WHAT IS PNR (Passenger Name Record) In INDIAN RAILWAY

A Passenger Name Record (PNR) is the travel record for a person (or small group of persons) as used by airline and travel agency databases.The same thing you can see in Railway or Air tickets.

Parts of a PNR

From a technical point, there are five parts of a PNR required before the booking can be completed. They are

* The name of the passenger(s).
* Contact details for the travel agent or airline office.
* Ticketing details, either a ticket number or a ticketing time limit.
* Itinerary of at least one sector, which must be the same for all passengers listed..
* Name of the person making the booking.

Once the booking has been completed to this level, the CRS system will issue a unique alpha-numeric record locator, which will remain the same regardless of any further changes made (An exception is made if a multiple person PNR is split, with passengers cancelling or changing to a different itinerary). The airline(s) involved will also issue their own references, which will remain as a note in the booking. While the above list is the minimum requirement, there is a considerable amount of other information required by both the airlines and the travel agent to ensure efficient travel. These include,

* Fare details, and any restrictions that may apply to the ticket.
* The form of payment used, as this will usually restrict any refund if the ticket is not used.
* Further contact details, such as phone contact numbers at their home address and intended destination.
* Age details if it is relevant to the travel, eg, unaccompanied children or elderly passengers requiring assistance.
* Details of special meal requirements, seating preferences, and other similar requests.

In more recent times, many governments now require further information to be included to assist investigators tracing criminals or terrorists. These requirements give rise to some of the privacy concerns listed below. These include,

* Passengers' full names. (Prior to 9/11, most airlines only used an initial letter and family name).
* Passport details- nationality, number, and date of expiry.
* Date and place of birth.