A dummy ticket sample shows what the PDF itinerary for a flight reservation contains: passenger names, flight numbers, cabin, local dates and times, airports and a booking reference (PNR), usually six characters, plus a status such as HK and a baggage allowance on some layouts. A reservation from Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) has no e-ticket number, because no fare is paid.
On this page
- Dummy ticket sample PDFs from 19 real bookings
- The dummy ticket sample, field by field
- Passenger name: surname, given names and title
- Airline, flight number and booking class
- Airports, dates, local times and time zones
- Booking reference (PNR) and status codes such as HK
- Baggage line, and why a reservation has no e-ticket number
- How a consulate reads a dummy ticket
- What to check on your own PDF when it arrives
- Common formatting errors in samples found online
- Reading a sample itinerary line by line
- Officers' view of an itinerary
A dummy ticket sample shows what the PDF itinerary for a flight reservation contains before you order one: passenger names, flights, cabin, local dates and times, airports, a booking reference (PNR), and on some layouts a status and a baggage allowance. This page walks through each of those fields on one invented example, so you know what every line on your own PDF means.
A reservation from Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) is a flight reservation held in the airline's system without paying the fare, and it arrives as a PDF itinerary. The booking desk chooses the airline for your route, and each airline lays out its itinerary in its own way. Your PDF will follow that airline's format, so read the example for the meaning of each field rather than for its exact look.
The card shows the core details of the example: one passenger, one flight from New Delhi to Paris, a date and a booking reference. The table and the sections below fill in the rest of the same invented booking. None of it belongs to a real traveller, a real flight or a real airline.
Use it to understand the layout only. Do not put your own details into an edited or generated PDF. It would not be a booking in any airline's system, and presenting it as a flight reservation misleads whoever reads your file. Why a generated PDF fails explains the risk.
Dummy ticket sample PDFs from 19 real bookings
The invented card above explains the fields. The files below show the real thing: 18 airline reservations and one hotel booking, each saved as the PDF the traveller received. Names, booking references, email addresses, phone numbers and barcodes have been blanked out and every page carries a SAMPLE watermark, so none of them can be reused or checked on an airline website. They are here so you can see how differently airlines lay out the same information before you order.
Click a thumbnail or View PDF to open a file in a new tab, or Download to save it. Each card gives the route, the kind of page the airline produced, the number of pages and the file size. Jump to: Emirates · Qatar Airways · Qantas · Etihad Airways · Singapore Airlines · Lufthansa · British Airways · Air France · KLM · Japan Airlines · Cathay Pacific · Thai Airways · Finnair · Delta Air Lines · United Airlines · Air Canada · Swiss and Lufthansa · Multi-city Europe · Hotel booking.
Emirates multi-city sample
Delhi – Dubai – Tokyo – Dubai – Delhi
Four Emirates flights hub through Dubai on the way to Japan and back. This is the email layout Emirates sends after a booking is made, so each flight sits in its own block with departure and arrival times, terminals and the cabin. Look for the booking reference near the top: that is the code a Japan visa officer could type into the Emirates website.
Qatar Airways one-way sample
Jeddah – Doha
A single short sector from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, printed from the trip summary Qatar Airways shows on its website. A one-way layout like this is what most travellers need for proof of onward travel, where the airline at check-in wants to see that you will leave the country, not a full round trip.
Qantas round-trip sample
Delhi – Melbourne – Sydney – Delhi
An Australia itinerary that flies into Melbourne and home from Sydney, printed from the Qantas manage-booking page across two pages. Arriving in one city and leaving from another is common on tourist visa files, and the document makes the open-jaw shape easy for a case officer to follow.
Etihad Airways one-way sample
Abu Dhabi – Mumbai
A one-page Etihad itinerary for a return to India from the UAE. Residents and visitors in the Emirates often need exactly this kind of document to show an exit date. Passenger list, flight, baggage allowance and the airline reference all fit on one page, which keeps a file tidy.
Singapore Airlines two-passenger sample
Chennai – Singapore
Two travellers share one booking on a nonstop flight to Singapore. When a couple or a parent and child apply together, one reservation can carry every name, and each person appears under the same booking reference. Compare the names on a layout like this against both passports before you file.
