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What is an IATA Number?

IATA, or the International Air Transport Association, is a trade association that represents the airline industry worldwide. It is responsible for developing and implementing global standards for the aviation industry, including the IATA number. In the following, we will explain what an IATA number is and its importance.

The IATA number

An IATA number is a unique identifier assigned to travel agencies and other companies that are authorized to sell airline tickets. It is a numerical code that allows travel agencies to book flights on behalf of their clients and issue tickets directly through the airline’s reservation system. In addition to booking flights, an IATA number allows travel agencies to access and book hotel reservations, car rentals, and other travel-related services.

To learn more about exciting use cases of mobile scanning in air travel, check out our blog post.

Definition

An IATA number is a numeric code that consists of eight digits and is assigned by the International Air Transport Association. The first two digits of the IATA number identify the agency location, while the remaining six digits are unique to the agency. The IATA number is used by travel agencies to identify themselves and to access airline reservation systems.

Examples

For example, an IATA number might look like this: 01-123456. The first two digits (01) represent the location code, and the remaining six digits (123456) are the unique identifier for the travel agency. This number is used to access airline reservation systems and to identify the travel agency when booking flights and other travel services.

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