Last Updated on July 28, 2026 by Daniel Globe
Your airline ticket number is the document number created when an airline issues your e-ticket. It is usually 13 digits and is different from the booking reference used to open and manage your reservation. The number is most reliably found on your e-ticket receipt or confirmation email, although some airlines also show it in the app, account, credit-card statement, or boarding-pass details.
Quick Answer
An airline ticket number is usually a 13-digit code on your e-ticket receipt. The first three digits identify the ticket-issuing airline or company, while the rest identify the ticket document. Check your confirmation email, airline account, receipt, or boarding-pass details. A booking reference is a separate code.
Key Takeaways
- A passenger e-ticket number is normally 13 digits; it may be displayed with a space or hyphen after the first three digits.
- The first three digits are the issuer’s accounting code, not necessarily the airline operating every flight in a codeshare itinerary.
- A booking reference or record locator is separate and is often six letters or a six-character letter-and-number code.
- The e-ticket receipt is the most dependable place to look. Boarding-pass placement varies by airline.
- If you have a reservation code but no ticket number, contact the airline, travel agency, or website that accepted payment.
At a Glance
| Time Required | About 2–10 minutes |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Tools Needed | Confirmation email, e-ticket receipt, airline app or account, and passenger name |
| Cost | Free |
What Is an Airline Ticket Number?
An airline ticket number is a unique number assigned to an issued passenger ticket. Major airlines commonly use a 13-digit e-ticket number. The International Air Transport Association explains that the first three digits are an accounting code identifying the company that issued the document or had it issued on its behalf.
A number may appear as 0012345678901, 001-2345678901, or 001 2345678901. The spaces and hyphen are only display formatting. For example, American Airlines ticket numbers begin with 001, Delta ticket numbers begin with 006, Air Canada ticket numbers begin with 014, and United ticket numbers begin with 016.
The ticket number identifies the ticket document. It does not verify your identity by itself. Your name and required travel documents are checked separately. It also does not identify only the operating carrier: on a codeshare trip, the three-digit prefix can belong to the airline that issued or validated the ticket rather than the airline flying a particular segment.
The ticket number identifies an issued travel document; the booking reference identifies the reservation record.
Where to Find Your Ticket Number
The most reliable place to find the number is the e-ticket receipt sent after payment and ticket issuance. Search your email for terms such as “e-ticket,” “eTicket receipt,” “ticket number,” “document number,” “ETKT,” or the airline name.
- Confirmation or ticketing email: Open the final receipt rather than an earlier “booking received” message.
- Airline website or app: Open the trip, then check payment, receipt, passenger, or ticket details.
- Airline account: Look under past or upcoming trips and request or download a receipt.
- Travel-agency or booking-site receipt: Use the final ticketed itinerary supplied by the seller.
- Credit-card statement: Some airlines, including American, tell customers to check the statement when the email is unavailable.
- Boarding pass: Some carriers display the number, but the exact location and availability vary.
- Cancellation or travel-credit email: The original ticket number may be included for later credit use.
Pro Tip: Search your inbox for the airline’s three-digit ticket prefix if you know it. For American, search “001”; for Delta, “006”; for Air Canada, “014”; and for United, “016,” together with your last name or route.
Ticket Number vs Booking Reference
A ticket number and a booking reference often appear on the same receipt, but they are not interchangeable. The booking reference is also called a record locator or PNR reference. Its exact format varies, but many airlines use six characters. American uses a six-letter confirmation code, while Air Canada and British Airways describe six-character references.
| Identifier | Typical Format | Main Purpose |
| Ticket number | Usually 13 digits | Identifies the issued ticket document; used for receipts, some check-ins, refunds, credits, and service requests |
| Booking reference | Often six letters or six alphanumeric characters | Opens and manages the reservation containing one or more passengers and flights |
| Flight number | Airline code plus digits | Identifies a scheduled flight service, not your reservation or ticket |
| Boarding-pass sequence or security number | Carrier-specific | Supports check-in and boarding; it is not the e-ticket number |
Note: A booking reference can exist before a ticket is issued. A reservation that is on hold, awaiting payment, or still being processed may have a record locator but no active ticket number.