Lufthansa connecting sample
Delhi – Munich – Wroclaw
A Poland trip that connects in Munich, shown as the Lufthansa website displays a held booking. The first stop in Germany and the final city in Poland both appear, which matters for a Schengen file because the consulate of your main destination, not your first landing point, usually handles the application.
British Airways one-way sample
London – New Delhi
A single British Airways flight from Heathrow to India, printed from the airline's manage-booking view. A UK visitor visa does not demand a flight booking, but many applicants include one to show a return date, and this is how the airline's own page presents it.
Air France connecting sample
Mumbai – Paris – Prague
Two Air France flights on the same day, with a change of terminal at Charles de Gaulle before the leg to the Czech Republic. The page shows scheduled times, aircraft and the transfer time in Paris. It is a useful example of a Schengen itinerary where the entry point and the destination differ.
KLM two-passenger sample
Amsterdam – Mumbai
A KLM nonstop from the Netherlands to India for two travellers, taken from the airline's flight details page. It is a compact layout, a single page with little more than the flight, the date and the travellers, and it shows how plain an airline's own reservation view can look.
Japan Airlines round-trip sample
Ahmedabad – Delhi – Tokyo – Seoul
A two-page itinerary that starts with a domestic hop to Delhi, flies to Tokyo and continues to Seoul. Trips that visit two countries need both visas planned around the same dates, and a single document listing every flight lets each consulate see where you go next.
Cathay Pacific three-passenger sample
Seoul – Hong Kong – Ho Chi Minh City
Three travellers on one Cathay Pacific booking, connecting in Hong Kong on the way to Vietnam. Group and family bookings put every name on the same page, so a single PDF can sit in each applicant's file, as long as the spelling on it matches each passport exactly.
Thai Airways round-trip sample
Delhi – Seoul
A return trip to South Korea, printed over two pages from the Thai Airways manage-booking screen. The outbound and the return each carry their own date and flight number, which lets the dates on a visa form, a hotel booking and a leave letter be checked against one another.
Finnair round-trip sample
Delhi – Helsinki – Rome
A return journey to Italy that connects in Helsinki in both directions. Finland is a Schengen country, so the first entry happens there even though Rome is the destination. Keep that in mind when the visa form asks for the port of first entry and the main destination.
Delta Air Lines one-way sample
Sydney – Los Angeles – Atlanta
A long one-way journey across the Pacific with a connection in Los Angeles, printed from the Delta trip details page. It shows how a US carrier lists a booking: segments, cabin and times, with no fare on the page because no ticket has been paid for.
United Airlines one-way sample
Houston – Panama City
A short single-page United itinerary to Central America. Several countries in the region ask arriving visitors for proof that they will leave, and a one-way onward booking of this kind is the document travellers usually show at the check-in desk.
Air Canada two-passenger sample
Chicago – Montréal – London, returning via Zurich
Two travellers, four flights and a return through Switzerland, laid out across two pages of an Air Canada confirmation. Seat and special-meal lines appear per passenger, which shows how much detail an airline confirmation can carry even before a ticket is issued.
Swiss and Lufthansa multi-city sample
Hyderabad – Frankfurt – Munich – Paris – Zurich – Dubai – Hyderabad
A six-flight tour on Swiss and Lufthansa, for two travellers, covering Germany, France and Switzerland before a stop in Dubai on the way home. Long multi-city plans like this are priced per two flights on our site, and every leg still appears under one reference.
Multi-city Europe sample
Nine flights on Austrian, Turkish, ITA Airways, Air France and Swiss
Nine flights across Europe on five different airlines, set out on one itinerary. It shows that a complex Schengen route can still be presented as a single, readable document. Each operating airline is named beside its own flight, so the right website can be used to check each part.
Hotel booking sample
Barcelona, six nights, one guest
A hotel confirmation for a six-night stay in Spain for one guest. Most Schengen checklists ask for proof of accommodation alongside the flights, and the check-in and check-out dates on a document like this should line up with your arrival and departure flights.
