Guides
Understand the documents before you build one
The vocabulary around flight documents is genuinely messy — reservation, ticket, itinerary, PNR, record locator and e-ticket all mean different things, and people use them interchangeably. These guides untangle them. Several will tell you that a sample itinerary is the wrong tool for what you are trying to do.
Documents & terminology
What is a dummy ticket?
A plain explanation of what people mean by "dummy ticket", why the term causes so much trouble, and what a sample itinerary can and cannot legitimately be used for.
Sample flight itinerary: format and fields
What a sample flight itinerary contains, how each field maps to a real airline itinerary, and which fields cannot honestly be filled in on a document that was never booked.
Flight itinerary guide
How to read an airline itinerary line by line, what each block of the document is telling you, and how to plan a trip so the itinerary you end up with actually works.
Flight reservation vs ticket
A reservation holds a seat; a ticket pays for it. The difference explains held bookings, expiring fares, and why "I have a confirmation number" does not always mean you are flying.
Itinerary vs boarding pass vs e-ticket
Three documents that people treat as interchangeable, what each one actually proves, and which one you need at each stage of a journey.
PNR, record locator and booking reference explained
What a Passenger Name Record is, what a record locator is, how they relate to booking references, confirmation numbers and ticket numbers, and why this site refuses to generate one.
E-ticket number explained
The 13-digit number that proves a ticket was issued: how it is structured, what the airline prefix tells you, where to find it, and why a sample itinerary has none.
Every field on a flight itinerary explained
A field-by-field reference for airline itineraries: names, references, segment data, status codes, fare basis, baggage and the small print — what each one means and which ones change.
Codes & reference data
Airport codes explained
Why airports have three-letter and four-letter codes, what each system is for, why some codes bear no resemblance to the city, and how city codes differ from airport codes.
Airline codes explained
Two-letter IATA designators, three-letter ICAO codes, numeric accounting prefixes and flight numbers — what each identifies, and how marketing and operating carriers differ.
Routing & planning
How to plan a flight itinerary, step by step
A practical method for building an air itinerary that works: choosing airports, sequencing legs, sizing connections, checking dates across time zones, and what to verify before you book.
How to plan a multi-city flight itinerary
Open-jaw routings, stopovers and true multi-city trips: how to sequence legs, when a multi-city fare beats separate tickets, and the connection risks that only appear on complex trips.
One-way vs round-trip itineraries
Why a one-way ticket is often not half the price of a return, when one-ways make sense, and the onward-travel questions that one-way itineraries attract at check-in.
Layover vs stopover vs connection
Three words for the gap between flights, with different definitions, different fare consequences, and different rules about leaving the airport.
Flight time zones explained
Why itineraries show local times at both ends, how to compute an arrival date correctly, what the International Date Line does to a westbound Pacific flight, and where DST catches people out.
Requirements & compliance
Proof of onward travel
Why airlines ask how you are leaving a country, who actually sets the rule, what is generally accepted, and how to find the requirement that applies to your nationality and route.
Flight documents for visa applications
What consulates typically ask for when a visa application mentions flights, why several advise against buying tickets before a decision, and how to establish what your consulate actually requires.
Looking for shorter answers?
The blog breaks these topics into focused articles, and the airport and airline lookups answer code questions directly.