How Airline Ticket Numbers Work
6 min read · Published · Updated
Every airline e-ticket has a 13-digit ticket number, usually written like 176-0000000001 or 125 0000000002. The number is how airlines, agents and settlement systems identify a single ticket document. Its first three digits tell you which airline the ticket was issued on. That is often the first thing you need to know when handling a refund, a change or a passenger's question about an unfamiliar ticket. This guide explains the structure, the difference between the airline prefix and the airline code, conjunction tickets, and where ticket numbers sit in a PNR.
The structure of a 13-digit ticket number
A ticket number has two parts: a three-digit airline prefix followed by a ten-digit document number. Writing it with a hyphen or space after the first three digits is just for readability. The number is the same either way, and many systems store it without the separator.
Pattern: PPP-NNNNNNNNNN
176-0000000001
125 0000000002| Part | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Airline prefix (accounting code) | 176 | IATA three-digit numeric code of the airline whose ticket stock was used: the validating or plating carrier. 176 is Emirates. |
| Document number | 0000000001 | Ten digits that identify this specific ticket document within that airline's numbering. |
You will sometimes see ticket numbers quoted with an extra digit or a coupon number on the end, such as /1 for the first flight coupon. These are references to parts of the ticket, not part of the 13-digit number. When you search for a ticket in a GDS or give the number to an airline, use the 13 digits.
The prefix is not the two-letter airline code
Airlines have two IATA identifiers. The two-letter code (EK, BA, QR) appears on flight segments, boarding passes and departure boards. The three-digit numeric code (176, 125, 157 for the same three airlines) is the accounting code embedded in tickets and other documents. You need both. The segment tells you who operates or markets the flight; the ticket prefix tells you whose ticket the passenger holds.
They do not have to match. A trip on several airlines is usually issued on one validating carrier's stock, so a passenger flying entirely on a partner airline can hold a ticket that starts with another airline's prefix. For refunds, changes and many fare questions, the validating carrier from the ticket prefix is the airline whose rules and processes apply first. The airlines reference page lists two-letter codes alongside airline names.
Finding ticket numbers in a PNR
A confirmed segment status (HK) does not mean a ticket exists. The ticket number is recorded in a separate element once the ticket is issued. In Amadeus these are FA elements, one per passenger:
7 FA PAX 125-0000000001/ETBA/GBP3250.00/02MAR26/LON1A0123/00000000/S3-4/P1
8 FA PAX 125-0000000002/ETBA/GBP3250.00/02MAR26/LON1A0123/00000000/S3-4/P2The S3-4 reference shows which segments the ticket covers, and P1/P2 which passenger it belongs to. If a booking has confirmed segments but no ticket elements, treat it as unticketed, whatever the passenger has been told, and check the ticketing time limit. Galileo shows issued ticket numbers in the booking's ticketing information; the layout differs, but the 13-digit number is the same.
Conjunction tickets for long itineraries
One ticket document holds at most four flight coupons. An itinerary with more than four flights, such as a complex multi-city or round-the-world trip, is issued as two or more ticket documents linked together as conjunction tickets. Their numbers are normally consecutive, so 176-0000000001 is followed by 176-0000000002. The documents are priced and handled as a single ticket.
That has practical consequences. A change, refund or reissue must deal with the whole conjunction set, because the fare and taxes are calculated across all the documents. Before starting a ticket change, check whether the ticket is part of a set. Consecutive numbers with the same prefix on one passenger are the giveaway.
Common mistakes
- Confusing the record locator with the ticket number. The locator is six letters and digits identifying the booking; the ticket number is 13 digits identifying the paid document. A passenger can have one locator and several tickets.
- Reading the operating airline from the ticket prefix. The prefix shows the validating carrier, which may not be the airline flying the passenger.
- Assuming HK means ticketed. Look for the ticket elements (FA lines in Amadeus).
- Dropping a digit when transcribing. Always copy ticket numbers rather than retyping them, and confirm all 13 digits with the issuing agent or airline if a ticket cannot be found.
- Handling one document of a conjunction set on its own.
Ticket numbers are personal booking data. Use synthetic numbers such as 176-0000000001 in examples and training material, never a real customer's ticket.
Examples on this page use made-up data. Spotted an error or something that differs in your GDS? Send us a correction.