airline tour code

Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology .

Airline Booking Codes Explained & Everything You Need To Know

Senior Content Contributor

487 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 24 U.S. States Visited: 22

Keri Stooksbury

Editor-in-Chief

29 Published Articles 3059 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 45 U.S. States Visited: 28

Director of Operations & Compliance

1 Published Article 1166 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 10 U.S. States Visited: 20

What Is an Airline Booking Code?

Booking class, upgrade eligibility, mileage accrual, elite status qualification, cancellation policy, booking/routing restrictions, special fare classes for added award and upgrade availability, increase your chances of an upgrade, save big on infant/child fares, earn more redeemable or elite status miles with better fare classes, understand your ticket flexibility, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

The world of aviation is complex, chock full of information stored within airport kiosks. This is especially true within what’s known as the revenue management department. Simply put, this department is in charge of analyzing data and implementing practices that would optimize product quality and profitability.

Sounds complex and/or generic? You’re absolutely correct.

Over the years, airlines began bucketing the available tickets on a plane into discrete buckets, known colloquially as fare buckets. The tickets in each of these fare buckets correspond to different rules/policies, which ultimately results in a different customer experience.

Simply separating each cabin class (economy, premium economy, business, and first) is not enough to extract the most value from your airplane ticket, so this guide will be technical and complex.

We’ll explore what your airline booking code looks like and, more importantly, how it affects you.

There may be lots of seemingly random letters and numbers, but we’ll always be looking to tie back the knowledge to how it affects you and your exact situation.

Introduction

Airline booking codes are essential because they convey a tremendous amount of information in a succinct string of code letters and numbers. That way, an airline representative (or seasoned traveler) can look at the code and easily figure out what “kind of ticket” they’re looking at.

It’s important to note that although there are standard accepted practices for creating a code system for airline booking codes, every airline has different codes and structures that make unifying the system of airline booking codes impossible amongst all the airlines .

In other words, there are industry best practices for building an airline booking code, but there are no industry standards (i.e. booking codes from Delta Air Lines will look a lot different than booking codes from South African Airways).

Let’s take a look at what exactly an airline booking code looks like.

Airline booking codes look like a bunch of gibberish, but they’re really code letters and numbers that have some sort of meaning depending on the key a particular airline creates.

For example, let’s say that you wanted to book the cheapest first class ticket one-way from San Francisco (SFO) to New York City (JFK) on American Airlines on June 20.

By using the ITA Matrix by Google , you’ll see the following result:

The exact airline booking code is boxed in red, and it reads AYAHJNFC . Doesn’t that look like gibberish? That’s because it is. Every airline constructs booking codes differently, and another example is the following ticket from JetBlue in its Mint class.

This ticket says CH2NNE, which has a completely different structure; there are 2 fewer letters and 1 number.

Let’s talk about what exactly the codes mean.

What Does Your Airline Booking Code Mean?

Each letter and number in the string of code represents a different concept. Let’s look at the American Airlines booking code, also known as the fare basis code: AYAHJNFC .

While it’s not essential to know what each of these letters means, it can go a long way in understanding what you get with your ticket. American Airlines, along with most other airlines, makes the fare basis codes extremely difficult to decode. This is mostly because there is no “key” or glossary that helps with these letters and numbers.

It may seem surprising that there’s no international standard for what the structure/meaning of the airline booking code must look like, but even though American Airlines’ bookings codes are extremely nebulous, they typically contain:

• Booking class
• Seasonality
• Day of departure
• Cancellation policy
• Booking/routing restrictions

If you wanted a spoiler alert for American Airlines’ alphabet soup known as the fare basis example of AYAHJNFC , here it is:

• A — booking class (with the exception of upgraded fares)
• YA — Advance purchase requirement (60 days)
• H — day of the week (Saturday)
• J — Time travel restriction (unknown)
• NFC — nonrefundable first class ticket (cancellation policy)

It’s also important to note that even the American Airlines representatives we contacted didn’t know what most of these letters represented. The only reason why we’re pretty certain this is correct is because of investigations comparing similar fares and reading through the detailed fare information.

The first (and arguably most important) aspect of your fare basis code is the booking class. In the example above ( AYAHJNFC ), the first letter “ A ” corresponds to American Airlines’ A fare class, which is shown in the second row here:

As we can see, the A fare class corresponds to a discounted first class fare, which makes sense, seeing as how this itinerary in Flagship First Class prices out at around half the price of the full-fare Flagship First Class tickets (F).

The fare class will help you determine how many miles you’ll earn from flying on a specific ticket, but we’ll get to that in the later sections.

You may also find some discrepancies between the first letter of the fare basis and the booking class. For example, there’s a ticket with fare basis I7AUPNAC on the same exact day. You’d think the fare class is in “I” due to the fact that the first letter is I, discount business class. However, this is actually an instant upgrade ticket with full-fare business class upgrading to first class.

The main scenarios in which the first letter of the fare basis doesn’t match the actual booking class is  when there’s an instant upgrade involved . Some examples of this are corporate fares, such as the well-known Y-Up fares . You will still earn miles equivalent to your actual flown cabin class. 

Bottom Line: Knowing your booking class from your fare basis is great because it can give you insight into your ticket type. Keep in mind that while most airlines denote the booking class with the first letter in the fare basis, some airlines actually tell you what actual seat you’ll be flying on, like Delta Air Lines.

Many times, you need to have a minimum booking class in order for a ticket to be upgradable. The best way to illustrate this concept is by using British Airways tickets.

British Airways will  not allow you to upgrade your ticket if your booking class is in the Q, O, or G buckets (the cheapest economy tickets). This makes sense because it would defeat the purpose of selling premium economy tickets. Why buy a $1,000 premium economy ticket when you can buy a super-cheap $200 economy ticket and upgrade it using a few Avios?

Additionally, some airlines, such as United Airlines , actually decide your priority on the upgrade list based on your booking class.

Check out this graphic, showing the official language from United Airlines regarding its upgrade waitlist placement:

As you can see, fare class is the second-most-important factor in determining your waitlist priority, so it’s a pretty big deal, at least on United Airlines flights.

In the case of American Airlines , all published fares besides basic economy and award tickets can be upgraded according to this chart:

Here are all the upgradable tickets:

If you happen to buy a cheaper ticket, you’ll simply pay a higher co-pay to upgrade from a lower fare class. If you purchase a discount economy ticket from San Francisco (SFO) to New York City (JFK), such as in Q class, you can pay 15,000 AAdvantage miles plus $75 to upgrade to business class , provided that upgrade space is available.

Figuring out the number of miles you will earn on your airfare is essential for those who want to get rewarded for their loyalty on paid travel. Let’s analyze our previously discussed SFO-JFK ticket on American Airlines in AYAHJNFC fare basis.

Hot Tip: Want to figure out exactly how many miles you’ll earn on your ticket? Check out our guide on where to credit your miles , which also teaches you how to figure out your mileage accrual! 

In our case, we’re flying in A class on our San Francisco (SFO) – New York City (JFK) ticket, which means we’ll earn AA miles as a multiplier of the total distance flown.

We’ll earn:

Other programs, such as Cathay Pacific, earn miles based on the total distance flown.

As I detailed in my revenue round-trip Cathay Pacific first class flight that I booked for ~$1,200, I decided to credit my miles to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan , netting me the following mileage:

The booking class that I was booked in, A, was instrumental in determining how I was going to credit my revenue travel.

Thanks to my strategy, I was able to accrue over 24,000 Alaska miles on a one-way flight, which is worth ~$480, according to our miles valuations .

Bottom Line: Knowing your booking class will help you figure out where to credit airline miles, which is essential for extracting as much value from paid travel as possible. 

Not only does your booking class play a role in determining the number of miles you’ll accrue for traveling on the paid ticket, but it will also be  huge in determining what elite status qualification thresholds you’ll get closer to.

Simply put, lower fare classes are generally cheaper than higher fare classes, which means you’ll earn fewer AAdvantage Loyalty Points (since these are tied to your flight spending).

Hot Tip: Want to learn more about AAdvantage? Check out our review of American Airlines’ AAdvantage frequent flyer program .

Travel plans change all the time. Whether it’s due to weather, a desire to stay in a place for a longer time, or an emergency, understanding your airplane ticket’s cancellation policy is probably a prudent thing to do.

The problem is that some tickets have different cancellation policies than others. You need not fret, however, as this won’t apply to a majority of travelers unless you’re a traveler with a specific expense policy.

