PNR has several meanings, but we will focus just on that related to Tourism and Travel Industry.

PNR means Passenger Name Record, and it’s a very common acronym used in this industry. Basically, its information regarding passenger itineraries on a booking system.

PNR is commonly used in flights itineraries, basically, all global air companies use GDS systems, so PNR is on the vocabulary of professional of this field. PNR abbreviation can also be used to group information of hotels, trains, boats, and all of the travel industry that has some information about PAX and their itineraries.

In some countries, like India, it’s common to use PNR as the code number associated with a passenger train ticket. This can make some confusion, once GDS uses the RLOC acronym. Other information systems also adopted the RLOCs, following the GDS way of work.

What information is contained on a PNR?

A PNR usually can contain:

• The Passengers (PAX);
• The airlines (IATA or ICAO);
• The flight number, that is globally standardized;
• The cabin or fare class;
• Departure Airport;
• Arriving Airport;
• Departure date and time;
• Arriving date and time;

This is the most common information a PNR can contain, but, as it was mentioned before, PNR is not just about flights, it can also contain train station names, transfer from and to the airport, pick up car locations, hotel addresses, etc. The list is long and PNR has the flexibility to contain it all, and because of this, and information and patterns can vary a lot, following configurations and changes on systems that occurs over time, being necessary a good knowledge by the professionals of tourism industry, to interpret and handle different PNR formats form several GDS systems.

There are several GDS systems, the most used are Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. All of them uses PNR.

How to convert or format a PNR?

It’s suspicious to say, we know, but, we strongly recommend to use EasyPNR for that. It's free, reliable, and can decode most of the information contained on a PNR. Moreover, you save time and avoid typing and interpreting mistakes.

What does EasyPNR do with PNR?

EasyPNR decodes/translates/formats PNR of several GDS systems for free. Officially supports Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport*.

*We already noticed that others GDS also works.

IATA, the International Air Transport Association, supports airline activity and helps formulate industry policy and standards. They keep and maintain the IATA codes.

As in airlines, airports eventually can disassociate from IATA due to business reasons or, simply, because of the ending of its operations. Over time, new ones are built, associated, and get an IATA code. IATA association changes and maintain the code list updated.

Keep your airport data always updated

EasyPNR must keep its data updated to provide its services. You can retrieve the always updated data using REST methods of the EasyPNR Web service.

According to the documentation the endpoint to retrieve all airports is https://api.easypnr.com/v4/airports

Example getting the Airport list in Java:

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
import java.net.URL;
//https://gist.github.com/edpichler/79ca8bd1da02aab28d2470e16f95c328
public class EasyPNRExample {

    /**
     * https://www.easypnr.com/webservice
     * @param args
     * @throws Exception
     */

    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {

        URL url = new URL("https://api.easypnr.com/v4/airports");
        HttpURLConnection conn = (HttpURLConnection) url.openConnection();
        conn.setRequestMethod("GET");
        conn.setRequestProperty("Accept", "application/json");
        conn.setRequestProperty("X-Api-Key", "X vaUMKGUbcjYXUPrzRmQqRUHbJquDw");

        if (conn.getResponseCode() != 200) {
            throw new RuntimeException("Failed : HTTP error code : " + conn.getResponseCode());
        }

        BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader((conn.getInputStream())));
        String apiOutput = br.readLine();
        System.out.println(apiOutput);
        conn.disconnect();
    }
}

Downloading all the Airports with IATA codes

If you want to just download all the airports one time, not using the web service, you can follow this post.

IATA is the International Air Transport Association. Consisting of hundred of airlines, primarily major carriers, representing a hundred of countries, the IATA's member airlines account for carrying the major of total Available Seat Miles air traffic.

IATA supports airline activity and helps formulate industry policy and standards. It is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with Executive Offices in Geneva, Switzerland.

An IATA airport code, also known as an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association.

→ Download all airports with IATA codes here.

• Tip: IATA codes change over time. See how you can keep your data updated using EasyPNR Webservice.

GDS are systems that cames from the early days of the Internet. They are complex and have a not so easy learning path. Why are they not replaced yet?

First things first

When the GDS acronym cames to our mind, may we remember the blue or black screen where we type complex codes to build our reservations. This is just an interface, not the GDS.

Technically, on its concept, GDS is a Global Distribution System, build upon a chain of suppliers and a network of computers. And the black, or the blue screen, is the terminal, the user interface.

So, at this point of view, GDS will always exist and there is no reason to be replaced, otherwise, how can a system keep a connection with a globalized world without a network to distribute it?

