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Airline Reference

Korean Air (KE)

Asian flag carrier based in South Korea, and is a member of SkyTeam.

IATA CodeKE
ICAO CodeKAL
CallsignKOREANAIR
Operating StatusActive (per OpenFlights airline registry)
CountrySouth Korea
CategoryAsian flag carrier
Airline AllianceSkyTeam

How KE Appears in a GDS PNR

When you see a segment line like this in a PNR, the airline code identifies Korean Air:

2  KE 587 Y 15JUL 2*JFKLHR HK1  800A  2000P

The two-letter code KE at the start of the segment line is Korean Air's IATA code — every flight segment operated by Korean Air in a GDS PNR (Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, or Worldspan) begins with this code, followed by the flight number.

About Korean Air

Korean Air is a asian flag carrier, based in South Korea, and is a member of SkyTeam. Its ICAO code, KAL, is used for air traffic control and flight planning, while its radio callsign is “KOREANAIR”.

Pricing a Korean Air Fare Across GDS Systems

Once a KE segment is sold, the fare quote and ticketing entry differ by system. The starting point in each is:

Amadeus:  FXP
Sabre:    WPNCB
Galileo:  FXP

Each of these prices the itinerary using the lowest applicable fare for the KE segment(s) in the PNR — the exact fare basis and rules still need to be checked against Korean Air's current fare filing, since GDS pricing reflects what's filed, not a fixed rate.

What SkyTeam Membership Means for Booking

As a SkyTeam member, Korean Air participates in the alliance's interline agreements — member airlines generally honor each other's status tiers for priority boarding and lounge access, and allow interline and codeshare itineraries to be ticketed on a single PNR. In practice, this means a client's itinerary can often mix Korean Air with other SkyTeam carriers on one ticket, which matters when pricing multi-carrier routings or handling irregular operations (delays, misconnections) that involve more than one airline.

Booking Classes

Like most airlines, Korean Air's fare classes follow the standard GDS booking-class letter system. See our complete booking class guide for what each letter (F, J, Y, and so on) typically means.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Korean Air's IATA code?

Korean Air's IATA code is KE. This two-letter code appears at the start of every flight segment operated by Korean Air in a GDS PNR.

What is Korean Air's ICAO code?

Korean Air's ICAO code is KAL. The ICAO code is a separate, usually three-letter identifier used mainly in air traffic control and flight planning, distinct from the IATA code travel agents see in a PNR.

How do I convert a Korean Air PNR to an itinerary?

Paste the raw PNR text into PNRGenius and it will automatically detect Korean Air's segments (marked with the KE code) and build a clean, client-ready itinerary in seconds.

What alliance is Korean Air part of?

Korean Air is a member of SkyTeam.

Can Korean Air be combined with other airlines on one ticket?

Yes — as a SkyTeam member, Korean Air generally allows interline and codeshare itineraries with other SkyTeam carriers to be ticketed together, though the specific fare rules still depend on the fare basis used.

Convert a Korean Air PNR to a Clean Itinerary

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