Most of us book the cheapest ticket, and unless you’re booking right before departure, you’ll be getting a nonrefundable ticket. Our fare basis AYAHJNFC  is nonrefundable due to the “NFC” letters. While NFC implies nonrefundable, the reverse isn’t true. Some nonrefundable tickets have different letters, and there’s no simple way to combine them.

Luckily, cancellation policies are readily displayed on an airline ticket page, so looking at your fare basis isn’t the easiest way to find out your cancellation policy.

If you’re a corporate traveler, your company expense policy may require refundable tickets; in that case, you’ll need to be cognizant of your cancellation policy before booking a ticket that violates your corporate expense guidelines. One of the ways to do this is to look at your fare basis. This isn’t the best way, though, since analyzing your fare basis is a technical exercise.

Hot Tip: See which cards have the best trip cancellation insurance so that you know you’re covered should something go wrong.

The last major item we’ll be talking about is booking and routing restrictions. With the case of our AA ticket with fare basis AYAHJNFC, the YA  letters represent a 60-day advance purchase requirement.

If you’re booking for travel on June 20, you must book at least 60 days before departure (around April 21) in order to qualify for this fare basis.

Here are some other American Airlines advance-purchase requirement codes:

• YA — 60-day advance purchase requirement
• WA — 30-day advance purchase requirement
• VA — 21-day advance purchase requirement
• UA — 14-day advance purchase requirement
• 7A — 7-day advance purchase requirement
• 3A — 3-day advance purchase requirement
• 0A — 0-day advance purchase requirement

Also, there might be more information on your booking code/fare basis regarding routing rules for round-trip or multi-segment tickets, such as stopover allowance, transfer allowance, and minimum or maximum stay requirements.

Since our ticket we’re discussing AYAHJNFC is a one-way ticket, none of these apply.

Bottom Line: Using a tool like ExpertFlyer is an excellent way to get the full details on all airfare rules pertaining to minimum stay requirements, stopovers, and more. Check out our ultra-detailed guide on how to use ExpertFlyer to check fare information .

How Can You Use Airline Booking Codes to Your Advantage?

Now that we’ve gone through all the basics and informational content surrounding booking/fare basis codes, let’s bring it back to reality and see how we can use them to our advantage.

Booking award flights is often tedious and technically challenging. This is especially true for premium cabin flights. Sometimes, however, airlines incentivize loyalty by giving elite status members or cardholders access to extra award space that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.

One of the best examples of this is United Airlines where in many cases you’ll have access to added award availability that non-elites and non-Chase United Explorer cardholders don’t. This can be vital if the particular route/schedule you want is in high demand. Simply by holding the United℠ Explorer Card , you can book more award seats than other people!

Having access like this can help tremendously if you’re in a schedule constraint or if you’re booking close to departure. Here are the appropriate booking classes for United elites/cardholders that afford greater award access:

• JN — High-cost first/business class award for elites and credit cardholders
• IN — Low-cost first/business class award for elites
• YN — High-cost economy class award for elites and credit cardholders
• XN — Low-cost economy class award for elites and credit cardholders

It’s impossible to figure out exact award ticket prices since United uses dynamic award pricing, so keep that in mind.

If you’re in United Expert Mode, you can actually figure out the available fare classes on your exact flight:

Hot Tip: Using United Expert Mode is extremely useful. At Upgraded Points, we use it to find out if United upgrade space is available .

In addition to added award availability, you need to pay close attention to booking classes when looking to upgrade your flights.

For example, American Airlines treats premium cabin upgrades identically as discounted revenue tickets , meaning you can upgrade a paid business class ticket to first class as long as there are A fare tickets available.

This is phenomenal because you’ll be at a huge advantage in terms of upgrading your ticket if you know the exact booking class you need. They have several different ways to upgrade your tickets, including systemwide upgrades, using miles, or even using Business Extra points.

On the other hand, if you can figure out United’s upgrade fare classes, you’ll know which tickets can be immediately upgraded. United’s upgrade fare classes are:

• PZ — Instant upgrades and Global Services upgrades
• PN — All mileage upgrade awards and Platinum/Premier 1K certificates
• RN — Premium Plus upgrades

Bottom Line: The importance of knowing what booking classes are available can’t be emphasized enough if you want to use airline booking codes to your advantage by getting extra award/upgrade space. 

As we mentioned earlier, upgrading economy tickets to business class is one of the best ways to save big on miles while still offsetting loads of costs associated with booking revenue business class tickets. Most airlines don’t allow any economy ticket to be upgraded all the way up to business class, and one of the biggest mistakes travelers make when trying to upgrade tickets is buying a ticket in too low of a fare class.

If you are diligent in figuring out your booking class via the fare basis, you might save yourself the mistake of buying a super-cheap ticket only to find out you can’t even upgrade it. With the case of United Airlines, you may not upgrade deeply discounted fares or basic economy fares (in fare classes W, S, T, L, K, G, and N).

Remember, too, that your specific fare class is the second-highest priority in determining whether or not you’ll get a complimentary domestic upgrade. Unfortunately, the higher the fare class, the most expensive the ticket. All in all, you can use this information to assist in booking your tickets and doing everything you can to increase your chances of snagging an upgrade.

Traveling with family members can be expensive, particularly infants, which are defined as under 2 years old in the aviation world. If you’re planning travel with your child, you’ll want to look for these fare classes to save loads of money:

• IN — Infant fare (usually 10% of an adult fare)
• CH — Child fare (up to 50% off of an adult fare)

Remember that these percentages are based on the revenue ticket cost, unless otherwise stated. This means that even if you book an award ticket in business class that would have cost $10,000, you may need to pay 10% of that for a lap ticket, adding another $1,000 to your travel. This is much better than paying for a full additional ticket, and it can go a long way to preserving the thickness of your wallet.

Some frequent flyer programs, such as Air Canada Aeroplan , allow you to pay with either miles or cash, but most require cash payments.

We talked above about how different fare classes can offer more/less miles. If you’re particularly close to an elite status level and need Loyalty Points on American Airlines, for example, you may need a better elite status multiplier on your ticket.

This is a perfect example of using your knowledge of booking codes and fare classes to get yourself over the line for coveted Executive Platinum status, for example.

Say you’re extremely close to qualifying for Gold status with 29,000 Loyalty Points (30,000 Loyalty Points are needed for Gold status).

You’re going to be flying round-trip from Los Angeles (LAX) to London (LHR) on American Airlines.

If you booked a basic economy ticket costing $825 round-trip, you’d be just short of the 30,000-point threshold to earn Gold status.

Instead, booking a qualifying ticket in Main Cabin instead of basic economy could mean the difference between qualifying for Gold status and not.

This is just one example of how useful an in-depth understanding of airline booking codes can make or break your frequent flyer travel.

Many of us don’t have the foresight of predicting changes in travel plans. However, if you absolutely need flexibility, and you’re definitely going to cancel your ticket, you don’t want to book a nonrefundable ticket.

Let’s say you’ve waitlisted an award and you think there’s a 99% chance that space will be available. Let’s also say that you realize the 1% could leave you with booked hotels and vacation plans that are fully unrealized. One solution is to book a fully flexible ticket and cancel it when the award space opens up.

In that case, you need to find a refundable ticket. One of the best ways to do that is by leveraging the fare information provided in the fare basis. Specifically, the fare details will go into great detail on the exact cancellation policy. Check out an example below:

Different airlines have unique policies surrounding cancellations, refunds, and changes. These altogether make up the flexibility of an airplane ticket.

If you don’t take the time to properly understand the policies of each ticket, you could soon be stuck with large fees for cancellation or worse yet, have a ticket that you have no choice but to throw away due to the nonrefundable, non-cancelable nature of it.

The most fool-proof way of understanding your exact ticket flexibility is to look up your fare basis on ExpertFlyer or ITA Matrix by Google. Then, you would use the Find function (Ctrl-F) and type “cancel.” It should take you to all the places in the fare details where “cancel” is displayed.

Whew! That was intense! Even the most experienced travelers likely have never heard of airline booking codes or fare basis and certainly don’t know what all the fancy letters and numbers mean. But, ultra-savvy travelers will understand and appreciate how booking codes can help you tremendously when it comes to planning/booking travel.

We’ve covered the main insights for booking codes with a focus on United Airlines and American Airlines, but there are countless other complexities in this matter. Specifically, the lack of an international standard for constructing fare basis codes makes interpreting these codes much more difficult.

Luckily, we’ve dissected everything for you, so now you’re fully equipped with the ultimate guide to airline booking codes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a booking class.

Put most simply, a booking class is simply a single letter or a couple of letters in a pre-defined hierarchy. Also known as fare buckets, booking classes are used to lump tickets into groups that each have their own fare rules.

