Sabre's cryptic command set looks similar to Amadeus at a glance — both are short, terminal-style entries — but the syntax underneath is different enough that switching between the two systems trips up agents who learned one first. This page covers the Sabre entries used in daily booking work, from availability through ticketing and post-booking changes.
Checking Availability
A15JUNDFWORD
The entry starts with A, followed by the date and the city pair — Dallas Fort Worth to Chicago O'Hare on 15 June in this example. To limit the display to a single carrier, add the airline code with a slash:
A15JUNDFWORD/AA
For a direct-flights-only view:
A15JUNDFWORD*DFO
where *DFO is the direct-flights-only qualifier.
Selling a Segment
04Y2
This sells from line 4 of the current availability display, in Y class, for 2 passengers. The pattern is 0 + line number + class + party size. If you already know the exact flight and don't want to pull availability first:
0AA1234Y15JUNDFWORD2
Building the PNR
Sabre's required elements before ending a transaction follow a similar logic to other GDSs but use different field prefixes.
| Element | Entry format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | - (hyphen prefix) | -SMITH/JOHN MR |
| Phone/contact | 9 prefix | 9DFW555-1234-A |
| Ticketing arrangement | 3 or 4 prefix depending on office configuration | 3TAW15JUN/1800 |
| Received from | 6- prefix | 6-SMITH |
For an infant traveling on an adult's lap, Sabre adds the infant as a modifier on the adult passenger's name line rather than a separate numbered passenger:
-SMITH/JOHNMR(INFSMITH/BABY/12JUL25)
SSR and OSI Entries
Meal Requests
3VGML1
Requests a vegetarian meal for passenger 1. As with other GDSs, common meal codes include AVML, HNML, KSML, and MOML. The confirmation status (HK/HN/UN) appears in the PNR once the airline responds.
Wheelchair Assistance
3WCHR1
Same three-tier logic applies as other GDSs: WCHR for short-distance walking assistance, WCHS for passengers who can't manage stairs, and WCHC for passengers who need to be carried the entire distance.
OSI Entries
3OSI AA VIP GUEST OF HOTEL PARTNER
OSI entries are informational and don't require airline confirmation, unlike SSR entries which the airline formally accepts or declines.
Frequent Flyer Numbers
3FFAA1234567891
Attaches American Airlines frequent flyer number 123456789 to passenger 1. As with other GDSs, the carrier code has to match the program the number belongs to, or credit won't post after travel.
Pricing the Itinerary
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
WPNCB | Prices the itinerary using the lowest available fare and stores it, without displaying the full breakdown on screen |
WPNI | Prices and displays the full fare breakdown, including taxes and fare basis |
WPQ | Quotes a fare without storing it — useful for a quick check before committing |
*P | Displays currently stored priced itineraries in the PNR |
Ticketing Commands
WPT
Issues the ticket against the stored priced itinerary. As with Amadeus, most agencies route through a ticketing queue rather than issuing every ticket with a direct manual entry, but the raw command for issuing to a single passenger is:
WPT1
Sabre PNRs carry the same kind of ticketing deadline as other GDSs, tracked against the airline's time limit policy. An unticketed PNR left past its deadline gets automatically cancelled by the airline the same way it does elsewhere — check the time limit before leaving a booking unticketed overnight.
Queue Commands
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
QC | Queue count for your pseudo city code |
QN | Brings up the next PNR on the currently selected queue |
QD | Removes the current PNR from the queue without moving to a different one |
QE | Places the currently displayed PNR onto a specified queue |
Void, Refund, and Exchange
Voiding a Ticket
WTV
Voids a ticket issued the same day, before the agency's end-of-day reporting cutoff. Once that cutoff passes, the void option is no longer available and the ticket needs to be refunded or exchanged instead.
Refunding a Ticket
WTRF
Starts the refund process on an already-issued ticket. Whether it processes automatically or routes for manual airline review depends on the fare rules attached to the original ticket.
Exchanging a Ticket
WTE
Reissues an existing ticket for a new itinerary, calculating fare difference and change fee based on the original ticket's fare rules.
Display and Retrieval
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
*[record locator] | Retrieves a PNR by its record locator |
*-SMITH | Retrieves by passenger surname |
*H | Displays history on the currently open PNR |
Common Error Codes
| Error | What it means |
|---|---|
| NO AVAIL/SOLD OUT | The class you tried to sell has no inventory left — check a different class or flight |
| FORMAT | The entry syntax is wrong — usually a missing slash, hyphen, or field in the wrong position |
| NEED NAME | The PNR is missing a name field before you tried to end the transaction |
| PRICE EXPIRED | The stored priced itinerary is stale — re-run the pricing entry before ticketing |
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