How to Read Airline Ticket Codes
By Carolyn Williams
As you are preparing for your next golf vacation, you might wonder what's on the airline ticket for which you've paid so dearly. It shows the cost of your ticket and indicates your seat and class of service, the airline and other key items. It's a contract between you and the airline, so it's helpful to have a basic understanding of ticket codes.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Recognize class codes. Tickets for first class service use F (full fare) or A (discounted fare). Business class is symbolized by C (full fare), D (discounted fare) or J (premium). Coach or economy class has the most codes: Y is full fare; any other letter is a discounted fare. Multiple discount fares are sold on each airline, and each airline has its own hierarchy of discounts. So a discounted fare on United Airlines, for example, will have a different letter assigned to it than a discounted fare on Air France.
Verify the airline. Carriers use standard abbreviations for their business; you'll see it on the luggage tag placed on your golf clubs as they head into the luggage handlers' care and also in front of your flight number on your ticket. Delta, for example, uses the initials DL; Qantas uses QF. The digits following the letters symbolize your flight number.
Understand the abbreviations. There are myriad abbreviations encoded on your ticket, and it can be fun to mull the information over while waiting for your plane to get you to your destination. Some of the most common are: Non-refun, meaning the fare is non-refundable; STNP, which stands for stopover; Dep, which shows your departure city; ETA, the abbreviation for estimated time of arrival; ETD, which stands for estimated time of departure; and OW, or one way.
Decipher your fare. The base fare is the cost of the ticket that you've paid the airline to get you to your golfing destination. This is based on a number of factors, such as availability, timing, whether you stay over a weekend night and how far in advance you book. In addition, a ticket shows the taxes and fees (such as segment taxes) that the airline pays. These costs are passed on to you and are part of your overall cost.
Get going. Tickets also include the unique code of the airport from which you are departing and the airport to which you are flying. For example, SNA is the airport code for Orange County, if you're planning to golf in Southern California; if you're heading to the Bay Area to golf, SFO is the airport code.
About The Author
Carolyn Williams began writing for the software industry over 20 years ago. She now writes and edits for online content providers in addition to raising her family. An avid traveler and golf enthusiast, Carolyn delights in sharing her knowledge of destinations both far and near.
Photo Credits
Modern airliner taking off image by JoLin from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
