Multiple ticket numbers on single PNR
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: United Plat 2MM, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,727
Multiple ticket numbers on single PNR
Early in the Cabotage thread, there is this statement:
So, I looked at a recent six-segment ticket of mine. It looks nothing like that.
The receipt has ticket number 016-XXXXXXX765. The other boarding passes say:
Segment 1: 016-XXXXXXX766
Segment 2: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 3: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 4: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 5: 016-XXXXXXX664
Segment 6: 016-XXXXXXX766
Is this some peculiarity of fare construction? (i.e. 1 and 6 form an open jaw, 2-4 are a one way, and 5 is another one way? Fare bases were Z,D (ON),D,Z,Z,Z. My destination was 3.
I'm obviously confused. I previously thought a PNR meant one ticket and one ticket number. Clearly I have a lot to learn. Can some kind soul explain the difference between ticket, ticket number, and if relevant how this relates to fare construction.
Off topic, but for those of you who are curious about how airline ticket numbers actually work, go back and find the boarding passes of any past trips that had 5 or more segments in a single PNR. You will find the ticket number on the bottom left of the printed boarding pass. Beginning with the fifth segment, the ticket number magically changes to the next number in sequence, even if it's in the middle of a connecting itinerary. This ticket number does not appear in your printed receipt (only the original number does).
The receipt has ticket number 016-XXXXXXX765. The other boarding passes say:
Segment 1: 016-XXXXXXX766
Segment 2: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 3: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 4: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 5: 016-XXXXXXX664
Segment 6: 016-XXXXXXX766
Is this some peculiarity of fare construction? (i.e. 1 and 6 form an open jaw, 2-4 are a one way, and 5 is another one way? Fare bases were Z,D (ON),D,Z,Z,Z. My destination was 3.
I'm obviously confused. I previously thought a PNR meant one ticket and one ticket number. Clearly I have a lot to learn. Can some kind soul explain the difference between ticket, ticket number, and if relevant how this relates to fare construction.
#2
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,139
#3
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 5,893
That's right, tickets and reservations often do not have a 1:1 mapping, particularly when you (1) involve multiple carriers, (2) have many segments, or (3) make changes.
Have a look at IATA Resolution 722f. Off the top of my head, I think there's some tortured accounting that gives you up to 16 flights per e-ticket number. (A direct flight, e.g. SQ61 IAH-DME + SQ61 DME-SIN, counts as a single flight.) This can be expressed as "16 coupons per e-ticket" or something baffling like "4 consecutive tickets, each containing up to 4 coupons, per e-ticket".
So if you want a PNR with >16 flights you'll need two e-ticket numbers. Hooray.
Some UA-related ways you can end up with multiple ticket numbers:
(1) When UA issues award tickets that involve travel on partner carriers, they sometimes create some extra "conjunction tickets" for each separate carrier, sometimes as many as one per extra carrier, meaning that a simple IAD-FRA-CDG trip might have a UA e-ticket number covering UA IAD-FRA and a UA e-ticket number covering LH IAD-FRA. Can usually spot these conjunction tickets because the # is 1 digit higher than the base ticket and because when you look it up you're shown the base ticket number.
(2) If you make a change to your trip after it has begun, the old e-ticket will show some portions "flown" and some portions "refunded"; the new e-ticket will only contain the new segments and will eventually show those "flown". Both the old and new ticket definitely need to be attached to the PNR for accounting purposes but only one is actively in use for travel.
(3) If you make certain kinds of irrops-related changes to your trip, you may get a "single coupon exchange" which results in a brand new e-ticket being issued to cover only one of your segments. I've had a FRA-SIN // SIN-HKG // HKG-FRA flight with 1 e-ticket covering all 3 sectors; after some irrops, UA rebooked SIN-HKG on SQ and I ended up with one e-ticket that just had SIN-HKG on it ("open for use") and another e-ticket that had HKG-FRA on it ("open for use").
To understand this stuff better, become a travel agent (and let me know if you can find an affordable way to become a home-based travel agent / get your own GDS access…)
Have a look at IATA Resolution 722f. Off the top of my head, I think there's some tortured accounting that gives you up to 16 flights per e-ticket number. (A direct flight, e.g. SQ61 IAH-DME + SQ61 DME-SIN, counts as a single flight.) This can be expressed as "16 coupons per e-ticket" or something baffling like "4 consecutive tickets, each containing up to 4 coupons, per e-ticket".
So if you want a PNR with >16 flights you'll need two e-ticket numbers. Hooray.