How do you read a fare basis code?

Interpreting a fare basis code is  not uniform across all airlines. Oftentimes, the individual constituents of a fare basis is not made publicly available. One perfect example is American Airlines, which is known for frequently changing up fare basis structures. If you really wanted to learn how to read a fare basis code, you’d have to compare multiple similar fares and use induction to loosely figure out what letters/numbers stand for what.

What does W class mean on an airline ticket?

W class, specifically for United, is the lowest upgradeable economy ticket for United Polaris. Anything lower than that and you can’t upgrade to Polaris class. W class can mean different things on different airlines, but W is typically reserved for a mid-level economy ticket on airlines.

What do airline booking codes mean?

Booking codes are useful for determining upgrade eligibility, the number of miles you’ll accrue, and many other things. Altogether, airline booking codes form the basis for separating tickets based on a number of rules defined by the airline.

What are the different fare classes on United?

Here are the different fare classes on United based on Premier qualifying miles earned and Premier qualifying segments earned:

What are the different fare classes on American Airlines?

Here are the different fare classes on American Airlines based on miles earned:

Was this page helpful?

About Stephen Au

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE ™

Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy and terms of service apply.

Related Posts

UP's Bonus Valuation

This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

Working with the tour code (FT) element

You are viewing this page from an external source and its content may or may not be applicable in your market. if you are already a registered user of amadeus service hub, please login to access the full knowledge base, news, training materials and other services specific to your market..

Updated 27/07/2023   |   42915 Views angle-down

The tour code element ( FT ) is used when a published tour or a special negotiated fare is sold in conjunction with a ticket. The maximum length is 12 characters, excluding the transaction code and the passenger and segment associations. If the tour code begins with BT or IT, the maximum number of characters allowed is 14.

To add a tour code element in cryptic mode, enter, for example:

FT PAX IT 1 6X 2 TOUR2021

To add a tour code with a net remit indicator, enter:

FT PAX NR FREEFLOW

More details

For a tour code with free-flow text, enter:

FTPAX*free-flow text  

Note : This entry is market-specific. Contact Amadeus Customer Services for more information.  

Note:  If you enter leading blanks between the separator * and the first significant character of the tour code, the blanks will be automatically removed by the system. The command  FT*tourcode is also a valid entry.

To add a tour code in graphic mode, display the TST and enter the tour code in the Tour Code field.

When you hover over the field with your mouse, an explanation is shown.

Enter  HE FT for more information.

Indicates an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.

This link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.

What airline fare classes tell you about your ticket

I expect few things are more complicated than the revenue management department of a major airline.

Forget about the miracle of flight — the people and computers that decide how much you and your fellow passengers will pay for a ticket are modern marvels themselves, with passengers in the same row of a plane often paying vastly different sums for their tickets. There's quite a bit of pressure to deliver a strong bottom line, and one of the ways airlines control revenue is by offering tickets in different fare classes for every flight.

Within what we think of as service classes (economy, premium economy, business and first) there are subdivisions that even many devout frequent flyers can't identify. Fare classes — which are even further divisions of each of those service classes — are complicated and vary from airline to airline, but having at least some familiarity with the lingo can help the next time you're searching for an elusive award ticket , booking an upgradeable fare or simply trying to figure out how many miles you'll earn for an upcoming trip.

Today, I'll address a common question by explaining fare classes so you can understand what the fare basis code tells you about your next flight.

Fare class basics

In the most simple definition, the various fare classes divide every seat on a plane into different categories, each with its own price and set of rules. Fare classes are identified by one-letter fare codes. Some fare classes and codes are standard across all airlines, while some are very different depending on the airline.

Here are a few fare codes that are typically the same across all airlines:

• Y: Full-fare economy-class ticket.
• J: Full-fare business-class ticket.
• F: Full-fare first-class ticket.

Among the large U.S. carriers, Delta and United no longer market any flights with the F fare class, with J being the highest fare class available for purchase. American does use the F fare class, but only for flights offering Flagship First service on its three-cabin aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A321T.

Note: These letters are also commonly used as abbreviations on message boards like FlyerTalk to refer to the "generic" class of service (e.g., "I'm flying in Y from New York to London and want to upgrade to J" means "I'm traveling in economy from New York to London and want to upgrade to business class"). However, this article is focusing on the actual published fare classes from airlines.

Why fight for the armrest when you can rest easy? The difference between cramped flying and classy flying is just a matter of points away with the free TPG App !

Fare classes are used by airline reservation systems and travel agents to sell seats on a plane, and to keep track of which fare classes are still available.

Let's take a look at a quick example. Here's a screenshot from ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG's parent company, Red Ventures) with American Airlines Flight 38 from Miami (MIA) to London Heathrow (LHR) on Sep. 1:

The fare classes with a number next to them are still available; the ones with a zero are not. The number after the letter delineates how many tickets are left in each fare — ExpertFlyer maxes out at seven for AA, so there are at least seven seats left in most economy-class fare buckets but zero seats left in fare classes F, A, R, I, W, P, G, N, Q and O.

Here's how these fare classes fall into the classes of service offered on the Boeing 777-300ER American is using on this route:

• F and A: first class
• C, J, R, D and I: business class
• W and P: premium economy
• Y, H, K, M, L, G, V, S, N, Q, O and E: economy
• B: basic economy

While these fare classes represent all the tickets you can buy directly with cold hard cash (i.e., revenue fares), you'll see that ExpertFlyer gives us a bit more information, including certain upgrade and award fare codes.

For example, A (which is zeroed out on this flight) doubles as the fare code for discounted first-class tickets and for upgrades from business to first class on a three-cabin aircraft. Meanwhile, upgrades from economy to business fall under the C fare class, while the W fare class is for premium economy, along with the P class.

Related: Understanding American Airlines' revenue, award and upgrade fare classes

Keep in mind that the most-discounted fares also have the strictest rules when it comes to refunds, changes, baggage allowances and earning frequent flyer miles or elite credit. Some airlines don't award frequent flyer miles at all if you buy a ticket in the most-discounted economy fare class, especially when trying to credit the flight to loyalty programs of partner airlines. I find this site very helpful when deciphering Delta, American, Alaska, Southwest and United fare codes.

How fare classes affect you

Here's an example of how these various fare classes come into play when you're purchasing a ticket.

Let's say that you're looking to book a flight from Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX). Yesterday when you checked the price of a round-trip ticket, you found one for $305, but you needed to confirm dates with a family member before locking in your itinerary. Today when you go to book, the price has jumped to $375. The best explanation for the price increase is that the more-discounted fare class you were looking at yesterday is now sold out.

(Remember that in most situations, you can pull the trigger on a flight and cancel within 24 hours and get a full refund. Check out this guide to airline hold and cancellation policies for more details, and this guide to airline no-change-fee policies if you are outside of the 24-hour window.)

This may also affect you when you go to take the flight, as your fare class will sometimes dictate the number of miles you earn on the flight, from both a redeeming and elite-qualifying standpoint. While American, Delta and United have all switched to a revenue-based model of awarding miles for flights on their own (respective) flights, traveling on most of their partner airlines will use a somewhat complicated formula that takes into account distance flown as well as fare class booked.

As an example, here's the mileage accrual chart for Delta Air Lines when you credit an Aeromexico flight that was not booked through Delta to the carrier's SkyMiles program:

Related: How to earn miles in the Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program

As you can see, the lowest fare class (V) only awards you 25% of the miles flown. If you book a round-trip flight from Mexico City (MEX) to Atlanta (ATL), you'll cover a total distance of 1,331 miles. However, that would only give you 333 miles. Booking into a fare class at the next level (E, N or R) would double those earnings.

This is also critical if you're chasing Delta Air Lines Medallion status . Using the chart above, the lowest economy fare class would get you 1,331 Medallion Qualification Miles, but only 5% Medallion Qualification Dollars. For example, if the base fare of the MEX-ATL flight on Aeromexico was $200, you would only earn 10 MQDs. While those numbers would be doubled if you booked into E, N or R, even booking into full-fare business class nets you a maximum of 40% MQDs. Delta is capping the MQD earnings as an incentive for its most loyal travelers to earn status by flying on Delta's own flights or, at the very least, booking partner flights through Delta.

Finally, it's important to note that many carriers will either prevent you from upgrading tickets booked into certain fare classes or will add cash copays to do so. Therefore it's critical to know what fare class you've booked so you can fully understand how that will affect your flight.

Related: The ultimate guide to upgrading with miles

Standard practices and common fare rules

While fare class is generally designated by a single letter, this gets more complicated very quickly. When you combine a fare class with other rules, you'll wind up with a series of alphanumeric characters, and this is known as a fare basis code. This tells airline reservation specialists and travel agents everything they need to know about your ticket and how the fare is constructed.

