AP KBL 0700000000

So line 1 reads: flight RQ 4401, booked in class Y, on Friday 30 October, from Kabul to Delhi, confirmed for one passenger, leaving 09:30 and arriving 12:40 local time. Line 3 arrives at 08:50 on the next day, so the passenger lands on 7 November even though the flight leaves on 6 November.

Check the day of the week against a calendar. An old system may show a number that does not match the year, and a typo in the date is easier to catch this way.

The other lines in the sample

• Name line (1.AHMADI/KARIM MR): surname, slash, given names, title. This must equal the passport.
• TK TL29OCT/1800: a ticketing time limit. If you do not issue by 29 October 18:00, the airline may cancel the booking.
• AP: contact phone number of the agency or passenger.
• *1A/E* style markers: system notes that show the booking is e-ticket capable. Their form depends on the system.
• The header (RP/SAMPLE/...): office identifier of the agency that owns the booking.

Common status codes

Status tells you whether you can rely on the seat. Codes differ a little between airlines and systems, so read the system's help if a code is new. These are the ones you will meet most.

Note the difference between TK as a segment status (schedule change confirmed) and TK as a line prefix (ticketing information, like TK TL above). They share two letters but mean different things.

Booking class letters, honestly

The letter after the flight number (Y, M, K, B and so on) is a booking class, also called a fare bucket. Each airline decides what its letters mean. Y is nearly always full fare economy, and J, C or D are usually business, but there is no worldwide table beyond that. The same letter can mean a flexible fare on one airline and a restricted fare on another.

• Do not tell a customer a letter "means" a baggage allowance or refund rule. Read the fare rules for that ticket.
• A letter tells you which price bucket was sold, and the fare rules tell you what comes with it.
• If a booking class is missing from a line you were sent, write nothing rather than guess one.

Reading a line with a day change

Night flights arrive the next day, and it confuses customers who meet someone at the airport. Systems mark this differently: +1, #1 or an asterisk after the arrival time. In your message to the customer, write the real arrival date, for example "arrives 7 Nov 08:50". If the line also crosses time zones, remember both times are local.

Common mistakes when reading a PNR

• Treating a held PNR as a ticket and telling the customer they are ready to fly.
• Missing the ticketing time limit, so the airline cancels the booking.
• Ignoring TK, UN or HX after a schedule change, so the customer arrives for a flight that moved or no longer exists.
• Reading the date day and month backwards, or forgetting the day change on a night arrival.
• Passing on a name with a spelling different from the passport.
• Reading a status for the wrong segment in a multi segment booking.

From the PNR to a message the customer understands

Customers do not want GDS lines. They want "Friday 30 October, Kabul to Delhi, 09:30 to 12:40, confirmed." In Parvaz you paste the booking text or a photo into the message maker and choose booking details. It writes one line per flight in the same style as above, shows the arrival as +1 where the input has it, lists the passengers, and decodes the class and status codes that are in your input in plain words, leaving out any code that is not there. You can also turn a booking into a flight itinerary for the traveller. The pricing page lists what is included.