Amadeus Lesson 12: How to add seat Selection & EMD Issuance

A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Seat Requests and Electronic Miscellaneous Documents in Amadeus GDS

Welcome to Lesson 12 of our Amadeus Course for Beginners. Up to now, you’ve learned how to build a complete PNR, add special service requests, and issue tickets. In this lesson, we’ll cover two advanced but increasingly essential skills: seat selection and EMD issuance (Electronic Miscellaneous Document). Whether your passenger wants a window seat on a long-haul flight or needs to pay for extra baggage, these commands will help you deliver a professional service — with a full video demonstration at the end.

Why Seat Selection and EMD Matter

Airlines increasingly charge for seat selection, extra baggage, lounge access, and upgrades. These are called ancillary services, and they generate significant revenue. As a travel agent, being able to reserve a specific seat and issue an EMD for paid services is what separates a basic booking from a full-service experience. Passengers expect it, and agencies earn commission on it.

Step 1: Check Available Seats

Before selecting a seat, you first need to see what’s available on the flight. Use the SM command (Seat Map) with the flight and date:

• SM1 – Display the seat map for segment 1 of the itinerary
• The system shows a graphic or text-based seat map with available, occupied, and blocked seats

Step 2: Request a Specific Seat (ST)

Once you know which seat the passenger wants, use the ST command (Seat Request):

• ST – Seat request command
• 12A – The seat number (row 12, seat A)
• /S1 – Segment 1 of the itinerary

If the request applies to a specific passenger in a multi-passenger PNR, add the passenger reference:

Step 3: Request a Seat Type (No Specific Number)

If the passenger doesn’t care about a specific seat number but wants a certain type — window, aisle, or bulkhead — you can use the generic seat request codes:

• W – Window seat
• A – Aisle seat
• B – Bulkhead seat
• S – Smoking (rare)
• N – Non-smoking

Example — request a window seat on segment 1:

Step 4: What Is an EMD?

An EMD (Electronic Miscellaneous Document) is the electronic receipt used to pay for ancillary services — extra baggage, paid seat selection, lounge access, upgrades, and more. EMDs are separate from the flight ticket and are issued in addition to it. There are two types:

• EMD-S – Standalone (not linked to a specific flight coupon)
• EMD-A – Associated with a specific flight coupon (most common for baggage and seats)

Step 5: Add an Ancillary Service (SR command)

To add a paid service, use the SR command with the relevant SSR code:

• XBAG – Extra baggage SSR code
• 1P – One piece of extra baggage
• -P1 – Applies to passenger 1
• /S2 – Applies to segment 2

Step 6: Price and Issue the EMD

Once the SSR is in the PNR, the airline returns the price of the ancillary service. You then issue the EMD using the TTM or TTM/RT commands (depending on the airline):

After issuing, Amadeus returns a 13-digit EMD number — separate from the ticket number. You must provide this EMD number to the passenger alongside the ticket number so they can present both at check-in.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

The most common errors with seat selection and EMDs include: requesting a seat without checking the seat map first (leading to repeated rejections), forgetting that some seats require an EMD before confirmation, using the wrong EMD type (EMD-A vs. EMD-S), issuing an EMD without a linked flight coupon, and confusing the EMD number with the ticket number. Another frequent mistake is assuming all SSRs need an EMD — many (like wheelchair or meals) are free and only require the SR command without payment.

Video Lesson

Watch the practical, step-by-step walkthrough in the video below:

Conclusion

Seat selection and EMD issuance are advanced skills that separate a professional travel agent from an average one. Use SM to view seat maps, ST to request seats, SR to add paid ancillaries, and TTM to issue the EMD. Master these commands and you’ll be able to handle ancillary sales with confidence — an increasingly important revenue stream for agencies. In the next lesson, we’ll cover refunds and void transactions — how to cancel a ticket properly and recover the money.