Fare basis code

A fare basis code (often just referred to as a fare basis) is an alpha 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. Fare codes starts with a single letter, called a booking code or class, which matches the letter code that the reservation is booked in. Other letters or numbers may follow, typically a fare basic will be 3 to 7 characters long.^[1]

Booking codes

Booking codes used to be standardized, and were defined by the IATA. However, airlines have deviated from the IATA standard and current booking codes are airline specific. The same code may have quite different meanings for tickets issued by different airlines. Nevertheless, certain booking codes have fairly standardized meanings across nearly all airlines, and have had these meanings for many years:

• F: first class
• J: business class
• Y: economy class

References

1. Gorham, G, Todd, G., Rice, S (2001). Travel Perspectives: A Guide to Becoming a Travel Professional. Thomson Delmar Learning.