What is a fare basis code?

The code on a ticket that names the exact fare it was sold at, starting with its fare class letter. It points to the fare's rules.

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Fare basis, explained

A fare basis code is a string of letters and numbers, such as one starting with J or I for business class, that identifies the exact fare. The first letter is the fare class; the rest can encode the season, the days of the week, the minimum stay and other conditions.

Agents use the fare basis to read the fare's rules: change fees, refunds, stopovers and open jaws. Two tickets in the same fare class can still have different fare bases with different rules.

You can usually see the fare basis on your receipt or e-ticket.

On a business class trip

Two business class tickets in fare class I on the same flight: one fare basis allows a change for a fee, the other allows none. The fare basis tells them apart.

Related terms

Fare class (booking class)
A one-letter code inside a cabin that sets a ticket's price and rules. Business class has several, often J, C, D, I and Z; each airline uses its own.
Fare rules
The conditions attached to a fare: whether you can change or cancel, at what cost, the minimum and maximum stay, stopovers and open jaws.
E-ticket number
The 13-digit number of an issued airline ticket. Its first three digits identify the airline, and it proves the ticket exists in the airline's system.

Every term in the glossary.