Why no two sample PDFs look alike
There is no standard dummy ticket format, because each PDF is whatever the airline itself produces for a held booking. Some airlines send a confirmation email, as Emirates does. Others show the booking on their website's manage-booking or trip summary page, which is what the Qatar Airways, Qantas, Lufthansa, British Airways, Thai Airways and Delta files are. A third group prints a compact booking itinerary, the style of the Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and United files. Expect yours to follow the layout of the airline the booking desk picks for your route.
Whatever the layout, the part an officer or an airline agent can act on is the booking reference with a passenger surname. Typed into the airline's manage-booking page during the hold, it should bring up the same flights. That step is explained in the guide to checking a PNR on the airline website. For accommodation, the hotel sample pairs with a hotel booking for your visa file, and the two multi-city files show what a multi-city flight itinerary looks like when it covers many countries.
The dummy ticket sample, field by field
Every airline itinerary carries the same core fields, even when the layout differs. The table lists them, says what each one tells a visa officer or an airline agent, and shows how it appears in the invented example. The sections after the table explain the fields that raise the most questions.
| Field | What it tells the reader | How it looks in the example |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger name | Who the booking is for, spelled as in the passport | SHARMA / ARJUN MR |
| Flight number | The airline's two-character code plus the flight number | XX 101, where XX stands in for an airline's code |
| Cabin and booking class | The cabin, sometimes with the fare's class letter | Economy (L) |
| Departure | Airport, day, date and local time the flight leaves | DEL, New Delhi, Mon 12 Oct 2026, 23:55 |
| Arrival | Airport, day, date and local time the flight lands | CDG, Paris, Tue 13 Oct 2026, 05:30 |
| Flying time | How long the flight takes, printed on some layouts | 9h 05m |
| Terminal | Where the flight leaves or lands, when the airline prints it | Terminal 3 at New Delhi; none shown for Paris |
| Booking reference (PNR) | The code for the airline's manage-booking lookup | X4K9TR |
| Status | Whether a seat is held on the flight | HK, or the word "Confirmed" on some layouts |
| Baggage | The checked allowance that comes with the fare | 25 kg |
| E-ticket number | That a ticket was issued against payment | None, because no fare has been paid |
Passenger name: surname, given names and title
Reservation systems commonly hold a name as SURNAME/GIVEN NAMES with the title at the end, which is how the example prints SHARMA / ARJUN MR. Some itineraries keep that order. Others rearrange it and put the title first, as in Mr Arjun Sharma. The order on the page does not matter. The spelling does, so every letter should match the passport, given names and surname alike.
Our order form asks for the title, first name and last name separately, and the reservation is made from exactly what you type. When several people travel together, each traveller gets a line of their own on the same itinerary, up to nine in one order. Family and group bookings explains how that works in a visa file.
Airline, flight number and booking class
Each flight shows the airline's two-character code and the flight number. In the example the code is XX, a placeholder, because the example is not tied to any real airline. On your PDF it will be the code of the airline your reservation is made on, followed by the flight number. Some layouts add an "Operated by" line. That line matters on codeshare flights, where one airline sells the seat and another flies the aircraft, and the itinerary then names both.
Next to the flight sits the cabin, and sometimes the booking class. The example prints "Economy (L)", where L is the booking class letter, the fare category the seat was booked in. Each airline sets its own letters, so an L on one airline tells you nothing about an L on another. The letter also says nothing about whether the fare was paid. The glossary explains booking class and the other short codes.
Airports, dates, local times and time zones
Every flight shows a departure and an arrival, each with the airport, the day, the date and the local time at that airport. Airline itineraries often add a note that all times are local. Because of that, the clock difference between departure and arrival is rarely the flying time.
A worked example across time zones
Take the example flight. It leaves New Delhi (DEL) at 23:55 on Monday 12 October and lands in Paris (CDG) at 05:30 on Tuesday 13 October. On the clock that looks like 5 hours 35 minutes, but the flight takes 9 hours 5 minutes, because in mid-October Paris is 3 hours 30 minutes behind India. Europe's clocks go back one hour on the last Sunday of October (25 October in 2026), and after that date the gap becomes 4 hours 30 minutes. India does not change its clocks.
