UK passenger rights law defines a ticket as a valid document giving entitlement to transport, or an equivalent in paperless form, including electronic form, issued or authorised by the airline or its authorised agent. IATA achieved 100% electronic ticketing on 1 June 2008.

How it works

• The number. IATA defines the validating carrier as the issuing airline whose numeric code comes before the document number. Virgin Atlantic, for example, tells customers that its e-ticket numbers are 13 digits long and start with 932.

• Coupons. IATA defines flight coupons as the segments of an electronic ticket. Virgin Atlantic’s ticketing policy says they must be used in the order ticketed.

• Ticket and booking. The PNR is the reservation and the e-ticket is a separate record. Virgin Atlantic cancels its flights in a booking that is not ticketed by the ticketing time limit, and says a booking can be cancelled if the ticket numbers are not added to it.

Worth knowing

• ATOL. The CAA’s consumer site says a flight is not covered by ATOL if the customer receives a valid e-ticket in exchange for payment. A customer who books an ATOL-protected flight is sent an ATOL Certificate after paying instead. See flight-only.

• Changes coming. IATA’s ONE Order standard aims to phase out PNRs, e-tickets and electronic miscellaneous documents gradually, combining them into a single order record.