To wait for the end of GDS is like to wait for the end of the Internet: it will never happen. But, never say never, nobody knows the future. The point is that it's very difficult to think and find a reason for, on a distant future, humanity do efforts to live isolated again, in cities or nations. Maybe on a dystopic future, but this is another history...

The major players (Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport) can bankrupt one day, if the economy changes and they don't adapt to it, but, if this happens, others players will replace them, and other systems will come to solve the very same problem that GDS does: a marketplace to distribute and connect suppliers and travelers globally.

So GDS are good and here to stay, but what if they replace the terminal, that is difficult to use?

The black/blue screen

Now, replacing the black or blue screen of GDS, this is another history. The terminal, as discussed before, it's not the GDS itself, its just a human interface that connects us, as humans, to the GDS system.

Amadeus terminal is just one of the interfaces to use the GDS.

A GDS system can be manipulated by multiple ways (terminal, web service or graphic user interface). The terminal is the interface that a lot of travel professionals hope to be replaced. I have o sad thing to say: it is very difficult to replace it.

The limitations of graphic user interfaces

A graphic user interface has limitations, there is limited space where engineers need to put the most used functions, they try to group and organize components by context and also keeping cohesion. This interfaces, many times, are the same for different kind of users and some users use functions that are not so interesting to other users. All functions are occupying space, even when the user doesn't use it. As much a software has functions, more space it uses on the user interface.

Some software let users customize what functions are to be available, but this feature is also on the graphics interface and occupies its space.

When a system gets complex, it has so many functions that become hard to newcomers use and companies must train users, authors start to write books about this complex systems, and industry create certificates and courses to professionalize the users.

A common example is Adobe Photoshop, it is powerful and has a lot of awesome functions, but difficult to newcomers do relatively basic things on there.

Adobe Photoshop user interface. It's very difficult to create easy user interfaces for complex systems.

We can also observe an aircraft cockpit. Aircraft can't have a terminal interface, of course, so everything needs to be on the aircraft user interface: the pilot dashboard.

The pilot dashboard contains many buttons, clock-like devices, and lights, all necessary, and its limitation is the physical space. Why don't Airbus or Embraer replace their aircraft dashboards with a simpler one, eliminating some functions that are rarely necessary to piloting be easier to new pilots? Because they can't, and we are glad to it.

Aircraft and their complex dashboards. Buttons starting from the floor to the ceiling. Photo by NeONBRAND.

The power of terminal interfaces

Terminals accept free text, so there are endless possibilities here. Users can type and combine a great variety of commands. A terminal, for a trained user, it's the most productive user interface you can have.

Terminals can accept so many combinations of commands and functions that sometimes it's impossible to replace it. Replacing them with user interfaces could create systems more complex than the original terminal itself.

In Unix systems, the terminal is the main interface. On Linux, even with GNU and KDE, maintained by an army of developers, the terminal is still necessary.

Apple, having that huge revenue, greater than the GPD of many countries, built a great graphic interface called Mac OS, but the terminal is still there, and there are things that you can do only using terminal.

An Unix terminal. Terminals are powerful, but it takes time to master it.

Without a terminal, the menus of Mac OS would be too long, for functions that most of the users rarely would use it.

The problem of terminals (and also with some graphics interfaces) is that as much they are powerful they are difficult to use at the beginning. Terminals of some software have long learning paths. Users need to study and memorize a lot of commands and information to be proficient in this kind of user interface. Newbies hate to use software that has only terminal as the interface, but once master it, they enjoy.

As GDS Systems, some systems with graphical user interfaces also need train and study to start using it.

Possible replacing technologies for terminals

Doing a futurism exercise here, one way to replace terminals would be, on the aircraft case, the Artificial Intelligence. Without a pilot, a dashboard would not be necessary anymore. The computer would have API interfaces to pilot and monitor the aircraft sensors.

And in both aircraft and GDS systems, a possible technology to replace the terminal would be the Voice Interface. Voice interfaces are similar to terminals: you can do endless combinations of commands and functions, but with your voice. The computer also needs Artificial Intelligence to understand the command and the context (very important) to execute it correctly.

Science is doing large steps in these fields. Working with complex systems by using natural language would let us benefit from the power of complex systems without being necessary to deal with complex terminals or graphics interfaces.

Conclusion

GDS are here to stay, but how we use it (by terminals, graphics interfaces, API, or voice commands) can change as technologies and the science advances.