The above screenshot shows the fare basis code KAA2PHEN for a United flight from New York (LGA) to Chicago (ORD). I know this is a K-class fare, but I would have to click on "rules" to understand all the restrictions associated with this fare. A good rule of thumb is that the cheaper the fare class, the more restrictions that will be associated with the fare. A K fare with United is a deeply discounted non-basic economy fare that still earns 5 miles per dollar for non-elite members and is upgradeable using cash, miles, PlusPoints or a space-available Complimentary Premier Upgrade for MileagePlus Premier members .

Fare basis codes can also tell an agent whether a fare is refundable, good for one-way or round-trip tickets, departing to or from specific countries, combinable with other fares and good in high or low season, as well as how far in advance the fare can be booked and whether there are any routing restrictions or change penalties.

Example: Fare basis code WH7LNR tells me the following:

• W: I have a W fare class ticket.
• H: It's a high-season ticket.
• 7: I have to book seven days in advance.
• L: It's a long-haul flight.
• NR: The ticket is nonrefundable.

Deciphering fare basis codes takes practice and knowledge specific to the airline, as each one has its own style for writing codes. I wouldn't put too much time into being able to understand anything beyond your fare class and its set rules.

Common fare classes in the points and miles hobby

As noted above, you'll often see bloggers or avid award travelers discussing tickets using generic codes:

• Y: Economy.
• W: Premium economy.
• J: Business.

For example: "There are great Y fares from the U.S. to Europe this winter." Remember that these letters are often used for specific fare classes as well — generally the most expensive (full-fare) ones.

However, the most important implication of fare classes for points and miles enthusiasts involves award tickets and upgrades. Most airlines will set aside specific fare buckets for these awards. Just because there's an open seat in the designated cabin that you want to fly doesn't mean that it's available using miles.

The same holds true for upgrades, whether you're looking to redeem miles, use certificates or take advantage of elite status for complimentary bumps to the front of the plane. I see almost daily comments along the lines of, "But there are three open first-class seats! Why won't (insert carrier here) upgrade me?" If those seats aren't placed into the fare class designated for upgrades, the carrier isn't making them available for upgrades. Note that this may not happen until 60 or even 30 minutes before departure.

The easiest way to illustrate this is with Star Alliance . The 26 member airlines have standardized their award-booking classes, so if you're looking to use miles from one carrier's program on a flight operated by another carrier, you'll need the following inventory:

• X: Economy award seat
• I: Business award seat
• O: First award seat

Since all Star Alliance member airlines are searchable on ExpertFlyer , this can make it relatively simple to search for award inventory and set alerts if your desired class of service isn't available. That said, there are some restrictions here. Swiss, for example, typically only allows elite members of its Miles & More program to redeem miles for first class on its own flights, while Singapore generally only releases long-haul first- and business-class awards to members of its own KrisFlyer program. On the other hand, Swiss' parent airline, Lufthansa, does release limited first-class inventory to its Star Alliance partners.

Related: The hardest first-class products to book with points and miles

I also find knowing these fare classes to be handy in case my online booking screen doesn't tell me what cabin I'm in for partner airline flights. If I book Thai Airways with United miles , sometimes my confirmation only says "TG 678 (I)." Because I know "I" is business, I don't have to call United to confirm that I was booked in the correct cabin.

Special fare classes

Many airlines use specific fare classes for their own products, passengers or other situations. Perhaps my favorite example of this is a benefit only open to United cobranded cardholders or MileagePlus Premier members . If you hold any United card, or Premier Silver status or above, you have access to fare class XN — extra economy award seats only available to Chase cardholders. While United's website is one of the best for searching Star Alliance award space since you don't need to log in to do so, you definitely should if you hold a card like the United Explorer Card .

Related: The best credit cards for United flyers

Whenever you encounter this extra award inventory, it'll be notated directly in the award search results (again, once you are logged in to your United MileagePlus account):

Here are a few other examples of these special fare classes:

• OU: Delta uses this code for complimentary Medallion upgrades.
• PZ: United uses this code for complimentary Premier upgrades.
• U: Alaska uses this code for complimentary MVP upgrades to first class. Travelers confirmed into Alaska first class via U class are not eligible for access to the Alaska Lounge .
• CB: Indicates an extra seat for cabin baggage.
• P : Etihad uses this code for The Residence on A380s .
• IN: Infant fare , usually 10% of an adult fare
• CH: Child's fare, varies from 0%–50% savings depending on the airline
• CL: Clergy fare (Who knew?)
• DP: Diplomat
• PG: Pilgrim
• YCA: Contracted military/U.S. government fares. They are treated mostly as full Y tickets, but unfortunately are no longer upgradeable on American Airlines.

Bottom line

Knowing your fare class is important for several reasons.

First, it can tell you whether you'll earn 100% of your frequent flyer miles from a purchased ticket. This is even more important when crediting your flight to a partner airline. Once you know your fare class, make sure to utilize wheretocredit.com when deciding which frequent flyer program you'll credit your flight toward.

Your fare class also tells you whether your ticket is upgradeable and where you may stand in the upgrade priority line . In case things go wrong or you need to make a change, knowing your fare class can tell you if your ticket is refundable and if any change fees are required, and it can help you plan your strategy for making changes before talking to the airlines. Knowledge is power, and the more you understand about how the airline industry works, the better positioned you'll be to get the maximum value out of your points and miles .

If you're new to The Points Guy , check out our points and miles guide for beginners .

Simple Flying

A brief guide to airline ticket fare classes & codes.

Airlines use an alpha-numeric code to show what class you are in.

Whenever you purchase an airline ticket, you may have noticed that it always has an alphabetic or alpha-numeric code used to identify a fare type. Fare types range from economy class up to first class.

Because computer algorithms determine ticket prices, many factors go into determining how much you are going to pay for your ticket. Airline tickets are always more expensive during peak times like the summer or school holidays and vacations. Other factors also determine how much you will pay based on availability and how long you purchased your ticket before the flight. There was a time, now sadly gone, when you could show up at an airport without a ticket, and if an empty seat was available, easily purchase a "standby ticket" for a considerable discount.

Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying

Airlines offer between one and four classes of service

Today, generally speaking, on airlines, there are four types of classes:

• Economy: Almost always the rear of the aircraft, a section of dense seating that caters to leisure travelers. On low-cost carriers like Ryanair and easyJet, their aircraft are configured in an all-economy layout.
• Premium economy: Situated behind business class, premium economy seats are slightly wider than economy seats and offer more legroom. Some airlines even offer an upgraded meal service.
• Business class: As the name suggests, catering to people traveling for business, seats in business class offer more privacy and can often be configured into a lay-flat bed perfect for taking a nap on long-haul overnight flights.
• First class: The big three United States carriers Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines, all got rid of their first class seats on long-haul flights and replaced them with business class seats. While similar to what you would find in business class, flying first class can include a chauffeur-driven limousine to and from your hotel. First class passengers are also pampered from start to finish with à la carte meals on demand and a paired wine list to match the food offerings. If you have the funds, you can still fly first class with carriers such as Emirates , Etihad, Air France, British Airways, Japan Airways, All Nippon Airways, Lufthansa, Thai Airways, and Singapore Airlines.

Select the best class of service to suit your needs

As you can see, only some travelers are looking for the cheapest ticket, and paying extra for a premium economy ticket can have more benefits, like extra air miles or an increase in your luggage allowance.

A friend discovered this on a recent TAP Portugal flight from Miami to Lisbon. He needed to travel with two suitcases, but his allowance on an economy class ticket was only one. This meant that if he were flying economy, he would have to pay for the second suitcase. In premium economy, the allowance was two suitcases and extra air miles. However, the cost of upgrading to premium economy was the same as paying for the excess luggage, so the choice was simple.

The codes have a letter and a number

Each of the above fare classes is identified with a one-letter code:

• Y = A full-fare economy class ticket
• W= A full-fare premium economy class ticket
• J= A full-fare business class ticket
• F= A full fare first class ticket

There are various other letters to describe lower fares of the same class as well. After the letter, you will see a number that ranges from zero to nine. For example, if your ticket says J2, two seats are still available in business class on your flight. Nine is the largest possible number and indicates that there are more than nine seats available in your class of service. An example of this would be Y9 in economy class.

• Public feed Current Page
• New question

My feed - Fares and pricing

Forumthreads.

when do you use a tour code

im new to amadeus and confused with a tour code.

when do i need to use a tour code, and if i need one where do i find the code?

i got a debit memo in my last flight that i issued and dont really understand what/when i would use this or how to find it?