Flights that land after midnight
Watch the date on late flights. The example leaves on the 12th and lands on the 13th, and the itinerary prints the 13th against the arrival. If your last flight lands after midnight, the arrival date on your visa form is the landing date, and your hotel check-in should fit it. Flights home to India from Europe often do the same, leaving in the evening and landing the next morning. What travel dates to put on a flight itinerary covers choosing the dates themselves.
Airport codes and terminals
Airports appear as three-letter IATA codes with the city, and some layouts add the full airport name and a terminal. The code matters where a city has more than one airport: Paris has Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY), so check that the code on your PDF is the airport you mean. In the example, the itinerary prints Terminal 3 at New Delhi and no terminal for Paris. A missing terminal is normal on an itinerary.
Booking reference (PNR) and status codes such as HK
The booking reference, or PNR, is usually six letters and numbers and appears near the top of the itinerary. In the example it is X4K9TR. You enter it with a passenger's surname, here SHARMA, on the airline's manage-booking page, as how to verify your PNR explains. Because the example is invented, that lookup would find nothing. Your own reference opens your booking while the hold is live.
Some itineraries print two codes: the airline's own booking reference, and a second reference from the travel agency or reservation system that made the booking. The airline's manage-booking page takes the airline's code. The other one identifies the same booking in the agency's system.
Many itineraries also show a status next to each flight. In reservation systems it is a two-letter code, and Travelport's published list of status codes gives HK as "Holds confirmed". Airline emails often print a word such as "Confirmed" instead, and some print nothing. A confirmed status means a seat is held on that flight for the passengers shown. It does not mean the fare has been paid.
| Code | Travelport's meaning | What it means for your file |
|---|---|---|
| HK | Holds confirmed | A seat is held on that flight |
| KK | Carrier confirmed | The airline has confirmed the flight |
| HL | Holds waitlist | On a waiting list, so no seat is held yet |
| UC, UN | Unable to confirm or waitlist; Unable, no flight | No seat is held on that flight |
| HX | Cancel confirm hold | The held seat has been cancelled |
| TK | Schedule change | The airline changed the times; compare them with your file |
If any flight on your own PDF shows HL, UC, UN or HX, message us on WhatsApp with your order ID before you put it in your file.
Baggage line, and why a reservation has no e-ticket number
Some layouts print a checked-baggage allowance for each flight, and others leave it out. The example shows 25 kg. Airlines state the allowance either by weight, such as 25 kg (sometimes written 25K), or by the number of bags, such as 1PC or 2PC, where PC means piece. The allowance comes from the fare the booking was made in, and it says nothing about whether that fare was paid.
A reservation has no e-ticket number. A ticketed booking has a 13-digit e-ticket number that starts with the airline's 3-digit code, and that number is created only when a ticket is issued against payment. Amadeus's developer guide to its flight APIs puts payment after the booking and says: "In the final step, a flight ticket is issued." A dummy ticket from DTV is held before that step, so your PDF carries a booking reference and no e-ticket number. It cannot be used to check in or board, as can I travel with a dummy ticket explains.
That gives you a quick test for any itinerary you are shown. If it lists a 13-digit e-ticket number for each passenger, or a fare and a form of payment, it documents a ticketed booking, not an unpaid reservation. PNR vs e-ticket number compares the two codes in more detail.
How a consulate reads a dummy ticket
An officer reads the itinerary against the rest of your file: the names against the passport, the route against the visa form, and the dates against the cover letter, hotel booking and travel insurance. What the rules ask for differs by destination. For Schengen visas, the EU Visa Code lists a "reservation of or return or round ticket" among the documents a consulate may ask for. For a UK visitor visa, the Home Office calls flight bookings "less useful" evidence, so an itinerary is optional there, as it generally is for US, Canadian and Australian visitor visas. A few rules, such as New Zealand's for visa-waiver travellers, ask for a paid ticket, which a reservation does not meet.