No one wants the end of terminals, we want the end of complex user interfaces (terminals and graphic ones).

While the future doesn't come

While we need to work with GDS systems, we can use software to help us saving time. One of them is EasyPNR. It's free, reliable and officially supports Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport (Galileo and Worldspan) GDS.

GDS, on travel and tourism industry, means Global Distribution Systems.

These systems connect globally, through Internet, hotels, airlines, car rentals, and tourism services suppliers in general. GDS make tourism services available, globally, to a large chain of travel agents and tour operators.

Some services suppliers, for particular reasons, are not connected. It's unnecessary to say that they lost business opportunities when their services are not being exposed to the global market.

An small hotel in Switzerland. It's undeniable, independent where your business is, it's strategic to expose your services to a global market, making it instantly available to an army of travel agents and tour operators. Photo by Nigel Tadyanehondo.

Main GDS systems

Today, Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport have the largest market share. There are, and there were, others like Abacus, TravelSky, Apollo, Worldspan, Galileo, etc. Some of them were acquired and incorporated by others. Travelport has acquired, per example, Worldspan and Galileo.

Like in other fields, GDS companies can merge and be acquired all the time.

GDS that EasyPNR officially supports

EasyPNR is free, reliable and officially supports Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport (Galileo and Worldspan)

Sabre is currently the second most used GDS on the market.

Bellow, it's listed three examples of Sabre PNR. The information is fake but follows strictly the Sabre PNR pattern. You can use it for whatever you want:

Example 1

1.1SILVA/JOAO MR
1 EK 262B 02AUG 4 GRUDXB*SS1  0125  2255  /DCEK /E
2 EK 356B 03AUG 5 DXBCGK*SS1  0415  1540  /DCEK /E             
3 EK 359B 30AUG 4 CGKDXB*SS1  0040  0530  /DCEK /E             
4 EK 261B 30AUG 4 DXBGRU*SS1 0835 1630 /DCEK /E 

Example 2

1.1SILVA/MARIA MRS
 6 SA 223T 19OCT 6 GRUJNB SS1  1800  0750   20OCT 7 /DCSA /E
 7 SA 284W 20OCT 7 JNBBOM SS1  1120  0005   21OCT 1 /DCSA /E
 8 SA 285Q 02NOV 6 BOMJNB SS1  0205  0730  /DCSA /E
 9 SA 224V 02NOV 6 JNBGRU SS1  1810  0030   03NOV 7 /DCSA /E
19OCT DEPARTURE DATE-----LAST DAY TO PURCHASE 20JUN/2359
       BASE FARE      EQUIV AMT      TAXES             TOTAL
1- USD1556.00 BRL3324.70 327.93XT BRL3652.63ADT

Example 3

ABQBBY«
 1.1SILVA/MARIO MR
 1 QR 922E 19OCT 6 GRUDOH*HK1  0245  2250  /DCQR*2UUQTM /E
 2 QR 200E 20OCT 7 DOHBOM*HK1  2105  0310   21OCT 1
                                               /DCQR*2UUQTM /E
 3 QR 557E 02NOV 6 BOMDOH*HK1  0440  0600  /DCQR*2UUQTM /E
 4 QR 771E 02NOV 6 DOHGRU*HK1  0745  1730  /DCQR*2UUQTM /E
       BASE FARE      EQUIV AMT      TAXES             TOTAL
1- USD1395.00 BRL2980.69 141.38XT BRL3122.07ITX

Formatting the PNR information

You can decode/translate/format/convert (it depends how do you usually call it) your PNR information manually, of course, or use our free tool EasyPNR.

Just paste in EasyPNR to get the PNR decoded.

EasyPNR is free, reliable and supports Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport.

Companies do, technically, everything to customers feels special and have the best experience possible. On the other side, customers have their very beloved pets, that are literally family members and very important in their lives. It's common to see companies offering top quality services to pets, so don't be surprised if you see the term PAX associated with a pet.

There are hotels just for pets, where humans can’t check-in (unless the person wanted very much and negotiate it), and this kind of business is old news.

Technically, pets occupies a space, have names, documents, needs authorization to enters on a lot of countries, have needs to be served, everything to be classified as a PAX, but, of course, biologically they are not humans, so the needs and expectation (can we say that pets also have?) are completely different.

Pets can have identification documents, vaccines, and needs the authorization to enter in most countries. There are a lot of pet-friendly hotels available to book on GDS. Photo by Kristin Lopez.

If a pet is on the system as PAX or not, it’s a marketing decision.

