What E-ticket means
An e-ticket is the accounting and entitlement document behind a flight booking. The PNR says what has been reserved; the e-ticket proves it has been paid for and records the fare, taxes, form of payment and conditions.
Each e-ticket contains flight coupons, one for each segment. The coupons sit in the validating airline's electronic ticket database, and their status changes as the trip progresses, for example from open for use to checked in and then flown. What the passenger receives is only an itinerary receipt; the ticket itself stays in the database.
IATA drove the move away from paper under its Simplifying the Business programme, launched in June 2004, and set 1 June 2008 as the date for 100% electronic ticketing. IATA put the cost of processing a paper ticket at about US$10 against roughly US$1 for an e-ticket.
The ticket number is 13 digits long. The first three digits are the airline's IATA accounting code, which identifies the carrier that issued and validates the ticket, and the remaining ten digits identify the document. Iberia, for example, tells customers its ticket numbers always begin with 075.
Services that are not a fare, such as paid seats, extra baggage or change fees, are issued on a separate EMD rather than on the ticket.
How E-ticket works
Issuing an e-ticket turns a priced reservation into a paid travel document that settles through BSP, ARC or the airline directly.
- Price the PNRThe agent or booking engine prices the itinerary and stores the fare, taxes and fare basis against the booking.
- Choose the validating carrierA validating (plating) airline is selected according to settlement rules. Its three-digit accounting code becomes the ticket number prefix.
- Issue the ticketThe GDS or airline system creates the ticket record in the validating carrier's database and writes the 13-digit number into the PNR.
- Send the receiptThe traveller receives an itinerary receipt showing the ticket number, flights and fare conditions.
- Report and settleAgency sales are reported to the settlement system, such as a BSP or ARC, which bills the agency and pays the airline.
- Use the couponsAt check-in and boarding, each coupon's status is updated until all are flown, exchanged or refunded.
E-ticket in practice
Reading a ticket number, using an illustrative example: 075-2345678901.
075: the airline accounting code. Iberia states that its ticket numbers always begin with 075.2345678901: the ten-digit document serial number (made up here).
If the same trip includes a paid seat, the seat is not added to the fare. It is issued on an associated EMD with its own number, and the EMD is cross-referenced to the coupon of the flight it applies to.
If the traveller later changes flights, the agent does not edit the old ticket. A new ticket with a new number is issued in exchange, and the original number is recorded on it so the airline can trace the value carried across.
Who uses it
Advantages and limitations
Advantages
- No physical document can be lost, stolen or forgotten at home.
- Lower processing and distribution costs than paper tickets, as IATA's 2008 figures showed.
- Coupon status is visible in real time, which supports faster exchanges and refunds.
- The fixed 13-digit structure makes tickets easy to trace to the issuing airline.
Limitations
- The ticket depends on airline databases and interline agreements, so a partner airline must be able to access the coupon.
- Coupon status and PNR segments can fall out of sync after changes, causing check-in problems.
- Errors in fare, taxes or validating carrier can lead to agency debit memos after settlement.
- Ancillaries are handled on separate EMDs, which adds a second document to track.
Frequently asked questions about E-ticket
How do I read a 13-digit airline ticket number?
Split it into three digits and ten. The first three digits are the airline's IATA accounting code, for example 075 for Iberia, and show which carrier issued and validates the ticket. The remaining ten digits are the serial number of the document itself, which is unique to that ticket.
Is the e-ticket receipt the actual ticket?
No. The receipt is a printout or email summary. The ticket is the electronic record held in the validating airline's database, made up of flight coupons whose status changes as the journey is flown. Losing the receipt does not affect the booking, as long as the ticket number can be found.
When did airlines stop issuing paper tickets?
IATA set 1 June 2008 as the date for 100% electronic ticketing across its member airlines and BSP markets. The push began in June 2004 under the Simplifying the Business programme, which estimated that processing an e-ticket cost about a tenth of a paper ticket.
Why does my ticket number start with a different airline's code?
The prefix belongs to the validating carrier, not necessarily the airline operating your flight. On codeshare or interline trips, the ticket is often issued on one airline's stock even though another airline operates some segments. That validating airline handles changes and refunds for the whole ticket.
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