Can I show my customer the airline booking reference straight after they book a flight on my website?

Yes, in most cases the airline booking reference comes back from the flight booking API as soon as the booking is made, and you can show it on the confirmation page and in the email your customer receives. This is the code the passenger uses to find their trip on the airline website, so it is worth putting it somewhere obvious rather than burying it at the bottom of a long confirmation.

There is one thing to be aware of. A booking reference and a ticket are not always the same step. With some airlines and some fare types, the reference is created first and the ticket is issued a moment later, or in some cases a little while later if the fare needs to be checked or the payment needs to settle. Until the ticket is issued, your customer may find that online check in and seat selection do not work yet, even though the reference is valid. Low cost carriers usually confirm and issue in one go, so the reference is ready immediately.

How quickly this happens depends on the airline, on the supplier you are connected to and on how your account is set up for ticketing. Some setups issue automatically, others leave it as a step your staff control. Your portal can also call the API again later to pull the current status of a booking, so the reference and ticket number stay up to date without anyone phoning the airline.

Check with us which of your flight sources issue tickets automatically and which do not, and decide whether you would rather send the confirmation at booking or wait until the ticket is issued.