How to Read Airline Ticket Codes

Flight attendants have to become familiar with airline codes in order to assist customers correctly. For example, when a passenger is boarding the plane they will have to give their ticket to the flight attendant beforehand. At this point the flight attendant must be able to verify the passenger is getting onto the right flight with the correct airline and going to the destination listed on the ticket. Airline tickets have airline codes in order to save space on the ticket as well as restrict some private information.

Instructions

1. Read the upper left hand corner of the airline ticket. There will be a rectangular green box surrounding the departure and destination airports. These will be made up of the airports initials such as LAX for Los Angeles or LGA for Laguardia. Right next to the information there will be another code which will be the airline code. For instance, there is AA for American Airlines and SW for southwest airlines.

2. Look towards the middle of the airline ticket. The carrier and flight will be listed there. This will also include the initials of the airline and the flight number you are taking. Next to this information on the right side is the class code. A letter "B" will say that the passenger got a full discount in coach. F means the passenger sits in first class and if you happen to see C, D, I, J, or Z then this will represent the passenger is in the business class. T represents a free economy seat. Discounted fares are represented by G, R, L, O, S, and V to name a few. The letter states what kind of discount the passenger received.

3. Go right next to the discounted information and see the date and time of the flight. Depending on which airline you take, the time may be written out in military time. For example, if the flight is for 2 p.m. then it may be written as 1400.

4. Read the bottom center for the airline ticket. Several numbers are between two thick black vertical lines. These numbers represent several things, including the airline ticket number and the leg of the flight. The 10 digits in the middle are numbers identifying the ticket. The leg of the flight is indicated by the first number separated from the rest.

5. Look towards the bottom left-hand corner of the airline ticket. This will show what was paid for the actual flight. Under that will be what you paid in taxes and then extra fees. The total amount listed under these numbers is the total amount you paid for the flight.

Tips & Warnings

• Some airlines will show on the airline ticket how many seats were available at the time of purchase next to the fare code.

Resources

• Airline Tickets: General Information