Where to Find It on an E-Ticket
Open the receipt attached to your final confirmation email and look near the passenger name, fare details, payment section, or itinerary summary. Common labels include:
- Ticket number
- E-ticket number or eTicket number
- Electronic ticket
- ETKT or ETICKET
- Document number
Make sure you are reading the passenger ticket number rather than a number for a seat, bag, upgrade, or other add-on. American Airlines notes that extras can have separate document numbers. If several people are booked together, review the receipt carefully so you use the number connected to the correct traveler.
Find the Number on Boarding Passes
A boarding pass may show the ticket number, but this is not guaranteed. Layouts differ by airline, airport, app, wallet, and pass type. Use the boarding pass as a secondary place to check; use the e-ticket receipt when the number is absent or unclear.
Printed Boarding Pass Location
Check the small-print fields around the barcode or QR code, passenger details, and flight information. WestJet, for example, says its 13-digit electronic ticket number can appear under the QR code on a mobile boarding pass. That placement should not be treated as a universal rule for every airline or every printed pass.
- Look for “ticket,” “ETKT,” or “document.”
- Count 13 digits after removing spaces or a hyphen.
- Do not confuse the number with the booking reference, flight number, gate, seat, or boarding sequence.
- Compare it with the number on the e-ticket receipt.
Mobile Pass Details and Info Icon
Open the airline app or the pass details screen and look for trip, receipt, passenger, or ticket information. A wallet’s information button can reveal extra fields only when the airline included them. If no ticket number appears, return to the airline app, website, or email receipt rather than assuming the booking is invalid.
Warning: Do not post a full ticket number, booking reference, barcode, or QR code publicly. These details can expose booking information and may be used with other personal data to access a trip.
Why Your Ticket Number Matters
The ticket number helps the airline or seller locate the exact ticket document tied to your purchase. Depending on the carrier and request, it may be used to:
- confirm that a paid ticket was issued;
- retrieve a receipt or past-trip record;
- check in when the airline accepts a ticket number as an alternative to the booking reference;
- request a refund, travel credit, exchange, or fare review;
- trace a ticket after a schedule change or rebooking;
- submit a missing-mileage claim; or
- separate the passenger ticket from document numbers for bags, seats, or upgrades.
You do not always need the ticket number for routine check-in. Air Canada, for example, accepts a six-character booking reference, an Aeroplan number, or a 13-digit ticket number. Other airlines may ask for a record locator and last name instead.
How to Verify Your Ticket Is Issued
A reservation email alone does not always prove that ticketing is complete. Use the steps below before travel, especially after booking through an agency, using a payment method that was declined and retried, or changing an itinerary.
Check for a Ticket Number
- Open the most recent confirmation or e-ticket receipt.
- Find a 13-digit passenger ticket or document number.
- Check that the passenger name, dates, route, and flight details are correct.
- Confirm that the payment amount and fare information appear on the final receipt.
- For a changed trip, use the newest receipt and keep the older one for reference.
A correctly formatted number is a strong sign that a ticket document was issued, but you should still verify that the current itinerary is active and matches what you purchased.
Confirm E-Ticket Status
Sign in to the airline or seller’s trip-management page and look for wording such as ticketed, confirmed, or an available e-ticket receipt. Status wording varies, so the absence of a specific label does not automatically mean there is a problem.
If the itinerary is on hold, pending, waitlisted, or still being confirmed with a partner airline, contact the company that sold the ticket. American Airlines notes that some partner-airline requests can take 24 hours or more to confirm. Do not wait until airport check-in if payment has posted but no e-ticket number is available.
What to Do If Your Ticket Number Is Missing
If you cannot find the number, work through these steps in order:
- Check the final email and attachments. A booking acknowledgement may arrive before the ticket receipt.
- Search spam, junk, and promotions folders. Search for “e-ticket,” “receipt,” “ETKT,” the airline name, and the route.
- Open the trip online. Use the booking reference and passenger surname to view payment or receipt details.