Check the rule for your destination in the visa guides, and see flight itinerary format for visa for the details an itinerary should show. We cannot tell you how a particular officer will read your file, and no document guarantees a visa. What a reservation gives you is a concrete travel plan that can be checked.
What to check on your own PDF when it arrives
- Each name matches the passport letter for letter, with given names and surname in the right places
- The route and dates are the ones on your visa form and cover letter
- The arrival date is the landing date, even when a flight lands after midnight
- The airport codes are the airports you mean, in cities that have more than one
- No flight shows HL, UC, UN or HX
- There is a booking reference and no e-ticket number
- You received it about one day before you need it, because how long a reservation stays live depends on the airline
When the format makes sense, order your own reservation with your passenger details. If you would rather see a real airline itinerary first, ask on WhatsApp for a sample with the passenger details removed.
Common formatting errors in samples found online
Many sample itineraries found online contain errors that you should not copy:
- Flight numbers that do not exist on the route shown.
- Times that do not match airline schedules.
- References in impossible formats.
- Status words that contradict the ticket details.
- Logos copied without permission.
Use samples only to understand the structure, and rely on a provider to create a real booking.
Reading a sample itinerary line by line
A genuine flight itinerary has a predictable structure. Reading it from top to bottom:
- Header: the provider's or airline's name, the document title and the date of issue.
- Booking reference: usually six characters, used to look up the booking.
- Passenger list: names as in passports, often in SURNAME/GIVEN NAME format, with title.
- Flight segments: each flight with airline, flight number, date, departure and arrival airports and times, and terminal where known.
- Class and status: cabin class, booking class letter and status, such as held or confirmed.
- Ticket details: ticket numbers if paid; blank or "not ticketed" if not.
- Contact and conditions: the provider's contact details and validity notes.
If your document is missing any of the first five sections, ask your provider why.
Officers' view of an itinerary
Officers read the itinerary quickly, looking for a few key facts: who is travelling, when they arrive, where they arrive, when they leave and from where. They then compare these with your hotel bookings, insurance and cover letter. Sometimes they look up the reference. Our research on how embassies verify flight reservations explains when and how this happens. A clean, consistent itinerary rarely attracts further questions.
Wondering whether a reservation like this sample is genuine? Read whether a dummy ticket is fake.
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit the example and put my own name on it?
No. The example shows the layout only. A PDF edited with your details is not a booking in any airline's system, so its booking reference would not match anything, and handing it in as a flight reservation misleads whoever reads it. Order a reservation in your own name through the booking form instead, and it is made from the names you type.
Will my PDF look exactly like the example?
No. The booking desk chooses the airline for your route, and each airline lays out its itinerary differently. Expect the core details: names, flights, dates, local times, airports and a booking reference. Status and baggage lines appear on some layouts and not on others. Your PDF will not show an e-ticket number, because no fare is paid.
Why is there no price on a reservation itinerary?
An itinerary for an unpaid reservation has no payment to show. Fare, taxes and the form of payment belong on an e-ticket receipt, which exists only once a ticket has been issued and paid for. What your order costs is on the price page: US$15 (₹1,200) per passenger, the same for one-way or return.
Can I look up the example booking on the airline website?
No. The passenger, the flight and the booking reference in the example are invented, and it is not a booking with any airline. Your own reservation can be looked up with its booking reference and a passenger's surname on the airline's manage-booking page during the hold, as the guide to checking your PNR explains.
Does the itinerary look different for a return or multi-city trip?
The fields are the same. A return or multi-city itinerary lists every flight in date order, each with its own flight number, airports, local times and status, and every traveller in the order appears on it. One-way and return reservations cost US$15 (₹1,200) per passenger. Multi-city is US$15 (₹1,200) per two flights, so a four-flight trip costs US$30 (₹2,400) per passenger.
Can I see a real PDF before I order?
Yes. The 19 sample PDFs on this page come from real bookings with the passenger details removed, so you can see real airline layouts before you pay, and you can ask on WhatsApp if you want one for a particular airline. Keep in mind that the itinerary you receive follows the layout of the airline your reservation is made on, and the booking desk chooses that airline for your route, so your PDF may differ from the sample you see.