The target market for the web sites that have been discussed on this thread is customers of travel agencies who subscribe to the CRS who is publishing the web site. In this way, Travel Agency X., can honestly claim that its records are viewable on the web....using one of these web sites. As in the examples shown on the web sites, the travel agency name is displayed when you view an itinerary on the web site. So its a co-branding effort between your local travel agency, and the CRS it subscribes too....Saber, etc. Remember, the CRS that the travel agency uses charges the airline somewhere around $2 per segment that an agency books. Sometimes charges are made for segments that the agency cancels too. The CRS charges the airline for booking the segments regardless of whether a ticket is issued.

I just tried to bring up an US itinerary using the first lnked web site to Saber. However, it would not display. Yes, US does use the Saber reservation system.

These systems all have the capability of having records being secured....so that just anyone cannot view them. For example, typically, say travel agency X. and Y. subscribe to one CRS. Agency X. cannot look up records that Agency Y. created.

Typically, when I was an agent, (using System One....now Amadaius) we could access PNR's from the airlines own systems if the record was just being worked by the airline. However, if another agencies ARC number were in the record, often, we no longer could access the PNR. It would say *secured* or something like that.

I would guess that this is something like the case here. Probably, these web sites, have purposely set up the system so you can only view the PNR if it has been booked by one of their travel agency customers/subscribers, and they have turned off the feature if the pnr was booked by the airline directly.

Also remember a few other points about PNR's and CRS's:
1. You will often have two record locators or PNR codes. One for the CRS the travel agency or web site (which is essentially a travel agency) subscribes too, and one in the airlines own computer system. For example, even if you book a reservation on the CO web site you essentially get a record locator from Expedia (and whatever CRS they are associated with) and one from CO (using I think its called Sonic) there own internal system. DL is one of the only airlines that the web site displays the same record locator for as DL itself uses to acces s your PNR;
2. What you are really looking at on these consumer oriented web sites is an itinerary, not really what your PNR looks like to an airline gate agent, or a travel agent. Remember, these sites are marketed to the general consumer who probably thinks that PNR or ITN refer, to say, political organizations.

Your real "official" PNR consists of all coded information.....that a normal person (like when I showed one to a friend) would say "this looks like all gobool tee gook."

Your PNR would look something like:
JQVKLT _ETKT-
s-complete *bags
1.1smith/john
1 US783G 01oct PHLLAX 0700 1200
f-1.ufc cs0007/intKH
f-2phl215-345-7815
t-tkt-03728928282729828
g-1ssrfqtv#US/US-123456,n1.1
m-1****attn laxato***
m-2this is ur auth to waive sc and adcol for return flt chnges due outbound delay per phljl
m-3rtfc03721828182812

So in this case, your seats were assigned, bags checked, they're waiving the charge on your return flight, your in G class which is upgraded, and you got a round trip flight credit for being bumped. The first f-1 would mean you initially were using some kind of cert promo code cs0007 for your upgrade.

Note, I've been out of the biz for some years, so above represents basically what a record looks like, but not any specific type of record. But you get the picture of what the gate agent sees, etc. Hope this helps. Also whenever your at the airport, ask for a printout of your PNR (not your consumer friendly receipt/itinerary) so you can take a look at one. It depends on the agent you get.......sometimes they don't like to give the pax the pnr and prefer to give you the easy to read receipt.

Anybody know about a site that will show Apollo PNRs ??