The tour code element (FT) is a special code arranged between the travel agency and the Airline.

It indicates discounts or a special negotiated fare that the travel agency is given by the respective Airlines

To add it before issue the ticket

1- Open PNR

2- FT*TOUR CODE

• TODAY’S TOP FARES
• WEEKEND DEALS
• SEARCH FARES FROM A CITY
• SEARCH FARES TO A CITY
• SEE CHEAPEST MONTH TO FLY
• SEARCH & COMPARE FLIGHT DEALS
• SET UP FARE PRICE ALERTS
• ALL AIRLINE DEALS
• ALASKA DEALS
• AMERICAN AIRLINE DEALS
• DELTA DEALS
• JETBLUE DEALS
• SOUTHWEST DEALS
• UNITED DEALS
• ALASKA AIRLINES
• ALLEGIANT AIR
• AMERICAN AIRLINES
• DELTA AIRLINES
• FRONTIER AIRLINES
• HAWAIIAN AIRLINES
• SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
• SPIRIT AIRLINES
• SUN COUNTRY AIRLINES
• UNITED AIRLINES
• AIRLINE BAGGAGE FEES
• AIRLINE CODES GUIDE
• SEE ALL BLOG POSTS
• RECENT FARE SALES
• TRAVEL TIPS & ADVICE
• TRAVEL GEAR
• SEE MY ALERTS
• MY ALERTS Get Money-Saving Alerts Sign Into Your Account Get Alerts By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use Or Sign In

A Guide to Airline Codes

• Guide to Airline Baggage Fees

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game New
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Cars & Other Vehicles
• Buying Air Travel

How to Check Flight Reservations

Last Updated: February 20, 2024

This article was written by American Automobile Association and by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . The American Automobile Association (also known as "AAA" or "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America and a non-profit organization focused on the safety of the driving public and the future of mobility. Best known for providing its members with roadside assistance, AAA has also been providing auto repair services and insurance for auto, home, life, and business for over a century. Founded in 1902, AAA is headquartered in Heathrow, Florida. This article has been viewed 628,551 times.

Whether you book your airline tickets online, by phone, or through a travel agent, it's a good idea to check your reservations before heading to the airport. Looking up your reservation on your airline or travel service's website usually lets you view/modify your seats, purchase meals, and make requests for special accommodations. This wikiHow teaches you how to find information about your upcoming flights on the airline or travel service's website and voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant.

Using the Airline or Travel Service Website

• If you just want to check the status of a flight and you know the flight number, just open Google or Bing and search for "Flight (flight number) status" for up-to-date results.

• If the username is a membership number (e.g., Delta SkyMiles number, United Mileage Plus number), check the confirmation email from your booking to find it, or select the Forgot number link to request it via email.
• If you can't log in with a username and password, you can usually check your flight with your reservation number—a string of letters and numbers unique to your flight—by clicking a Find My Trip or Trips option. Airlines have different names for this number, including "reservation code," "confirmation number," "reference number," and "record locator." If you received a confirmation message via email after booking your flight, you'll find it in that message, as well as on paper tickets and printed receipts.

• If you don't see the flight you're looking for on an airline's website, it's usually because you bought it through a third-party (such as a travel website).

• If you need to change something and don't see the option to do so, contact the airline directly by phone.
• Some airlines won't allow you to select a seating preference until you check in.

• If you check in online, you'll may also have the option to print your boarding passes or save them to your smartphone.

Using Amazon Alexa

• Open https://www.amazon.com/alexa-skills/b?ie=UTF8&node=13727921011 in your web browser.
• If you're not signed in, click Sign In near the top-right corner of the page and to do so now.
• United Airlines
• Flight Tracker is not a booking service, but you can use the skill find the status of specific flights on Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, American, Cathay Pacific, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United, and WestJet. [2] X Research source
• Click the yellow Enable button under "Get this skill." This enables the skill on all your Alexa-enabled devices such as Echo, Fire TV, and Echo Dot.

• United: "Alexa, ask United to check the status of my flight," "Alexa, as United what time my flight leaves," "Alexa, ask United to check me in for my flight."
• Kayak: "Alexa, ask Kayak when is my next trip," "Alexa, ask Kayak to track a flight."
• Expedia: "Alexa, ask Expedia to get my trip details," "Alexa, ask Expedia to tell me where I'm staying," "Alexa, ask Expedia when I check in. [3] X Research source "
• TripSource: "Alexa, ask TripSource to check the status of my flight," "Alexa, ask TripSource to check me in."
• Flight Tracker: "Alexa, ask Flight Tracker for United 262," "Alexa, ask Flight Tracker the status of Delta 15."

Using Google Assistant

• If you're using a speaker, smart display, or smart clock, open the Google Home app on your phone or tablet and navigate to Home > Your Device > Device settings > More .
• On an Android phone or tablet, say, "Hey Google, open Assistant settings," tap Assistant , select your Android device.
• On an iPhone or iPad, open the Google Assistant app, tap the compass at the bottom-right, tap your profile photo, and head to Settings > Assistant > your device.

• "When is my next flight?"
• "When is my flight to (location)?"
• "Is my flight on time?"
• "Tell me my flights in December."
• "Is my flight delayed?"
• "When is my United flight?"

Community Q&A

• Contact the airline in advance if you have any unique dietary restrictions or food allergies. Call the airline directly or contact them via e-mail if you need special food or have severe food allergies so they will be prepared the day of the flight. There should be a number of options that are available for a variety of diets. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
• International flights often offer complimentary meals. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Bring your driver’s license, passport, or other government-issued photo ID when you travel, as the airline will need to verify your identity. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/check-in-and-arrival.jsp
• ↑ https://www.amazon.com/SMN-Apps-Flight-Tracker/dp/B06XZX39RL
• ↑ https://viewfinder.expedia.com/alexa-ask-expedia-get-trip-details/
• ↑ https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7128171

About This Article

1. Go to your airline's website. 2. Locate the fight/reservation lookup tool. 3. Enter the requested information. 4. Sign in or create an account. 5. Follow the on-screen instructions. To learn how to verify your identity at the airport, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Brian Burns

May 27, 2019

Did this article help you?

Alain Prosper Nkurunziza

Mar 3, 2019

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve

• Manage trips / Check-in
• Flight status
• Search flight Flight
• Search vacation packages Vacation packages

Bag and optional fees

Changes to checked bag fees and allowances

ID requirements are changing: Are you REAL ID ready?

Check in beginning 24 hours and up to 45 minutes before your flight (90 minutes for international).

• Search by cities Cities
• Search by flight number Flight number

Today's offers

Enjoy free entertainment

Watch our library of movies, TV shows and more on your phone, tablet or laptop for free in flight

Here's what's playing Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines

Save with Marriott Bonvoy®

For a limited time, enjoy savings when you stay 5+ nights or more at select properties

Search Marriott and book Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines

Dine your way to more miles

Earn up to 5 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on dine-in, takeout and delivery orders

Join AAdvantage Dining℠ for free Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines

News and offers

• Earn 500 bonus miles on car rentals , Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines.

Create more memories

Buy or gift miles for new adventures

View your offer Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines.

Earn 75,000 bonus miles

Claim this special offer, only for a limited time. Terms apply.

Learn more Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines

Our system is having trouble

Please try again or come back later.

Please tell us where the airport is located.

Any searches or unfinished transactions will be lost.

Do you want to continue your session?

This Former Airline Employee's Viral Flight Hack Is Blowing Our Minds

Senior Reporter, Work/Life

If you have ever scrambled to find your gate number or forgot what carousel your suitcases are on, you know that figuring out flight or baggage claim information can be annoying or tedious at best. But there’s an easy way to get real-time updates about your flight right from your phone ― no ticket or airport TV required.

On TikTok, former airline employee Darby Maloney said that her “No. 1 flying hack” ― besides getting TSA PreCheck ― is to text the flight number to herself and her family on the morning of her flight.

A flight number consists of a 2-letter airline code and a series of numbers that will help you differentiate your flight from others that are flying that day. You will see the flight number in your booking confirmation or on your boarding pass.

Maloney gave the example of an American Airlines flight like AA686. If you are confused about what your airline code is, you can also quickly look it up in the International Air Transport Association’s search engine .

Maloney said when you text your flight number on an iPhone, it will send you a link that will show where your plane is and the current gate number, expected flight duration and your baggage claim carousel. Maloney said the link is helpful because if your gate changes, it will automatically change in that link too.

