IC
ItineraryConverter
by TraveSynq
Format Guide

Amadeus vs Sabre: What's Actually Different

Both GDS platforms print a dense block of segment codes — but the exact syntax, status codes, and even date formatting genuinely differ, including between regions of the same platform.

Amadeus, US-issued format

Raw Amadeus (US)
 1  SQ 011 W 14SEP 1 LAXSIN HK1        B   220P1255A+2 *1A/E*
 2  SQ 402 W 16SEP 3 SINDEL HK1        3   235A 540A   *1A/E*

12-hour time format, next-day arrivals marked with a trailing "+1" or "+2" rather than an explicit date. This is the format most US-based agents see day to day.

Amadeus, with equipment info

Raw Amadeus (equipment shown)
 1  SQ 011 W 14SEP 1 LAXSIN HK1        B   220P1255A+2 77W E1 M
 2  SQ 402 W 16SEP 3 SINDEL HK1        3   235A 540A   787 E0 M

Same core structure, but the trailing block now carries three real pieces of information instead of one opaque code: aircraft type ("77W", "787"), stops ("E1" = one stop, "E0" = non-stop), and meal service ("M"). See our aircraft code and meal code references for the full lists.

Amadeus, regional 24-hour format

Raw Amadeus (24hr, regional)
 1  SQ 033 U 18AUG 2*SFOSIN DK1  2225 0530  20AUG  E  0 359 M
 2  SQ 524 U 20AUG 4*SINMAA DK1  0740 0905  20AUG  E  0 359 M

This is the format most guides miss entirely. Outside the US, Amadeus commonly prints 24-hour times and — instead of a "+1"/"+2" suffix — prints the actual arrival date directly in the line ("20AUG"). The stops code can also appear with a space in it ("E 0" instead of "E0"), which is easy to overlook if a tool was only ever built and tested against US-issued PNRs.

Sabre format

Raw Sabre
 1 AA4670Q 15DEC T CLEJFK*HK1  1738  1930  /E
OPERATED BY REPUBLIC AIRWAYS AS AMERICAN EAGLE
 2 AA 292Q 15DEC T JFKDEL*HK1  2035  2135   16DEC W /E
 3 AA 293Q 03FEB W DELJFK*HK1  2355  0625   04FEB Q /E
 4 AA4600Q 04FEB Q JFKCLE*HK1  0952  1156  /E
OPERATED BY REPUBLIC AIRWAYS AS AMERICAN EAGLE

Structurally close to Amadeus, but the booking class is glued directly onto the flight number with no space ("4670Q" rather than "4670 Q"), and an asterisk sits between the airport pair and the status code ("CLEJFK*HK1"). Sabre also prints an explicit arrival date directly in the line when a segment crosses into the next day — the same underlying idea as Amadeus's regional format above, arrived at independently on a different platform.

Working with a specific GDS?

Amadeus PNR Converter →Sabre PNR Converter →

Format Comparison — FAQ

What's the main structural difference between Amadeus and Sabre PNR formats?
Both display segment number, airline, flight number, class, date, route, status, and times in a similar left-to-right order and share overlapping status codes. In Sabre specifically, a segment typically shows SS while it's a pending direct sell and switches to HK once the PNR is actually created — so HK vs SS in Sabre reflects a booking's lifecycle stage, not a difference from Amadeus. The more consistent structural differences are spacing conventions — Sabre commonly glues the booking class directly onto the flight number with no separating space, where Amadeus always separates them — and how each platform and region formats trailing stops and arrival dates.
Does Amadeus format the same way everywhere in the world?
No. A US-issued Amadeus PNR commonly uses a 12-hour time format with a '+1' or '+2' suffix to indicate a next-day arrival. Amadeus deployments in other regions frequently use a 24-hour time format and print the actual arrival date directly in the line instead of a day-offset suffix — the same underlying system, genuinely different raw text depending on where it was issued.
Can one tool parse both formats?
Yes, provided the parser is built to recognize the actual variations rather than assuming one fixed layout. A tool built only against a single region's Amadeus output will frequently mis-parse or silently corrupt segments from a different region's format.

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