Airfares, Ticketing and Reservation Procedures
Fares and rules
An airfare is not just a price: it is a set of conditions. Know fare basis codes, booking classes (RBDs) and the main restrictions - advance purchase, minimum and maximum stay, change and refund rules, stopovers, transfers and routing. Fares may be one-way, return, circle trip, open-jaw or round-the-world, and may be built using mileage or percentage systems with NUCs and IATA rates of exchange. Taxes, fees and carrier-imposed charges are added separately.
Reservations and ticketing
A PNR holds the booking: passenger name, itinerary, contacts, ticketing time limit and special service requests. Tickets are electronic, with one coupon per flight segment; EMDs cover ancillary services. Name changes, reissues and refunds must follow fare rules and airline policy.
Traps
Questions often confuse a non-refundable fare (no money back after travel or after a deadline) with a non-changeable fare - some fares allow changes for a fee. Do not assume the lowest displayed fare includes baggage or seat selection. Watch for "fare quoted" versus "total price".
Worked example
A return fare of USD 500 plus taxes of USD 120, with a change fee of USD 100 and a fare difference of USD 60, costs USD 160 to change - taxes are not normally added again on a change. Rule of thumb: always reprice before quoting a change.