“I never have to look at screens in the airport anymore,” Maloney said. “It’s the greatest hack ever and I think nobody knows about it.”

@durbinmalonster S/O @Brooke Webster for teaching me this in my bag loading days 7 years ago ♬ original sound - Darby

Maloney’s advice was clearly news to many people. Her video had over 1 million likes and garnered thousands of comments. As one top comment to her video put it: “As someone who flies for work, this is SO helpful!”

Sure, you can download your airline’s app to get the same information, but the genius of this tip is how it reduces the numbers of steps you need to take.

Take the stressful scenario of having a short layover for a connecting flight as an example. Gates can often change, and you don’t want to waste time going to the wrong one. If you want to know immediately where your next gate is, Maloney recommended texting yourself the flight number for that leg of your trip.

“The second you land, you can just click your link and know exactly what your gate is so when you get off of the plane ― boom, you’re off to your connection,” Maloney said.

Or how about the family member who is picking you up? They just need your flight number to keep track of any delays.

“I use this the most when somebody’s picking me up,” Maloney said in a follow-up TikTok video. “I’m not going to ask them to download the app ... I’m just going to send them the link.“

Because airlines use the same planes for different flights, it’s most useful to text yourself the flight number on the morning of the flight, Maloney recommended .

Here’s how the hack works:

If you’re on an iPhone, all you need to do is to text yourself your flight number. From there, you will click on the hyperlinked number and select “Preview Flight.” There you can look up your flight information in real-time.

If you have an Android, texting yourself the flight number will not cause the same pop-up link, but you can type your flight number in your Google search bar to get the same real-time information.

When you’re rushing through the airport, it’s nice to know exactly where your plane is. This tip makes that information a stress-free tap away on your phone.

Support HuffPost

Our 2024 coverage needs you, your loyalty means the world to us.

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.

Dear HuffPost Reader

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.

Popular in the Community

From our partner, huffpost shopping’s best finds, more in life.

• Entertainment & News
• Career & Money
• Health & Wellness
• Love Quotes
• Expert Advice
• Radical Acceptance
• search articles
• find an expert
• sign up for newsletter

Entertainment And News

Former Airline Employee Reveals Her Favorite Flight Hack That Almost No One Knows About

Her little-known iphone feature is a perfect replacement for those janky airline apps and airport monitors..

By John Sundholm Written on Mar 29, 2024

There's no two ways about it: flying is a [redacted] nightmare, pretty much from start to finish. So anything that makes the process a little easier is welcome, right? 

A former airline employee's favorite flight hack is a hidden iPhone feature that streamlines the airport experience.

Flying is a pain, and it's only getting worse —  a CBS analysis found that delays and cancellations over issues within airlines' control rose by 2.4% from 2018 to 2023. That doesn't sound much, but that's thousands more delayed flights. 

RELATED:  Flight Attendant Shares 3 Things People Should Stop Doing On Flights & One Of Them Is Really Concerning

Worse still, these troubles are expected to persist for the next decade due to air traffic control and flight crew staffing issues.

So, finding ways to get through the airport as smoothly as humanly possible is of the utmost importance — especially if you have a layover.  Darby Maloney , a content creator who worked for a major airline for three years, has just the trick. 

Simply texting yourself your airline code and flight number creates a constantly updated flight guide on your iPhone.

Now first things first — sorry Android users , this trick is for iPhones only. (Of course, there are plenty of apps that track flights that Android users can download instead.) So, how does this trick work?

"The morning of your flight, you're going to text yourself your flight number," Darby explained in her video. She suggested using your airline's two-letter code — AA for American, DL for Delta, WN for Southwest, etc. (The International Air Transport Association has a searchable tool to find your airline code.) 

"So, for example, if I'm flying American Airlines Flight 686,  I'm gonna type AA 686," Darby explained, adding that you can also send this text to whoever's picking you up. According to CNET , some airlines work better if you just type the whole airline name out, so see what works best for your flight.

Either way, "that text will become a link to tell you everything you need to know about your flight, and it will update in real-time." 

Just click the link and click "Preview Flight," and all your flight numbers, times, gate, and baggage claim information will come up, along with a little plane icon to show you where in the world the plane is at this moment. Here's one I did as an example for a United flight from Chicago to New York:

It's basically like having one of those onboard screens that long-haul flights have on the seatback in front of you that tracks your flight — but on your phone.

RELATED:  Financial Expert Shows Exactly How Airport Snacks Are A ‘Scam’ — And Which One Is The Worst

The information updates in real-time, so it's often more accurate than airlines' apps.

Now we know what you're thinking — the airlines' apps do all this, too; what's the big deal? Sure, but you have to download them, for one thing, and every airline's app is a bit different. Some apps don't even provide all of these details, either.

And some of them definitely work a lot better than others (if only all airline apps were like Delta's. Delta does everything right. Be like Delta, other airlines!), and many don't update nearly as fast as people say this iPhone hack does.

That means you often have to rely on those annoying monitors in the terminal that are hard to read and usually mobbed with people gaping at them just like you are. Who has time for all that when there are Cinnabons and trashy magazines to procure before the gate doors close? 

Darby pointed out her hack is particularly helpful for connections since oftentimes every second matters, and an airline app that's not updated yet can leave you scrambling to find the right gate.

"The second you land, you can just click your link and know exactly what your gate is," Darby said. Whoever's picking you up will have constant updates on your arrival, too.

As Darby put it, "It's the greatest hack ever, and I feel like nobody knows about it." Now, if we can just find a hack for the way people behave on planes nowadays … and an app to make those accursed seats more comfortable . 

RELATED:  Woman Kicked Off Flight For 'Using The Bathroom Too Much' Before Takeoff

John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.

• KAYAK for Business NEW

Compare flights from 100s of sites.

Save money on airfare by searching for cheap flight tickets on KAYAK. KAYAK searches for flight deals on hundreds of airline tickets sites to help you find the cheapest flights. Whether you are looking for a last minute flight or a cheap plane ticket for a later date, you can find the best deals faster at KAYAK.

New York Flights

• Flight Miami - New York (MIA - LGA) $47+
• Flight Atlanta - New York (ATL - LGA) $53+
• Flight Chicago - New York (ORD - LGA) $53+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - New York (FLL - LGA) $56+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Newark (FLL - EWR) $60+
• Flight Atlanta - Newark (ATL - EWR) $68+
• Flight Orlando - New York (MCO - LGA) $69+
• Flight Dallas - New York (DFW - LGA) $73+
• Flight Orlando - Newark (MCO - EWR) $82+
• Flight Dallas - Newark (DFW - EWR) $96+
• Flight Chicago - New York (ORD - JFK) $99+
• Flight Chicago - Newark (ORD - EWR) $114+
• Flight Los Angeles - New York (LAX - LGA) $140+
• Flight Los Angeles - Newark (LAX - EWR) $150+
• Flight San Francisco - New York (SFO - LGA) $153+
• Flight Atlanta - New York (ATL - JFK) $161+
• Flight San Francisco - Newark (SFO - EWR) $182+
• Flight Ontario - New York (ONT - JFK) $191+
• Flight Burbank - Newark (BUR - EWR) $192+
• Flight Dallas - New York (DFW - JFK) $197+
• Flight Los Angeles - New York (LAX - JFK) $199+
• Flight San Francisco - New York (SFO - JFK) $227+
• Flight Seattle - New York (SEA - JFK) $249+
• Flight Seattle - Newark (SEA - EWR) $265+

Orlando Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Orlando (ATL - MCO) $40+
• Flight Baltimore - Orlando (BWI - MCO) $44+
• Flight Houston - Orlando (HOU - MCO) $49+
• Flight Houston - Orlando (IAH - MCO) $49+
• Flight Philadelphia - Orlando (PHL - MCO) $53+
• Flight Dallas - Orlando (DFW - MCO) $62+
• Flight Cleveland - Orlando (CLE - MCO) $64+

London Flights

• Flight Boston - London (BOS - LGW) $337+
• Flight New Windsor - London (SWF - STN) $360+
• Flight New York - London (JFK - LGW) $364+
• Flight Boston - London (BOS - LHR) $403+
• Flight Newark - London (EWR - LHR) $430+
• Flight New York - London (JFK - LHR) $465+
• Flight Baltimore - London (BWI - LHR) $477+
• Flight Chicago - London (ORD - LHR) $483+
• Flight Atlanta - London (ATL - LHR) $484+

