Short answer
To verify a flight reservation, go to the airline's own website, open Manage booking (sometimes called My trips), and enter the booking reference and the passenger's family name. A live reservation shows the name, flights and dates; a held one also shows that it is unpaid, often with a payment deadline. If nothing comes up, check the airline, the reference and the spelling before concluding the booking is gone.
Step by step
- 01Identify the airlineUse the airline named on the itinerary. On a codeshare flight the booking may sit with the marketing airline or the operating one; if one site cannot find it, try the other.
- 02Find the right referenceYou need the airline booking reference, usually six letters and numbers. An agency order number or a 13-digit e-ticket number is not the same thing.
- 03Open Manage booking on the official siteType the airline's address yourself rather than following a link in a document, so you know the result comes from the airline.
- 04Enter the family name as bookedSurname only, without titles. For double-barrelled names or names with accents, try with and without the hyphen or accent.
- 05Read what comes backCompare the name, flights, dates and status with the document you were given.
This is the same lookup a check-in agent or officer can run. Doing it yourself first means you find a problem at home, not at the counter. Do airlines check onward tickets explains when they do.
What a valid hold shows
- Status: confirmed or reserved, awaiting payment
- Passenger: family name and given names
- Flight: number, date, departure and arrival times, airports
- Payment: due by a date and time set by the airline
- Ticket number: none yet, because nothing has been paid
- Options: pay now, or let the booking lapse
Wording differs between airlines. What matters is that the booking exists, the name matches and the deadline has not passed. A paid booking shows an e-ticket number instead of a payment deadline. The difference between the two is explained in temporary flight reservation.
Why a lookup can fail
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Booking not found | Wrong airline, for example on a codeshare | Try the other airline named on the itinerary |
| Booking not found | An agency or order number used instead of the airline reference | Find the airline's own reference on the itinerary |
| Booking not found | Family name entered differently from the booking | Try without spaces, hyphens or accents |
| Booking not found, just after it was made | The reservation is still being created | Wait a few minutes and try again |
| Booking not found or cancelled | The payment deadline has passed | The hold has lapsed; create a new one if you still need proof |
| The site asks you to call | Some airline sites may not show every booking type online | The airline's staff can still see it in their system; ask at the counter or by phone |
What a lapsed hold looks like
When the airline's deadline passes without payment, the airline cancels the booking and releases the seats. A lookup then returns nothing, or shows the booking as cancelled. The PDF you were given still looks the same, which is the danger: it now describes a booking that no longer exists, and to a checker it is indistinguishable from an invented one. Dummy ticket vs real reservation covers why that matters.
Checking a FlyProof reservation
A FlyProof pass names the airline, the booking reference and the payment deadline, and the My FlyProof status page shows whether the hold is live. The booking itself sits with the airline, so the airline's Manage booking page is the independent check. How it works describes how the hold is created.
The same verification applies wherever you are going, whether it is a check-in desk for Indonesia or a border desk in Vietnam.
Questions
01Can I verify a reservation without the family name?
Usually not. Airline sites ask for the booking reference together with the family name, and the two have to match.
02Is a booking reference the same as a ticket number?
No. The booking reference, or PNR, identifies the reservation. The e-ticket number, usually 13 digits, exists only once the booking has been paid and ticketed.
03Can a border officer verify my reservation?
An officer can look it up on the airline's website with the reference and family name, or ask the airline. Whether they do is up to them.