The point is: traditional travel information systems that control and distribute services, like GDS, doesn’t classify pets as PAX. Pets doesn’t appear on traditional PNR. But, of course, no one can guarantee that this will never happen. The travel industry evolves, hospitality services are becoming more complexes, and companies systems and processes follow it.

Amadeus is the GDS that bites the largest part of the global market share of distribution systems nowadays. Like most of the GDS systems, the PNR of Amadeus can vary in some details when displayed, according to custom configurations that can be done.

Bellow, it is listed three examples of Amadeus PNR. The information is fake, but strictly follows the common pattern of an Amadeus PNR:

Example 1

RP/ABCB23129/ABCB23129            WI/AS   3JUN16/2015Z   2WAOUW                
  1.JOHNSON/BRIAN MR                                                               
  2  UA 978 E 18JUL 4 GRUIAH HK1       1  2100 0510+1 *1A/E*                   
  3  UA1239 E 19JUL 5 IAHLAX HK1       C  0620 0750   *1A/E*                   
  4  UA1220 E 19JUL 5 LAXHNL HK1       6  0835 1120   *1A/E*                   
  5  HA 050 Y 20AUG 2 HNLJFK HK1       Z  1530 0655+1 *1A/E*                   
  6  AA 967 Y 21AUG 3 JFKGRU HK1       8  1115 2140   *1A/E*                   
  7 AP CWB +551122444555 - MY AGENCY
       L - A                                                                   
8 TK TL03JUN/ABCB23129

Example 2

RP/ABCB12115/ABCB12115            WI/AS   3JUN19/2103Z   3WAF3O                
  1.SILVA/MATEUS MR   2.SILVA/MARIO MR   3.SILVA/ANA MRS                      
  4  SA 223 G 15OCT 2 GRUJNB HK3       2  1800 0750+1 *1A/E*                   
  5  SA 222 L 23OCT 3 JNBGRU HK3       B  1040 1700   *1A/E*                   
  6 AP CWB +551122434415 - AGENCIA
       L - A                                                                   
7 TK TL03JUN/ABCB12115

Example 3

--- TST RLR MSC ---
RP/ABCB23129/ABCB23129            EK/RM  26SEP16/1852Z   2B82OU
  1.SILVA/ARNALDO
  2  G31463 T 03OCT 4 IGUGIG HK1          1810 2009
  3  EK 248 Q 04OCT 5 GIGDXB HK1       2  0206 2305   *1A/E*
  4  EK 957 Q 05OCT 6 DXBBEY HK1       3  0720 1030   *1A/E*
  5  EK 954 Q 30OCT 3 BEYDXB HK1          1925 0115+1 *1A/E*
  6  EK 247 Q 31OCT 4 DXBGIG HK1       3  0710 1537   *1A/E*
  7  G31462 T 31OCT 4 GIGIGU HK1       1  2200 2359
  8 AP AGENCYTUR 55 42 3333 1117 A/C ALESSANDRA
  9 TK XL29SEP/ABCB23129
 10 SSR OTHS 1A ITIN CONFIRMED - MUST PROVIDE PAYMENT
 11 SSR OTHS 1A SUBJ CXL ON/BEFORE 03OCT 2109Z WITHOUT PAYMENT
 12 SSR OTHS 1A RITL/ PLS ADV TKT NOS BY 30SEP13 09 51 IGU LT
 13 FE PAX NON-END/SKYWARDS SAVER CHK-IN REWARD-UPGRADE/S2-7
14 FV PAX EK/S2-7

Formatting the PNR information

You can decode/translate/format/convert (it depends how do you usually call it) your PNR information manually, of course, or use our free tool EasyPNR.

EasyPNR is free, reliable and supports Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport.

In tourism and travel industry, PAX means passenger, travelers, or occupants.

We can define PAX as travelers (live human bodies that need to be transported) generally applied to any "customers, people, bodies" occupying physical space (usually, seats or beds) and/or services, once they often must be entertained, accommodated, fed, etc.

It's a very common word, used broadly by professionals of the industry of Travel and Tourism.

PAX term can be used in all kind of tourism products, as flights, hotel, cars, boats, tickets, cruises, trains, shows, etc. A PNR can cointain PAX information. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, the plural of PAX is still PAX.

On the magazine “Air facts, Incorporated” Volume 9, page 24, dating back from 1946, the term PAX was already used referring as a passenger.

GDS systems like Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport, also uses the acronym PAX to reference passengers.