Fort Lauderdale Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Fort Lauderdale (ATL - FLL) $36+
• Flight Philadelphia - Fort Lauderdale (PHL - FLL) $46+
• Flight Raleigh - Fort Lauderdale (RDU - FLL) $46+
• Flight Cleveland - Fort Lauderdale (CLE - FLL) $50+
• Flight Charlotte - Fort Lauderdale (CLT - FLL) $54+
• Flight Houston - Fort Lauderdale (HOU - FLL) $56+
• Flight Houston - Fort Lauderdale (IAH - FLL) $56+

Boston Flights

• Flight Charlotte - Boston (CLT - BOS) $44+
• Flight Miami - Boston (MIA - BOS) $68+
• Flight Orlando - Boston (MCO - BOS) $78+
• Flight Baltimore - Boston (BWI - BOS) $80+
• Flight Philadelphia - Boston (PHL - BOS) $87+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Boston (FLL - BOS) $88+
• Flight Tampa - Boston (TPA - BOS) $91+

India Flights

• Flight New York - New Delhi (JFK - DEL) $579+
• Flight New York - Mumbai (JFK - BOM) $590+
• Flight San Francisco - New Delhi (SFO - DEL) $598+
• Flight Chicago - Hyderabad (ORD - HYD) $630+
• Flight New York - Ahmedabad (JFK - AMD) $638+
• Flight San Francisco - Mumbai (SFO - BOM) $650+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - Hyderabad (IAD - HYD) $658+

Japan Flights

• Flight Los Angeles - Tokyo (LAX - NRT) $557+
• Flight San Francisco - Tokyo (SFO - NRT) $647+
• Flight Los Angeles - Tokyo (LAX - HND) $723+
• Flight Dallas - Tokyo (DFW - NRT) $741+
• Flight San Francisco - Tokyo (SFO - HND) $751+
• Flight Ontario - Tokyo (ONT - NRT) $798+
• Flight Chicago - Tokyo (ORD - NRT) $817+

Phoenix Flights

• Flight Ontario - Phoenix (ONT - PHX) $38+
• Flight Dallas - Phoenix (DFW - PHX) $56+
• Flight Los Angeles - Phoenix (LAX - PHX) $58+
• Flight Oakland - Phoenix (OAK - PHX) $67+
• Flight Salt Lake City - Phoenix (SLC - PHX) $68+
• Flight San Francisco - Phoenix (SFO - PHX) $68+
• Flight Portland - Phoenix (PDX - PHX) $69+

Honolulu Flights

• Flight Los Angeles - Honolulu (LAX - HNL) $209+
• Flight Ontario - Honolulu (ONT - HNL) $241+
• Flight San Francisco - Honolulu (SFO - HNL) $248+
• Flight San Jose - Honolulu (SJC - HNL) $249+
• Flight Las Vegas - Honolulu (LAS - HNL) $266+
• Flight Phoenix - Honolulu (PHX - HNL) $283+
• Flight San Diego - Honolulu (SAN - HNL) $284+

Los Angeles Flights

• Flight Oakland - Los Angeles (OAK - LAX) $45+
• Flight San Francisco - Los Angeles (SFO - LAX) $65+
• Flight Dallas - Los Angeles (DFW - LAX) $68+
• Flight Salt Lake City - Los Angeles (SLC - LAX) $68+
• Flight Denver - Los Angeles (DEN - LAX) $77+
• Flight Philadelphia - Los Angeles (PHL - LAX) $79+
• Flight San Jose - Los Angeles (SJC - LAX) $89+
• Flight Houston - Los Angeles (HOU - LAX) $99+
• Flight Chicago - Los Angeles (ORD - LAX) $100+

Chicago Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Chicago (ATL - ORD) $31+
• Flight Dallas - Chicago (DFW - ORD) $51+
• Flight New York - Chicago (LGA - ORD) $53+
• Flight Philadelphia - Chicago (PHL - ORD) $66+
• Flight Orlando - Chicago (MCO - ORD) $67+
• Flight Houston - Chicago (HOU - ORD) $68+
• Flight Houston - Chicago (IAH - ORD) $68+

Denver Flights

• Flight Ontario - Denver (ONT - DEN) $48+
• Flight Minneapolis - Denver (MSP - DEN) $53+
• Flight Chicago - Denver (ORD - DEN) $58+
• Flight Dallas - Denver (DFW - DEN) $58+
• Flight Baltimore - Denver (BWI - DEN) $70+
• Flight Santa Ana - Denver (SNA - DEN) $71+
• Flight Los Angeles - Denver (LAX - DEN) $78+

Washington, D.C. Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Baltimore (ATL - BWI) $36+
• Flight Boston - Baltimore (BOS - BWI) $72+
• Flight Dallas - Baltimore (DFW - BWI) $87+
• Flight Minneapolis - Washington, D.C. (MSP - DCA) $98+
• Flight Boston - Washington, D.C. (BOS - DCA) $99+
• Flight Dallas - Washington, D.C. (DFW - DCA) $99+
• Flight San Francisco - Washington, D.C. (SFO - DCA) $99+
• Flight Chicago - Baltimore (ORD - BWI) $102+
• Flight San Francisco - Baltimore (SFO - BWI) $125+
• Flight Boston - Washington, D.C. (BOS - IAD) $127+
• Flight Seattle - Washington, D.C. (SEA - DCA) $129+
• Flight Los Angeles - Baltimore (LAX - BWI) $133+
• Flight Chicago - Washington, D.C. (ORD - DCA) $156+
• Flight New York - Washington, D.C. (JFK - DCA) $160+
• Flight Atlanta - Washington, D.C. (ATL - IAD) $161+
• Flight New York - Washington, D.C. (LGA - DCA) $164+
• Flight Los Angeles - Washington, D.C. (LAX - DCA) $169+
• Flight Atlanta - Washington, D.C. (ATL - DCA) $178+
• Flight Detroit - Washington, D.C. (DTW - DCA) $179+
• Flight Seattle - Baltimore (SEA - BWI) $194+
• Flight Dallas - Washington, D.C. (DFW - IAD) $212+
• Flight Los Angeles - Washington, D.C. (LAX - IAD) $227+
• Flight Seattle - Washington, D.C. (SEA - IAD) $245+
• Flight San Francisco - Washington, D.C. (SFO - IAD) $270+

Atlanta Flights

• Flight Philadelphia - Atlanta (PHL - ATL) $32+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Atlanta (FLL - ATL) $36+
• Flight Chicago - Atlanta (ORD - ATL) $38+
• Flight Miami - Atlanta (MIA - ATL) $38+
• Flight Baltimore - Atlanta (BWI - ATL) $39+
• Flight Detroit - Atlanta (DTW - ATL) $40+
• Flight Orlando - Atlanta (MCO - ATL) $44+

United States Flights

• Flight Dallas - Las Vegas (DFW - LAS) $41+
• Flight New York - Miami (LGA - MIA) $47+
• Flight New York - Fort Lauderdale (LGA - FLL) $56+
• Flight Newark - Fort Lauderdale (EWR - FLL) $60+
• Flight Newark - Miami (EWR - MIA) $60+
• Flight Newark - Orlando (EWR - MCO) $72+

Hawaii Flights

• Flight San Francisco - Hawaii (SFO - USHI) $185+
• Flight Los Angeles - Hawaii (LAX - USHI) $197+
• Flight Ontario - Hawaii (ONT - USHI) $241+
• Flight San Jose - Hawaii (SJC - USHI) $249+
• Flight Las Vegas - Hawaii (LAS - USHI) $266+
• Flight Phoenix - Hawaii (PHX - USHI) $283+
• Flight San Diego - Hawaii (SAN - USHI) $284+

Tampa Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Tampa (ATL - TPA) $38+
• Flight Baltimore - Tampa (BWI - TPA) $46+
• Flight Cincinnati - Tampa (CVG - TPA) $48+
• Flight Raleigh - Tampa (RDU - TPA) $52+
• Flight Chicago - Tampa (MDW - TPA) $58+
• Flight Philadelphia - Tampa (PHL - TPA) $63+
• Flight Dallas - Tampa (DFW - TPA) $68+

Houston Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Houston (ATL - IAH) $47+
• Flight Miami - Houston (MIA - IAH) $55+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Houston (FLL - IAH) $59+
• Flight Orlando - Houston (MCO - IAH) $64+
• Flight Dallas - Houston (DFW - IAH) $69+
• Flight Charlotte - Houston (CLT - IAH) $77+
• Flight Denver - Houston (DEN - IAH) $79+

