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A '''fare basis code''' (often just referred to as a '''fare basis''') is an alphabetic or alpha-numeric code used by airlines to identify a fare type and allow airline staff and travel agents to find the rules applicable to that fare. Although airlines now set their own fare basis codes, there are some patterns that have evolved over the years and may still be in use.
Airlines can create any number of booking or fare classes, to which different prices and booking conditions may apply. Fare classes are complicated and vary from airline to airline
Fare codes start with a letter called a '''booking class''' (indicating [[travel class]] among other things) which almost always matches the letter code that the reservation is booked in.<ref name="cranky">{{cite web | url=http://crankyflier.com/2007/07/25/fun-with-fare-basis-codes/ | title=The Cranky Flier, Fun with Fare Basis Codes | year=2007 | access-date=19 December 2013}}</ref> Other letters or numbers may follow. Typically a fare basis will be 3 to 7 characters long,<ref name="gbtp">{{cite book | title=A Guide to Becoming a Travel Professional | author=Todd/Ginger, Rice, Susan | year=2005 | page=244}}</ref> but can be up to 8.<ref name="cranky"/>
== Booking class ==
▲Airlines can create any number of booking or fare classes, to which different prices and booking conditions may apply. Fare classes are complicated and vary from airline to airline, often indicated by a one letter code. The meaning of these codes is not often known by the passenger, but conveys information to airline staff, for example they may indicate that a ticket was fully paid, discounted, or purchased through a loyalty scheme.
The first character of the fare basis code is always a letter, and will almost always match the booking class.<ref name="gal">{{cite book | title=Galileo 360(degrees). V1 Course book. | publisher=Galileo Travelport | year=2009 | page=9}}</ref> Booking codes are the identifiers used by the airline's [[revenue management]] department to control how many seats can be sold at a particular fare level. For example, a plane may have 25 economy seats still available and the airline may show it in a reservation system as <code>Y7 K5 M4 T6 E3</code> which indicates how many of each booking class can be reserved. Some codes cannot be sold by agents, and those seats may be reserved for international connections, loyalty programs, or airline staff relocation.
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