Why is It More Important to Know and Save Your Flight PNR Number These Days? A Complete Guide

Your flight ticket PNR number is what you need most of the time after booking your travel with an airline. PNR or Passenger Name Record is a unique code of 6 digits (letters and numbers) that helps the airline identify you as a passenger. It is generated and issued by the airline once your flight is booked and confirmed. To be precise, PNR is the confirmation of your airline reservation. Every individual passenger receives a unique PNR code, except a group of travelers in the same booking. Like a microchip, an airline PNR number stores a traveler’s name, gender, travel dates, departure airport, destination, flight number, contact details, seat and/or meal preference, etc.

Where to Find Your Flight PNR Number after Booking Travel? 

The PNR number for your international flight tickets is common to all communications post booking, like e-tickets, travel confirmation email, and subsequent notifications issued by the airline or your travel agency, like Indian Eagle. Often labelled as ‘Booking Reference’ or ‘Reservation Code’, you can see the PNR number next to the airline name among trip details on the e-ticket.  The boarding pass lists the 6-digit PNR code near the top.

Locating the PNR number on flight tickets is not a big deal. Do make sure not to confuse it with the flight number – one of the common mistakes that first-time flyers make. Airline reservation PNR number and flight number are different things.

What Does a PNR Number Do?

A flight PNR is not just a code of alphanumeric digits; it plays a big role in your air travel. Knowing the PNR number for your one-way flight boking or round trip helps with web check-in, flight status checking, travel rescheduling, seat selection, ticket cancelation, refund claims, and baggage loss/damage reporting. For your travel agent and the airline, it is the key to access your itinerary details so you are provided with the right service as and when needed. Precisely, PNR or booking reference is a vital link between the traveler and the airline.

It not only connects you to the airline but also with your near and dear ones who pray for your safe travel. You should share your flight PNR number with someone (trustworthy) in your family so that they can contact the airline and check your whereabouts in case you are not reachable over the phone during an international layover at London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Zurich, Singapore Changi Airport, or in the Middle East.

On 23 June, some India-bound travelers from the US got stuck at Doha Airport due to the sudden closure of Qatar’s airspace amid the Middle East conflict. Those having the PNR number of their family, parents, siblings, or friends traveling through Doha were able to contact the airline and check the status. Hence, it is recommended you share the airline PNR number with a close family member or friend before your board the flight.

Is PNR the Same as a Booking Reference?

Yes! In most cases, PNR and booking reference mean the same thing. Different airlines may use different terms, such as reservation number or confirmation code, but they all refer to the same thing: the unique 6-character code linked to your flight booking. So if you come across any of these terms, just know they all point to your PNR.

International Flight PNR Number Sharing Risks 

Since a flight reservation PNR number provides access to its owner or the traveler’s personal information and itinerary details, it should be treated like a password. Anyone can exploit your last name and PNR code to gain unauthorized access to itinerary. Misuse of your personal info, identity theft, cyber fraud, fraudulent booking, frequent flyer mile theft, and unsolicited trip cancelation (a prank) are among the potential risks of sharing your PNR with anyone, except the airline and your trusted air-ticketing partner.

“This is why we advise our customers to refrain from sharing their PNR numbers publicly and avoid posting pics of boarding passes on social media during or after travel. Particularly, H1B and H4 visa holders should keep their boarding passes safe for an extension of their visa validity under the visa recapture rule,” said the chief customer relations officer of Indian Eagle Travel.