Most of the passengers are confused about the word itinerary and many of the time, they are guessing that the itinerary and the ticket are the same thing. Airline carriers usually include an itinerary along with the flight ticket to travelers that contain important information about the trip. So, each time you purchase a flight ticket or book a reservation in advance, the airline carrier will send you a copy of the flight itinerary via e-mail.
In this blog, we will provide you with detailed information on what is flight itinerary, its types, and also, how it differs from a flight ticket.
Table of Contents
What is a flight itinerary?
A flight itinerary is a scheduled path or route information of your flight ticket with flight name, departure & arrival timings and dates, flight code, departure & arrival airport, and finally flight reservation/booking numbers. In short, it’s a small summary of your flight trip on one page.
The flight itinerary means that in simple words, we can say that it is a tool or source of information that contain an overview of several details of your trip, which include the following:
- Flight’s route
- Departure and arrival airports
- Flight number
- Travel date and time
These are the primary thing which is mentioned above. Some more thing is also mentioned here which is given below.
- Confirmation code
- Passenger’s name
- Connecting airports (if your trip includes one or more connecting flights)
- In-flight services, such as meals, etc.
Usually, this information is sent to travelers via e-mail by the airliner, in addition to the flight ticket and receipt.
Itinerary flight is like a guidebook of your travel plan, whether you are flying to a domestic destination within your country or to an international destination. The airliner will always issue a flight itinerary to you whenever you book a flight for your trip, especially through online travel agencies.
Also, there are quite many airline carriers that may allow you to put a 24-hour hold on your flight, in case you wish to book your flight at a later point in time. This 24-hour hold will also let you lock in the airfare, which may be free of cost or charged for a fee. On the other hand, there may also be other airline carriers that will hold your itinerary for as long as three days, however, keep in mind that there may be no guarantee of the price of the airfare.
Is There a Difference Between Flight Itinerary and Ticket?
Generally speaking, yes! An airline itinerary is different from a ticket in certain ways.
Although having a flight itinerary is useful, as it contains information about your flight’s route and the confirmation number along with other details, having a flight ticket is crucial. Simply put, without a flight ticket, the airline will not allow you to check in and board the plane.
Also, what’s great about flight itineraries is that you can share your travel plan with people close to you.
In addition to receiving a copy of your flight itinerary via e-mail, you can also get access to the itinerary on the airliner’s website. Here, you will be required to first sign in/log in on the airline’s website using your credentials. Once you have successfully logged in to the airline’s website, you will find your flight’s itinerary by going to the trips section and selecting options, like my trips or manage booking or the option that is closely associated. Again, you will be asked to enter the passenger’s name and the confirmation code in order to access the flight itinerary on the website.
You may download a copy of your flight’s itinerary if there is a download option available on the airline’s website. It is usually available in a PDF format, which you can download, store and share with others using your computer or smartphone device.
If you booked your flight ticket from a third-party travel agency, you can request your travel agent to provide you with the flight itinerary.
Types of flight itinerary
One-way itinerary
When you are flying only one way means booking a single flight between two cities, here you will get a one-way itinerary. Example – New York to Canada
Round trip itinerary
When you are flying to a single destination and have a return booking i.e. back to the same port of departure. Example – New York to Canada and back to New York. You can also have an open-jaw trip instead.
Multiple city itineraries
You will get this type of itinerary when you have a plan to travel, to multiple destinations i.e. flight booking of more than 2 cities. Example – Canada-Los Angles-Mexico-Canada.
Open-jaw Itinerary
Open-jaw is basically a return or roundtrip flight in which you have to take a flight from the origin and return to the same origin but depart from a different city.
Group traveler’s itinerary
When you have a plan for a group vacation at that time airlines provide a group travelers itinerary. This means that flight itineraries are created for more than one traveler.
Multiple airlines itinerary
When you are flying with more than one airline on the same trip. Example: Canada to Mexico via Alaska Airlines and Mexico to Canada via American Airlines.
Flight itinerary of different airline
Below we have mentioned some of the top airlines in the USA. Apart from these airlines if you are searching for your flight itinerary, you will get common options like “My Trip” or “Manage” on those airlines’ home pages. And with your confirmation number or ticket number and passenger name you can get to know about your flight itinerary easily.
Alaska Airlines:
On Alaska airlines home page clicks on the “Manage” option at top of the page, then enter ‘Passenger Last Name’ and ‘Confirmation code/e-ticket number’. After that click “Continues” to know your flight itinerary.
American Airlines:
On the American airlines home page, you have to go to the “My Trip” option. Over there enter all the required information including: ‘Passenger’s first name’, ‘Passenger’s last name, and ‘Booking Reference. Get end result by clicking on ‘find reservation’.
Delta Airlines:
From Delta airline’s home page, select the ‘My Trip’ option. Enter the flight ticket holder’s ‘First name’, ‘Last name, and your confirmation number or debit /credit card number or ticket number which will follow you up to your itinerary details.
Frontier Airlines:
On the home page of Frontier airlines, you will directly get the “My trip/Check-in” option which will follow you up to enter your ‘passenger last name’ and ‘confirmation code’ to get itinerary information for your flight.
JetBlue Airlines:
From the home page of JetBlue airlines in the upcoming “Travel” option, you have to either log in with your TrueBlue account or simply use your flight ticket confirmation number and your last name to get your flight itinerary information.
Southwest Airlines:
The “Flight” option on the home page of Southwest airlines leads you to open a list of elements. From the list choice Manage Reservation, it will open another page asking you for your flight ticket confirmation number and the passenger’s first and last name. At last by entering everything and clicking on the “Search” option, the airline’s database will make a collection of your flight details in the form of a flight itinerary.
United Airlines:
From the home page of United airlines only you will get the “My Trip” option which will ask you to enter your confirmation number, which you will get at the time of booking a flight ticket in your registered mail address. By clicking the “Search” button, you will get to open up with all the flight itinerary details on your screen.
Why do we need a Flight Itinerary?
In the visa application process, the flight itinerary is an important document for applicants. This is because it helps to prevent them from making unnecessary and costly mistakes. Some applicants have made these mistakes and later regret them. Purchasing an actual air ticket for visa application purposes has caused heavy losses for some visa applicants. Applying for a visa does not guarantee the issuance of one.
Importance of an itinerary
The flight itinerary is simply a detailed plan of your air travel. The outline goes from your country of origin to your country or your destination. So, you can guess how important it is. Here we discuss the importance of an itinerary in some simple points.
Manage expenditure: Basically, the itinerary help to estimate your travel budget beforehand. If you have a travel itinerary then it is easy to evaluate the approx money you are going to spend.
Utilize your time: If you have a travel itinerary it helps you to manage your time. It includes your travel time so any unwanted circumstances like bad weather and traffic may affect your plans. But if you have a travel itinerary then you can plan according to the situation, it helps in utilizing your maximum time.
Essentials not forgotten: It helps in remembering what to bring, emergency numbers, police station, and embassy numbers so you can be safe if traveling in other countries. It also underlines your journey in your country of departure.
The flight itinerary is therefore important for both embassies and applicants in the visa application process.
In the end
A flight itinerary is a useful tool when you travel from your city/airport of departure to your final destination, and offers the best convenience possible. To avoid all the inconveniences, it is always wise to have your flight itinerary shortlisted by an agency.
