How Can I Get a Copy of an Old Flight Ticket or Itinerary?

To get a copy of an old flight ticket or itinerary, the best place to start is usually the company that originally issued it. Search your email, airline account, airline app, digital wallet and travel-agent records. If you cannot find the document, use Flightika to generate a past flight itinerary.

The correct document depends on what you actually need. An old booking confirmation, e-ticket receipt, boarding pass and proof-of-travel document are different records. Before contacting the airline, identify whether you need the route, proof of payment, proof that a ticket was issued or evidence that you completed the journey. If thats whats needed, then past flight itinerary will suffice.

Old ticket, itinerary, receipt or boarding pass: what is the difference?

Travellers often use the phrase old flight ticket for several different documents.

• Booking confirmation - shows that a reservation was created and normally includes the passenger, route, dates and booking reference.
• E-ticket or itinerary receipt - shows the ticket number, itinerary, fare or payment details associated with an electronically issued ticket.
• Boarding pass — is issued at check-in and contains boarding details such as the gate, seat, boarding group and barcode.
• Proof-of-travel certificate — is an airline-issued record confirming that a named passenger travelled on a particular flight.
• Historical itinerary summary — organizes a previous travel route in itinerary format but is not an airline-issued ticket or proof of completed travel.

Step 1: Search your email and downloaded files

Your confirmation email is usually the fastest place to find an old itinerary. Search every email address that may have been used for the booking, including personal, work and family email accounts.

Useful search terms include:

• The airline or travel-agent name.
• Your departure or destination city.
• The approximate month or year of travel.
• “Flight confirmation.”
• “Booking reference” or “reservation.”
• “E-ticket receipt” or “itinerary receipt.”
• “Your trip” or “your flight receipt.”
• A ticket number or PNR, when you remember one.

Also check your Downloads, Documents and cloud-storage folders. You may have saved the itinerary as a PDF or taken a screenshot before travelling.

Step 2: Check your airline account or past trips

Sign in to the airline website or app using the account linked to the booking. Look for sections named My Trips, Past Trips, Receipts, Travel History or My Bookings.

The available history depends on the airline and the age of the journey. Some airlines retain receipts online for a limited period. Delta, for example, says eligible historical ticket and baggage receipts from the previous 24 months may be available through its receipt tools.

You can read Delta's official guidance on obtaining receipts for past travel.

Step 3: Check Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and the airline app

If you added the boarding pass to a digital wallet, the pass may still be stored on your device even after the flight has ended.

Apple Wallet automatically hides some expired single-use passes, including boarding passes. Open Wallet, tap the more button and check the Expired section. An expired pass can be viewed or returned to the main Wallet view unless it was permanently deleted.

See Apple's official instructions for viewing expired Wallet passes.

On Android, check Google Wallet, archived passes and the airline application. Availability depends on the pass issuer, device, region and whether the pass was archived, removed or saved to the current account.

Step 4: Contact the airline or travel agent

Contact the company that issued the ticket when the record is no longer available online. If you paid the airline directly, begin with the airline. If a travel agent, online travel agency, employer or company travel desk made the booking, contact that issuer first.

Explain why you need the document and ask for the most appropriate record. Depending on the airline, that may be:

• A duplicate itinerary receipt.
• A ticket receipt or payment receipt.
• A copy of the original e-ticket record.
• A flown-flight confirmation.
• A proof-of-travel certificate.
• A travel-history statement.

Some airlines have dedicated proof-of-travel services. Emirates, for example, provides an online request form for eligible passengers who need a proof-of-travel certificate for an Emirates-operated flight taken within the airline's stated retention period.

See the Emirates proof-of-travel request.

Can you retrieve an old flight without the PNR?

Sometimes. Losing the PNR or booking reference does not necessarily mean the airline cannot find the ticket. Give the airline or agent every genuine detail you still know.

• Your full name as it appeared on the ticket.
• The approximate travel date.
• The departure and arrival airports.
• The airline and flight number, when known.
• Your frequent-flyer number.
• The ticket number, when available.
• The email address or telephone number used to book.
• The name of the travel agent or website.
• The payment method, without sending a complete card number through an insecure channel.

What if the original old itinerary is unavailable?

When the original airline-issued record is unavailable a historical itinerary can organize the passenger, route and past dates into a readable timeline.

For a complete explanation of this type of document, read our guide to past dummy tickets and past travel itineraries.

Checklist before requesting an old flight record

• Identify whether you need an itinerary, receipt, boarding pass or proof-of-travel certificate.
• Search your email, downloads, cloud storage, wallet and airline app before contacting support.
• Write down your passenger name, route and approximate travel date.
• Contact the original issuer: airline, agent, travel website or company travel desk.
• Explain the purpose of the request so the issuer can provide the correct record.
• Do not send complete payment-card details over email or an insecure messaging channel.
• Confirm whether the requesting organization accepts a historical summary when the official record is unavailable. If yes, a past flight itinerary from Flightika will suffice.

Frequently asked questions

How can I get a copy of an old flight ticket?

Search your email, airline account, airline app, digital wallet and saved files. If you cannot find it, contact the airline or travel agent that originally issued the ticket.

Can an airline retrieve an old booking without the PNR?

Sometimes. Give the airline your full passenger name, travel date, route, ticket number, loyalty number and any other booking details you still have. Record availability varies by airline and the age of the trip.

Can I retrieve an expired boarding pass?

Check the airline app and the wallet where the boarding pass was saved. Apple Wallet may place an expired boarding pass in its Expired section. If the pass is unavailable, ask the airline whether it can provide proof of travel.

Does an old itinerary prove that I travelled?

No. An itinerary shows a route, passenger and travel dates, but it does not independently prove that the passenger boarded or completed the flight.

What should I request when I need proof that I flew?

Ask the airline for a proof-of-travel certificate, flown-flight confirmation or equivalent official record. The name of the document differs between airlines.

What if I booked through a travel agent?

Contact the travel agent, online booking website, employer or company travel desk that issued the ticket. It may hold the original itinerary receipt or invoice.

What if the original itinerary no longer exists?

You may prepare a historical itinerary summary for organization or internal records. It should be clearly described as a summary and not as an airline-issued ticket, boarding pass or official proof of completed travel.