The PNR holds the passengers’ names, flight segments, contact details, ticketing information and remarks, plus special service requests such as meals or assistance. Agents service bookings through it, and mid-office tools read it for checks and invoicing.

One trip, several references

A booking made in a GDS carries the GDS’s own record locator and the airline’s locator, and an itinerary held in two different systems produces two PNRs. The agent services the booking using the GDS reference. Some airlines also accept that reference for managing the booking and checking in online, while others need their own reference, so give customers both.

Common confusion

• In leisure travel “PNR” is sometimes used loosely for any booking reference. Strictly it is an airline or GDS reservation record.

• A PNR is not a ticket. The e-ticket number is separate.

• “PNR data” also has a narrower legal meaning in the UK, covering the passenger information that carriers pass to the authorities.