What is a passenger name record (PNR)?
A passenger name record, or PNR, is the booking record that holds a traveler’s full itinerary and details in one place. When you book a trip, the PNR is the file that ties together your flights, dates, seat, and contact information.
One record that holds a traveler’s full itinerary and details.
The file that ties a booked trip together.
The short code on your confirmation is the locator for your PNR.
If a flight changes or you need support, staff see your whole trip at a glance.
It is the reference everyone in the journey uses. The airline, the agent, and the booking site all point to the same PNR, identified by that short alphanumeric code on your confirmation.
If a flight changes or you need support, the PNR is what staff pull up to see your whole trip at a glance.
Figure 1. What a PNR holds, and how it is found
What a PNR holds and how it is found, as this article describes it: the flights, dates, seat and contact information in one record, located by the short code on your confirmation, and pulled up by staff when a flight changes or you need support. Structure only.
Sthenos builds airline and travel systems that manage bookings end to end, like a digital ticket booking platform for a leading UK airline.
Is the PNR the same as my booking reference?
In everyday terms, yes. The short code on your confirmation is the locator for your PNR, and it is how you find your record. Strictly, the passenger name record is the booking record behind that code: it holds your full itinerary and details, and it is what airline staff pull up when a flight changes.
Booking reference
The short code on your confirmation- The locator for your PNR
- How you find your record
Passenger name record
The booking record itself- Holds your full itinerary and details
- What staff pull up when a flight changes
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Related terms:
Industry: Travel & Hospitality. Service: Custom Software Development Company.
