How to find your booking reference and verify a flight reservation

To check a reservation, you need the passenger’s surname and the reference recognized by the airline. A PNR or booking reference is not an electronic ticket number: a reservation can exist without a ticket having been issued. Start by identifying the code shown on your confirmation.

Identify the fields on your confirmation

This diagram explains how to read a document. It is not a real reservation, and the bracketed fields are not usable codes.

Need help with airline vocabulary? Browse the full air travel glossary.

If you are unsure what you received, read the difference between a PNR and an electronic ticket.

Where to check each reference

Do not submit your surname and reference to a collection of unknown websites. Those details may provide access to personal travel information.

Necessary information

Prepare:

• the reservation reference;
• the last name exactly as it appears in the file;
• the company operating the flight;
• the date and number of the flight;
• the e-ticket number if a ticket has been purchased;
• the original confirmation email.

Never publicly share a screenshot containing your PNR and name: this combination can sometimes provide access to booking details.

Method 1: check on the airline's website

Step 1 — Identify the operating carrier

The logo displayed at the time of purchase is not always that of the company operating the aircraft. Look for the words:

• “operated by”;
• operated by ;
• marketing career and operating career.

For a codeshare flight, start with the operating airline's website, then try the commercial airline's website.

Step 2 — Open the official reservation management function

On the airline website, search for:

• “Manage my reservation”;
• “My travels”;
• Manage booking;
• My trips;
• Retrieve booking.

Avoid sites that imitate a company’s visual identity. Check the domain name before entering your data.

Step 3 — Enter the correct code

Use the locator marked as “airline booking reference” or airline booking reference. If you only have an agency code, it may be refused.

Step 4 — Enter the name without interpreting it

Copy the name as it appears in the confirmation:

• without adding the first name if only the last name is requested;
• by testing without accent or hyphen when the system has deleted them;
• with the name of birth if it is that of the reservation;
• without additional space.

Step 5 — Check the result

Check:

• the passenger's name;
• airports;
• the date;
• the flight number;
• the operating carrier;
• the state of the segment;
• the possible presence of the e-ticket number.

Method 2: use the agency or seller’s space

If the airline's website does not recognize the code, open the link provided in the seller's email. The agency can view the file in its own system while the carrier uses another identifier.

Look for a field titled:

• “airline booking reference”;
• “airline locator”;
• “vendor locator”;
• “confirmation number”;
• “supplier reference”.

If this reference does not appear, ask the seller explicitly for it.

Method 3: Check via the appropriate reservation system

Some reservations are created in a global distribution system. Depending on the system and the seller's agreements, a traveler portal can allow you to consult the itinerary.

This method is secondary:

• not all PNRs are publicly visible;
• a PNR may have been replicated in several systems;
• the airline booking reference often remains the most useful;
• the absence of result is not definitive proof of non-existence.

Always favor the official website of the airline and the original seller.

How to interpret the statuses?

The exact wording varies between systems.

A “confirmed” status in the PNR does not always prove that the ticket has been paid. To travel, also look for the receipt and e-ticket number.

Why is the reservation not found?

The wrong locator is used

This is the most common cause. Ask for the specific reference from the operating carrier.

The wrong name is entered

Accents, spaces, particles, compound nouns and first/last name inversions can prevent a search.

Synchronization is not complete

After creating or modifying a folder, it may take a few minutes before it appears in another system.

The reservation has expired

An unissued reservation may have a deadline. After expiration, the segment is released and is no longer accessible.

Code sharing creates multiple references

The marketing carrier's site may know the file while that of the operator requests another code, or vice versa.

The public portal does not support this folder

Some companies do not display all bookings created by partners, groups or agencies.

A reading error has crept into the code

Check in particular:

• O and 0;
• I, L and 1;
• B and 8;
• S and 5.

What to do when nothing works?

1. Reread the original email and identify each reference.
2. Test the operating carrier’s website.
3. Test that of the commercial airline if the flight is codeshare.
4. Verify the name in the exact format of the confirmation.
5. Wait a few minutes if the folder has just been created.
6. Contact the seller and ask for the airline locator.
7. If you have paid for a ticket, ask for the e-ticket number and status.

Do not immediately recreate a new reservation: you risk producing a duplicate or paying twice.

How to check that a ticket is actually issued?

Checking the PNR and checking the ticket answer two different questions.

To confirm the broadcast, search for:

• a 13-digit ticket number;
• an e-ticket receipt;
• coupons corresponding to the segments;
• the open, confirmed or equivalent status for coupons;
• confirmation from the carrier or seller.

If you have paid but cannot find a ticket number, contact the seller promptly.

Check a temporary reservation

A temporary reservation may be active for a limited period of time and then disappear from the system. Verify it upon receipt, using the company and name indicated.

The verification must focus on what the service actually promises: the existence of an identifiable reservation during its announced period. It does not transform this reservation into an electronic ticket.

With ExitPass:

• use the PNR or the reference indicated on the document;
• check the operating carrier;
• copy the name exactly;
• carry out the check during the announced validity period;
• contact support if the reservation cannot be found during this period.

Security: protect your PNR

A PNR may provide access to personal information or allow certain actions on a reservation. To limit the risks:

• do not publish your code with your name;
• hide references in screenshots;
• only use official or identified portals;
• never transmit your data to an unverified social account;
• beware of fake customer services asking for payment or bank code.

Technical sources

• ICAO — Guidelines on Passenger Name Record Data, Doc 9944
• ICAO — API Guidelines and PNR Reporting Standards
• Amadeus — example of correspondence between PNR name and e-ticket folder

Last editorial check: August 18, 2026.

If you are still deciding whether to pay for transport, see how to reserve a flight without paying the full fare.

Prepared by ExitPass · Editorial revision: 7 September 2026.