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How to verify a flight reservation PNR
One question decides whether a document is real: does the reference come back on the airline’s own site? Here is how to ask it, on any booking, whether it came from us or from anyone else.
How to verify, step by step
Find the PNR on your itinerary
It is a six-character alphanumeric code, printed near the top of the document, usually labelled ‘Booking reference’, ‘PNR’, ‘Reservation code’ or ‘Record locator’. Example format: K7QX2M.
Open the operating airline’s website
Use the carrier shown on the first leg. Go to the section called ‘Manage booking’, ‘My trips’ or ‘Check-in’. The wording differs, the function does not.
Enter the PNR and the surname
Surname only, spelled exactly as on the itinerary. Most systems reject a full name in that field.
Read what comes back
A valid reservation returns your itinerary: passenger name, flight numbers, dates, times. That is what a visa officer sees when they run the same check.
Where to check, by airline
Every major carrier exposes the same lookup. Search the airline name plus “manage booking” and use the official domain, never a link forwarded to you by a third party.
| Airline group | Where to look | Fields required |
|---|---|---|
| Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Turkish | Manage booking / My trips | PNR + surname |
| Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels | My bookings | PNR + surname |
| Air France, KLM | My bookings | PNR + surname |
| British Airways, Iberia | Manage my booking | PNR + surname |
| Air India, IndiGo, Vistara | Manage booking / Edit booking | PNR + surname or email |
| United, Delta, American | My trips | Confirmation code + surname |
| Singapore, Thai, Cathay, ANA, JAL | Manage booking | PNR + surname |
Verification FAQ
My PNR does not come up. What now?
Three ordinary explanations before you assume the worst. First, you may be checking the wrong carrier. On a codeshare, the booking sits with the operating airline, not the one whose flight number is printed. Second, some systems need a few minutes to propagate. Third, the surname field may need the surname alone. If it still fails, email us the order reference and we will reissue.
Can an embassy see that the ticket is unpaid?
Yes, and that is fine. A reservation shows a booking status rather than a ticket number. Embassies know the difference and ask for reservations for exactly this reason. They do not want applicants buying fares before a decision.
Does checking the booking cancel it?
No. Looking up a reservation is read-only. Just avoid clicking anything labelled cancel, and do not attempt online check-in.
How can I tell a fake itinerary from a real one?
Run this exact check. A fabricated document fails at step four: either the code returns nothing, or it returns somebody else’s trip. There is no other reliable test. A forged PDF can look perfect.
Order a reservation you can verify in two minutes
Live PNR, checkable on the carrier’s own site, ₹399 per traveller.