Airline Information

Level 2/3 data requirements for airline transactions

Overview

Airline transactions (MCC 4511) benefit from providing enhanced Level 2/3 data in the payment request. This additional data can qualify your transactions for lower interchange rates, strengthen chargeback defenses, and meet card network requirements for airline merchants.

Why Airline Data Matters

Lower Interchange Rates

Card networks offer reduced interchange rates for airline transactions that include complete passenger and itinerary data. Level 3 data can reduce interchange costs by 0.5-1.0% per transaction, which is significant at airline transaction volumes.

Chargeback Protection

Detailed passenger and flight information provides strong evidence during chargeback disputes. When a cardholder claims they did not authorize a transaction, the airline can present booking details, passenger name records, and itinerary data as supporting evidence.

Card Network Compliance

Visa and Mastercard require airline merchants to submit specific data fields with each transaction. Non-compliance may result in higher interchange rates or transaction downgrades.

Required Airline Fields

Field	Description	Format	Example
passenger_name	Full name of the primary passenger	String, last/first format	"SMITH/JOHN"
ticket_number	Airline ticket number	13-digit numeric	"0012345678901"
travel_agency_name	Name of the booking agency (if applicable)	String	"ACME Travel"
travel_agency_code	IATA agency code	8-digit numeric	"12345678"
airline_code	IATA airline designator code	2-3 character alpha	"AA"
airline_name	Full airline name	String	"American Airlines"
pnr	Passenger Name Record locator	6 alphanumeric characters	"ABC123"
issue_date	Ticket issue date	ISO 8601 date	"2026-03-15"
departure_date	Date of first departure	ISO 8601 date	"2026-04-01"

Leg Data

Each flight segment (leg) in the itinerary requires its own set of data fields. A round-trip flight has at least two legs.

Field	Description	Format	Example
departure_airport	IATA departure airport code	3 characters	"GRU"
arrival_airport	IATA arrival airport code	3 characters	"MIA"
departure_date	Departure date for this leg	ISO 8601 date	"2026-04-01"
departure_time	Departure time	HH:MM (24h)	"14:30"
carrier_code	Operating carrier IATA code	2-3 characters	"AA"
flight_number	Flight number	String	"8100"
fare_basis	Fare basis code	String	"Y26NR"
service_class	Class of service	Single character	"Y" (economy)
stopover_permitted	Whether stopover is allowed on this leg	Boolean	true

Passenger Name Record (PNR)

The PNR is a six-character alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies a booking in the airline’s reservation system. The PNR links passengers, itineraries, and payment information.

PNR format rules:

• Exactly 6 characters
• Uppercase alphanumeric only (A-Z, 0-9)
• Generated by the airline’s reservation system
• Example: ABC123, X7YZ9Q

API Parameter Structure

Include airline data in the airline_data object within the payment request body.

{
  "amount": {
    "value": 1250.00,
    "currency": "USD"
  },
  "country": "US",
  "payment_method": "CARD",
  "airline_data": {
    "passenger_name": "SMITH/JOHN",
    "ticket_number": "0012345678901",
    "pnr": "ABC123",
    "airline_code": "AA",
    "airline_name": "American Airlines",
    "issue_date": "2026-03-15",
    "legs": [
      {
        "departure_airport": "JFK",
        "arrival_airport": "GRU",
        "departure_date": "2026-04-01",
        "departure_time": "22:00",
        "carrier_code": "AA",
        "flight_number": "8100",
        "fare_basis": "Y26NR",
        "service_class": "Y",
        "stopover_permitted": false
      },
      {
        "departure_airport": "GRU",
        "arrival_airport": "JFK",
        "departure_date": "2026-04-15",
        "departure_time": "23:30",
        "carrier_code": "AA",
        "flight_number": "8101",
        "fare_basis": "Y26NR",
        "service_class": "Y",
        "stopover_permitted": false
      }
    ]
  },
  "customer": {
    "first_name": "Dee",
    "last_name": "Hock",
    "email": "[e-mail]"
  }
}

Not all providers support Level 3 airline data. If a provider does not support it, Yuno will process the transaction without the airline-specific fields. Check with your provider for Level 2/3 data support.

Incomplete or inaccurate airline data may result in interchange downgrades (higher fees) rather than the expected savings. Ensure all required fields are populated with accurate booking data.