Some UA-related ways you can end up with multiple ticket numbers:
(1) When UA issues award tickets that involve travel on partner carriers, they sometimes create some extra "conjunction tickets" for each separate carrier, sometimes as many as one per extra carrier, meaning that a simple IAD-FRA-CDG trip might have a UA e-ticket number covering UA IAD-FRA and a UA e-ticket number covering LH IAD-FRA. Can usually spot these conjunction tickets because the # is 1 digit higher than the base ticket and because when you look it up you're shown the base ticket number.
(2) If you make a change to your trip after it has begun, the old e-ticket will show some portions "flown" and some portions "refunded"; the new e-ticket will only contain the new segments and will eventually show those "flown". Both the old and new ticket definitely need to be attached to the PNR for accounting purposes but only one is actively in use for travel.
(3) If you make certain kinds of irrops-related changes to your trip, you may get a "single coupon exchange" which results in a brand new e-ticket being issued to cover only one of your segments. I've had a FRA-SIN // SIN-HKG // HKG-FRA flight with 1 e-ticket covering all 3 sectors; after some irrops, UA rebooked SIN-HKG on SQ and I ended up with one e-ticket that just had SIN-HKG on it ("open for use") and another e-ticket that had HKG-FRA on it ("open for use").
To understand this stuff better, become a travel agent (and let me know if you can find an affordable way to become a home-based travel agent / get your own GDS access…)
#4
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist, Virtuoso Travel Agent, Commercial Pilot
Posts: 2,117
So, I looked at a recent six-segment ticket of mine. It looks nothing like that.
The receipt has ticket number 016-XXXXXXX765. The other boarding passes say:
Segment 1: 016-XXXXXXX766
Segment 2: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 3: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 4: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 5: 016-XXXXXXX664
Segment 6: 016-XXXXXXX766
Is this some peculiarity of fare construction? (i.e. 1 and 6 form an open jaw, 2-4 are a one way, and 5 is another one way? Fare bases were Z,D (ON),D,Z,Z,Z. My destination was 3.
The receipt has ticket number 016-XXXXXXX765. The other boarding passes say:
Segment 1: 016-XXXXXXX766
Segment 2: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 3: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 4: 016-XXXXXXX653
Segment 5: 016-XXXXXXX664
Segment 6: 016-XXXXXXX766
Is this some peculiarity of fare construction? (i.e. 1 and 6 form an open jaw, 2-4 are a one way, and 5 is another one way? Fare bases were Z,D (ON),D,Z,Z,Z. My destination was 3.
A PNR even for a single traveler can have multiple tickets as well, although barring irrops United generally won't do this directly (but any travel agent can).
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: United Plat 2MM, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,727
Segment 5 was overbooked, and United tried (but not very hard) to convince me to take an alternate flight. At one point, both the actual and the alternate were on my reservation, but I had the BP's for 5 and 6 in hand at that point.
#6
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DC Suburbs
Programs: DL Gold, Hilton Gold, Carnival VIFP Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 459
So out of curiosity, a sample scenario:
If I were to make a booking on United.com (for the 016/PQDs), say, FRA-SIN on LH then SIN-FRA on SQ, would that become a single United 016 number or two? Different directions, different operating carriers/not codeshare flight numbers?
What about an open-jaw? Say, if I went FRA-SIN LH then SIN-LHR SQ?
If I were to make a booking on United.com (for the 016/PQDs), say, FRA-SIN on LH then SIN-FRA on SQ, would that become a single United 016 number or two? Different directions, different operating carriers/not codeshare flight numbers?
What about an open-jaw? Say, if I went FRA-SIN LH then SIN-LHR SQ?
#7
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,218
So out of curiosity, a sample scenario:
If I were to make a booking on United.com (for the 016/PQDs), say, FRA-SIN on LH then SIN-FRA on SQ, would that become a single United 016 number or two? Different directions, different operating carriers/not codeshare flight numbers?
What about an open-jaw? Say, if I went FRA-SIN LH then SIN-LHR SQ?
If I were to make a booking on United.com (for the 016/PQDs), say, FRA-SIN on LH then SIN-FRA on SQ, would that become a single United 016 number or two? Different directions, different operating carriers/not codeshare flight numbers?
What about an open-jaw? Say, if I went FRA-SIN LH then SIN-LHR SQ?
If one reservation, one 016 ticket number. If separate reservation numbers then different 016 ticket numbers.
However, if you have two pax on the same reservation, then one PNR but two 016 ticket numbers.
#8
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,452
Yup. Each pax gets a separate ticket, but multiple segments for one passenger that are fared together by UA will all be same ticket.