Your e-ticket, and what the number on it means
The ticket number is the most useful thing in your confirmation email and almost nobody knows what it does. Here is how to read it, and what can be done to a ticket after it is issued.
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A person prices the itinerary, states the total before anything is charged, and stays on the file afterwards. Desk hours are published on the contact page — we do not claim to be open around the clock.
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What you pay, broken into its parts
Most travel sites show one number and explain it afterwards. Here is the whole of it, before you are anywhere near a payment page.
Reading the number
An e-ticket number is 13 digits. The first three identify the issuing airline — 006 is Delta, 016 United, 001 American, 279 JetBlue. The remaining ten are the document number. A conjunction ticket, used when an itinerary has more coupons than one document holds, carries a suffix.
Why it matters: with the ticket number, any airline desk in the world can pull your document directly, including a carrier that is not the one you are standing in front of. A booking reference is specific to one airline’s system. If you keep one thing from your confirmation, keep this.
Revalidation and reissue are not the same
Revalidation
- The coupon is updated in place
- Used for a simple date or flight change where the fare does not change
- No new ticket number
- Faster, and usually cheaper
Reissue
- A new ticket document is created against the old one
- Required when the fare, routing or carrier changes
- New ticket number, old one exchanged
- Carries the fare difference plus any penalty
Validity, and what a refund is processed against
A ticket is generally valid for one year from the date of issue, not the date of travel. An unused ticket on a non-refundable fare frequently retains residual value that can be applied to a new booking within that period, minus the penalty — a fact many travellers never learn because nobody tells them.
Refunds are processed against the ticket, not against the reservation, and they return to the original form of payment. Timing is set by the airline’s refund queue and your card issuer, not by us. We will tell you what the carrier has told us and we will not invent a date to make you feel better.
Questions worth asking
Where do I find my ticket number?
On the e-ticket receipt we email after ticketing, usually labelled "Ticket number" or "Document number". If you cannot find it, call the desk and we will read it to you.
Is an itinerary the same as a ticket?
No. An itinerary confirms what is reserved. The ticket is the financial document that makes it travel-ready. Some agencies email an itinerary that looks like a ticket and is not — check for the 13-digit number.
My non-refundable ticket is unused. Is it worthless?
Often not. Many carry residual value for a year from issue, applicable to a new booking minus the change penalty. Ask before you write it off.
How long does a refund take?
The airline processes it to the original payment method, then your issuer posts it. Carriers commonly quote seven to twenty business days, but that is their figure and we will not present it as a promise of ours.
Have it priced by a person
You hear the total, the rules and the fee before anything is charged — and if booking direct with the airline is better for your trip, we will tell you that instead.