Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is a booking confirmation?
A booking confirmation is the summary a traveller receives once a reservation is completed, recording what was booked and for whom. It is not the ticket: at American Airlines the ticket — including a ticket issued electronically — is the document that incorporates the conditions of carriage, [1] and each passenger must hold a valid ticket in order to fly. [1]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- A confirmation records a completed booking; the ticket is a separate document, and at American Airlines it is the ticket that incorporates the conditions of carriage. [1]
- American says a ticket cannot be used by, or refunded to, any other passenger, and refunds go back to the original form of payment. [1]
- The terms printed on a ticket, ticket jacket or ticket receipt form part of the contract, along with the published fare rules. [1]
- Award bookings carry extra conditions: United says award tickets may be subject to the operating carrier's taxes, fees, contract of carriage and re-accommodation policies. [6]
What does a booking confirmation contain?
A confirmation usually repeats the essentials of the reservation: the cities and dates, the flight numbers, the passenger names, the fare paid and the booking reference under which the reservation is held. Once the ticket has been issued, the confirmation or the separate e-ticket receipt usually adds the ticket number and the fare rules attached to it.
American Airlines treats those documents as part of the contract rather than as paperwork. Its conditions of carriage apply in addition to the terms printed on any ticket, ticket jacket or ticket receipt, to the published fare rules, and to the tariffs American files with the U.S. Department of Transportation. [1]
The same conditions tie the ticket to the reservation record. A ticket is valid only when the travel is to or from the cities shown on the ticket and in the traveller's trip record, and when the traveller meets every fare requirement. [1] Fare requirements can include dates of stay such as a Saturday night or weekend, military status, official government business, or attendance at an event for a meeting or convention fare. [1]
Where a booking is paid with a mix of cash and miles, the summary shown at checkout matters as much as the document that follows it. In American's cash and miles flow, the member selects flights priced in cash, chooses a combination with a slider, and the cost summary updates to reflect that combination before payment details are entered and the booking is completed. [3]
Booking confirmation vs ticket vs PNR
The three documents answer different questions. The passenger name record, or PNR, is the airline's own file for the reservation, identified by a record locator; the confirmation is the traveller's copy of what that file says; the ticket is the document that carries the contract and allows travel.
American defines a ticket as the passenger ticket, bag check and boarding pass which incorporate its conditions of carriage, including tickets issued electronically. [1] A ticket is non-transferable — it cannot be used by, or refunded to, any other passenger — and refunds are made to the original form of payment. [1] An unused ticket must be started within one year of the date it was first issued, and a partially used ticket must be completed within one year of the first completed flight. [1] American's example is an unused ticket issued on 1 June 2025, which must be started by 1 June 2026, and a round trip partly flown on 1 March 2026, which must be completed by 1 March 2027. [1] These rules apply unless the ticket states otherwise. [1]
United's MileagePlus rules put a similar weight on keeping the reservation record intact. A member who receives benefits at booking, check-in or travel must keep the MileagePlus account number on the entire reservation and on any later reservation created from the original one, for the whole of the original and future travel. [6] If the member stops travelling on the original reservation, a companion who received benefits through that member's status loses them. [6]
What should you check after receiving one?
- Passenger names. Tickets are non-transferable and cannot be used by another passenger, and American lists booking a ticket in someone's name without that person's consent among prohibited booking practices. [1]
- Cities, dates and fare conditions. Confirm the airports match the trip record and that any fare conditions — stay dates, military or government status, event attendance — are genuinely met. [1]
- Ticket validity. Check the issue date against the one-year rule for unused and partly used tickets. [1]
- The refund window. American generally allows a full refund if the trip is cancelled within 24 hours of purchase and the booking was made at least seven days before departure; bookings made through a travel agency or another booking source must be refunded through that source. [1]
- Award ticket terms. United says award tickets may be subject to the operating carrier's taxes, fees, tariffs, contract of carriage, ticket terms and re-accommodation policies, and a service charge may apply to each change or cancellation requested after an award is issued. [6]
- Check-in and reconfirmation duties. American lists failure to comply with its ticketing, check-in and reconfirmation requirements among the reasons a passenger will not receive involuntary denied boarding compensation. [1]
- Later schedule changes. American warns that between booking and departure it may change the flight number, aircraft type, seat assignment, operating airline, origin or destination airport, number of stopovers, or departure and arrival times, and that it will try to contact the traveller in advance to rebook. [1]
Readers who want the vocabulary around these documents can browse the glossary of frequent flyer terms.
Exceptions and limits
- Mistaken fares. If American sells a fare in error it may cancel the ticket, void it and give a full refund, notifying the traveller within 72 hours of learning of the error, or at least 24 hours before departure where the ticket was bought less than 72 hours before departure. [1]
- Prohibited booking practices. Hidden-city ticketing, back-to-back ticketing, holding reservations to secure upgrades or block seats, automated re-shopping, and duplicate or impossible trips can lead American to cancel any unused part of the ticket, refuse travel and bags, and withhold a refund that would otherwise be due. [1]
- Who receives the money. Refunds go only to the person who paid, and tickets issued for official government travel are refunded only to the agency that issued the transportation request. [1]
- Award rule breaches. United says a member who fails to comply with published award rules may be moved to a different flight, seated in a lower class of service, or denied ticketing or boarding, without compensation. [6]
- Destination changes. United award travel is valid only to destinations served both when the award ticket is issued and when the traveller departs. [6]
All of these rules are programme-specific; the glossary index links to terms that explain how other programmes word their own conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Is a booking confirmation the same as a ticket?
No. The confirmation records the reservation, while American describes the ticket — including an electronic ticket — as the document that incorporates its conditions of carriage, and requires every passenger to hold a valid ticket. [1]
How long is an American Airlines ticket valid?
Generally one year: an unused ticket must be started within a year of issue, and a partly used ticket must be completed within a year of the first completed flight, unless the ticket says otherwise. [1]
Can I cancel an American Airlines booking and get a full refund?
Generally yes if you cancel within 24 hours of buying the ticket and the booking was made at least seven days before departure; refunds are made to the original form of payment. [1]
Do I need my frequent flyer number on the reservation?
At United, a member receiving benefits at booking, check-in or travel must keep the MileagePlus account number on the whole reservation and on any reservation created from it, for the entire duration of travel. [6]
What happens if the airline changes my flights after confirmation?
American may change the flight number, aircraft, seat, operating airline, airports, stopovers or timings, and says it will try to contact the traveller in advance to rebook or move them to a similar seat or cabin, without guarantees. [1]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Other carriers' conditions of carriage and loyalty programmes, including Delta Air Lines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, are not covered here.
- American Airlines Conditions of Carriage, updated 13 August 2026, checked 18 October 2026
- American Airlines newsroom release on cash and miles bookings, checked 18 October 2026
- United Airlines MileagePlus Rules, checked 18 October 2026