How to Read Airline Confirmation Codes Over the Phone
Airline confirmation codes (PNR, record locator, booking reference) are 6-character alphanumeric strings specifically designed to be hard to guess — which also makes them hard to read over the phone. Here's how to do it right every time.
What Is a Confirmation Code?
When you book a flight, the airline assigns a 6-character Passenger Name Record (PNR) — also called a confirmation code, record locator, or booking reference. It's a mix of letters and numbers (usually excluding easily confused characters like 0, O, 1, I). You need this code to check in, change flights, or get help from the airline over the phone.
The problem: these codes are random. Unlike your name (which the agent can guess the spelling of), there's no context to help the listener fill in gaps. Every single character matters. "BK7F9X" and "PK7F9X" are completely different bookings belonging to different passengers.
Examples
Tips for Reading Codes on the Phone
Have a confirmation code to spell right now? Use our converter — type your code and get the phonetic spelling instantly.