- Check the seller. If a travel agent or online booking site took payment, ask that seller for the issued e-ticket receipt.
- Check the payment. A failed, reversed, or still-pending transaction may explain why ticketing did not finish.
- Contact support. Give the booking reference, passenger name, travel date, route, purchase date, and payment method. Do not send a full card number.
Note: When a travel agency or booking website issued the ticket, the airline may direct you back to that seller for the receipt or ticketing correction. Delta gives this instruction for agency and online-site bookings.
Why the Number May Look Different After a Change
After a flight change, cancellation, exchange, or credit conversion, you may see more than one document number in your records. The latest e-ticket receipt is the best starting point. Keep the original receipt because the old number can still be relevant to a refund, travel credit, or support case.
You may also see separate numbers for ancillary services such as seats, bags, or upgrades. These are not necessarily the passenger flight ticket. Match the label and amount to the service before entering a number into a refund or credit form.
Ticket Number Troubleshooting Checklist
- It has fewer than 13 digits: You may be looking at a booking reference, flight number, or sequence number.
- It contains letters: It is more likely a booking reference or another carrier-specific identifier.
- It has a space or hyphen: Remove the separator when a form requests digits only.
- The prefix is not the operating airline’s: The ticket may have been issued by a different validating carrier.
- The form rejects the number: Confirm that you entered the newest passenger-ticket number and not an add-on document number.
- You have a booking reference but no receipt: Ask the seller whether the reservation has been paid and ticketed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is my 13-digit ticket number?
It is the document number assigned when your airline ticket is issued. Look for “ticket number,” “e-ticket number,” “ETKT,” or “document number” on the final receipt. The first three digits identify the ticket issuer, and the remaining digits identify the document.
Is a 13-digit ticket number the same as a booking reference?
No. The ticket number identifies an issued ticket document. The booking reference identifies the reservation record and is often a six-character code. One booking can contain several passengers, while each issued passenger ticket has its own document record.
How can I find my 13-digit American Airlines ticket number?
Check the booking email, cancellation email, or credit-card statement. American Airlines says its ticket numbers are 13 digits and begin with 001. Its confirmation code is separate and contains six letters.
How many digits are in an airline ticket number?
A passenger e-ticket number is usually 13 digits. It may be printed as one continuous number or separated after the first three digits with a space or hyphen.
Does every boarding pass show the ticket number?
No. Some carriers show it near a barcode, QR code, or details screen, while others do not. The e-ticket receipt is the most dependable source.
Why do I have a confirmation code but no ticket number?
The reservation may be on hold, awaiting payment, still processing, or waiting for confirmation from a partner airline. Contact the airline or seller if the final e-ticket receipt does not arrive.
Can the ticket number change after rebooking?
A changed or exchanged itinerary may produce a new ticket document or additional document numbers. Use the number on the newest e-ticket receipt, but keep earlier receipts for refunds, credits, and support.
Which airline does the three-digit prefix identify?
It identifies the company that issued the ticket or had it issued on its behalf. On a codeshare itinerary, that may differ from the airline operating one or more flights.
Conclusion
Your airline ticket number is usually a 13-digit document number found on the final e-ticket receipt. Keep it separate from the booking reference, which is used to open and manage the reservation. Check the newest receipt after any itinerary change, and contact the airline or seller promptly when payment has been taken but no ticket number appears.
Sources
- IATA Airline Accounting Code — explains the three-digit issuer code at the start of a passenger ticket document.
- American Airlines Reservations and Tickets FAQs — confirms the 13-digit 001 ticket number, six-letter record locator, receipt locations, and separate add-on documents.
- Air Canada Mobile and Online Check-In — confirms a six-character booking reference and 13-digit ticket number beginning with 014.
- WestJet Ticket Number Help — shows a carrier-specific example of a 13-digit number appearing under a boarding-pass QR code.
- British Airways Booking Reference Help — explains its six-character booking-reference format.
- Delta Other Helpful Information — confirms 13-digit document numbers beginning with 006 and directs agency-booked travelers to the issuing seller for receipts.
