The Lufthansa Group changes the deadlines for issuing tickets: new rules from October 5th
From October 5, 2026, the Lufthansa Group will begin implementing new rules for issuing tickets on selected intercontinental routes operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Discover Airlines. The changes include published fares as well as private and unpublished fares.
The deadline for ticketing is no longer tied solely to departure time
The most important change relates to the Ticketing Time Limit, or TTL. Instead of the time being primarily tied to the time before departure, for covered reservations the ticket will have to be issued within a specified period after the reservation is created.
The new TTL rules apply from October 5th to new reservations, but also to changes to existing PNRs. The specific deadline will not be the same for each reservation. Agencies will receive it automatically, as before, through SSR or Vendor Remark in the PNR.
The second phase begins on October 19, when the new regulations come into effect. Advance purchase provisions.
Open PNR may lose its original tariff
It is precisely the transition period that travel trade should pay the most attention to. The Lufthansa Group recommends that, where possible, bookings made before the change be issued by October 18th.
If the ticket remains unissued until October 19, the new rules may mean that the previously booked fare is no longer available. In certain cases, passengers will then need to be transferred to a more expensive fare or a higher booking class. During the transition period, TTL and advance purchase periods may vary, with the earlier period applying.
For agencies, this means stricter monitoring of ticketing queues, payment deadlines, and reservations awaiting confirmation from the client in practice.
Lufthansa wants fewer blocked seats
The Lufthansa Group explains the change by better managing capacity. Bookings that remain without a ticket for a long time can block available seats and make it difficult to assess actual demand.
The new rules do not apply to continental flights, as well as to flights to and from the USA, Canada, Central America and Japan. Some special tariff products that already have their own rules are also exempt, including certain ones. tour operator tariffs.
For travel agencies, the change may seem like a technical correction, but the operational impact can be very concrete: less time to hold a reservation without a ticket and a higher risk of price changes if the deadline is missed.