Las Vegas Flights

• Flight Oakland - Las Vegas (OAK - LAS) $33+
• Flight Los Angeles - Las Vegas (LAX - LAS) $36+
• Flight Burbank - Las Vegas (BUR - LAS) $38+
• Flight San Francisco - Las Vegas (SFO - LAS) $38+
• Flight Santa Ana - Las Vegas (SNA - LAS) $65+
• Flight Denver - Las Vegas (DEN - LAS) $73+
• Flight Minneapolis - Las Vegas (MSP - LAS) $76+
• Flight Seattle - Las Vegas (SEA - LAS) $82+
• Flight Atlanta - Las Vegas (ATL - LAS) $93+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - Las Vegas (DCA - LAS) $95+
• Flight Baltimore - Las Vegas (BWI - LAS) $98+
• Flight Houston - Las Vegas (HOU - LAS) $103+
• Flight Houston - Las Vegas (IAH - LAS) $103+

Miami Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Miami (ATL - MIA) $36+
• Flight Philadelphia - Miami (PHL - MIA) $46+
• Flight Baltimore - Miami (BWI - MIA) $49+
• Flight Charlotte - Miami (CLT - MIA) $54+
• Flight Houston - Miami (HOU - MIA) $55+
• Flight Houston - Miami (IAH - MIA) $55+
• Flight Detroit - Miami (DTW - MIA) $60+
• Flight Raleigh - Miami (RDU - MIA) $61+
• Flight Dallas - Miami (DFW - MIA) $65+
• Flight Boston - Miami (BOS - MIA) $68+
• Flight Chicago - Miami (ORD - MIA) $70+
• Flight Cleveland - Miami (CLE - MIA) $79+
• Flight Cincinnati - Miami (CVG - MIA) $80+
• Flight Denver - Miami (DEN - MIA) $89+
• Flight Minneapolis - Miami (MSP - MIA) $105+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - Miami (DCA - MIA) $107+
• Flight Los Angeles - Miami (LAX - MIA) $114+
• Flight San Francisco - Miami (SFO - MIA) $132+
• Flight New York - Miami (JFK - MIA) $135+
• Flight Ontario - Miami (ONT - MIA) $160+

San Francisco Flights

• Flight Ontario - San Francisco (ONT - SFO) $38+
• Flight Los Angeles - San Francisco (LAX - SFO) $56+
• Flight San Diego - San Francisco (SAN - SFO) $64+
• Flight Portland - San Francisco (PDX - SFO) $78+
• Flight Dallas - San Francisco (DFW - SFO) $92+
• Flight Chicago - San Francisco (MDW - SFO) $96+
• Flight Denver - San Francisco (DEN - SFO) $96+
• Flight Baltimore - San Francisco (BWI - SFO) $99+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - San Francisco (DCA - SFO) $99+
• Flight Atlanta - San Francisco (ATL - SFO) $104+
• Flight Santa Ana - San Francisco (SNA - SFO) $117+
• Flight Houston - San Francisco (HOU - SFO) $124+
• Flight Chicago - San Francisco (ORD - SFO) $126+
• Flight Seattle - San Francisco (SEA - SFO) $134+

Seattle Flights

• Flight Ontario - Seattle (ONT - SEA) $77+
• Flight Phoenix - Seattle (PHX - SEA) $87+
• Flight Chicago - Seattle (ORD - SEA) $93+
• Flight San Diego - Seattle (SAN - SEA) $96+
• Flight Dallas - Seattle (DFW - SEA) $114+
• Flight Minneapolis - Seattle (MSP - SEA) $119+
• Flight Los Angeles - Seattle (LAX - SEA) $120+

Paris Flights

• Flight New Windsor - Paris (SWF - CDG) $284+
• Flight Boston - Paris (BOS - CDG) $295+
• Flight Baltimore - Paris (BWI - CDG) $303+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - Paris (IAD - CDG) $303+
• Flight Atlanta - Paris (ATL - CDG) $343+
• Flight Newark - Paris (EWR - ORY) $365+
• Flight Miami - Paris (MIA - CDG) $372+

Europe Flights

• Flight New York - Athens (JFK - ATH) $409+
• Flight Newark - Paris (EWR - CDG) $410+
• Flight Newark - Athens (EWR - ATH) $420+
• Flight Newark - Rome (EWR - FCO) $424+

Florida Flights

• Flight Philadelphia - Florida (PHL - USFL) $46+
• Flight New York - Florida (LGA - USFL) $47+
• Flight Newark - Florida (EWR - USFL) $60+
• Flight Boston - Florida (BOS - USFL) $68+
• Flight Chicago - Florida (ORD - USFL) $73+
• Flight Los Angeles - Florida (LAX - USFL) $108+
• Flight New York - Florida (JFK - USFL) $135+

Dallas Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Dallas (ATL - DFW) $53+
• Flight Minneapolis - Dallas (MSP - DFW) $58+
• Flight Orlando - Dallas (MCO - DFW) $64+
• Flight Chicago - Dallas (ORD - DFW) $65+
• Flight Los Angeles - Dallas (LAX - DFW) $70+
• Flight Miami - Dallas (MIA - DFW) $70+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Dallas (FLL - DFW) $74+

San Diego Flights

• Flight Denver - San Diego (DEN - SAN) $48+
• Flight Phoenix - San Diego (PHX - SAN) $48+
• Flight San Francisco - San Diego (SFO - SAN) $48+
• Flight San Jose - San Diego (SJC - SAN) $56+
• Flight Dallas - San Diego (DFW - SAN) $65+
• Flight Oakland - San Diego (OAK - SAN) $65+
• Flight Sacramento - San Diego (SMF - SAN) $69+

Frequently asked questions

What do i need to know before booking a flight.

There are various factors to consider when booking a flight including cost, fare classes, baggage policies, the complications of flying long haul, and complying with airport regulations. To make your booking journey smoother KAYAK has developed a comprehensive flight guide including insights on finding affordable flights, packing efficiently, and utilizing the best travel tools.

Which month of the year are flight prices lowest?

It’s well established that flights in the low season are generally cheaper than ticket prices during the high season. That means that knowing which month to find the lowest priced plane tickets will depend heavily on seasonality and your destination. While avoiding peak travel times can help you keep costs down, our data shows that the month with the lowest priced plane tickets for domestic flights based on all searches made on KAYAK in the last 12 months was January, while the most expensive was March. If you’re booking an international flight, then January is the cheapest month to fly and June the most expensive.

Can flying international flights with a layover save money on airfare?

For many long-haul international flights, flying non-stop is not possible and you will have to fly with a layover. Some routes will offer both and you could consider flying with a layover for a number of reasons. Firstly, breaking up what would otherwise be a long-haul flight, taking a rest and then completing the journey might make the flight more manageable. Secondly, prices can also be lower than non-stop flights, so while it might take longer for you to reach your destination, you could save money. We’ve looked at prices over the last 12 months for the 100 most popular international destinations for KAYAK users and on average, prices for non-stop flights were cheaper than flights with a layover.

How do I find the best flight deals on KAYAK?

A simple flight search at https://www.kayak.com/flights scans for prices on hundreds of travel sites in seconds. We gather flight deals from across the web and put them in one place. Then on the search results page you can use various filters to compare options for the same flight and easily choose the best flight deal from all of the deals coming straight from the travel sites to your screen, with no extra fee from KAYAK.

Does KAYAK query more flight providers than competitors?

Yes, KAYAK has access to more data and information than online travel agencies and consistently outperforms the competition in accuracy, globally.

What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care?

Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you flights up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. That way, you can see if leaving a day or two earlier will find you a better deal. You can also select the flexible "weekend" or "month" search options to widen your search range and find the cheapest price that works for you.

What is the cheapest day of the week to book a flight?

The best day to book your flight depends on a number of factors, but there are general trends that you can follow to increase your chances of cheaper plane tickets. Based on an analysis of KAYAK data for all flights departing from inside United States over the last 12 months, the cheapest day to fly for domestic flights is Tuesday. For international flights, Thursday had the cheapest tickets on average.

When is the best time to buy plane tickets - Last minute or in advance?

Last minute flight deals are definitely up for grabs but when exactly to purchase your plane tickets will depend on where you’re traveling to and from. Based on all data for flight searches made on KAYAK over the last 12 months, prices for domestic flights remained below the average price up to 1 weeks before departure. For international flights, deals could still be had up to 1 weeks prior to the departure date, with prices remaining below average. If you’re flexible, KAYAK brings you both advance and last minute one-way and round-trip flight deals.

How does KAYAK find such low flight prices?

KAYAK processes over 2 billion flight queries annually and displays results from hundreds of airlines and third party sites, allowing it to find a variety of flight prices and options. It also displays results from 2M+ properties along with rental cars, vacation packages, activities and millions of verified reviews so users can see as many available travel options as possible.

How can Hacker Fares save me money?

Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets on different airlines when it can save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket.

How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.