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Amadeus CU Command: Car Rental Auxiliary Segment

A complete guide to the CU command in Amadeus — how to create a car rental auxiliary segment in a PNR, recording the rental company, location, pickup and return dates, and service details.

Car rental is one of the most common additions to a travel booking. Customers flying into a destination often need a vehicle waiting for them at the airport, and the travel agent needs to record that arrangement alongside the flight segments. The CU command is the Amadeus entry that handles this. It allows you to add a car rental segment to the PNR as an auxiliary segment, including the rental company, the pickup location, the rental dates, and any other service details. This guide explains what CU does, the correct syntax, and when it should be used.

What Does the CU Command Do?

CU is the Amadeus GDS command used to create a car rental auxiliary segment in a PNR.

Category: Auxiliary Segments.

It is used to add a car rental segment with the rental company, location, pickup and return dates, and other service details.

The CU segment appears in the itinerary alongside the flight and hotel segments, giving a complete picture of the trip. It records the vehicle arrangement for the traveller, the agent, and any colleague who may work on the booking later. Together with HU for hotel accommodation and RU for memo services, CU keeps the PNR as the single source of truth for the entire journey.

Syntax & Example

Create a car rental auxiliary segment with Europcar in Frankfurt from 12 September to 14 September:

CULHNN1FRA12SEP-14SEPECAR /EUROPCAR

This creates a car rental auxiliary segment recording the following details:

Airline reference — LH (Lufthansa) as the associated carrier
Status and quantity — NN1 (one vehicle requested)
Pickup location — Frankfurt (FRA)
Pickup date — 12 September
Return date — 14 September
Car category — ECAR (economy car)
Rental company — Europcar

The segment appears in the PNR itinerary as a car element, immediately visible whenever the booking is retrieved or displayed.

When to Use CU

Use CU when adding a car rental service to a PNR as an auxiliary segment. Typical scenarios include:

Adding an airport car rental to a leisure flight booking.
Recording a vehicle for a business trip where the traveller needs ground transport.
Documenting car rental as part of a holiday package.
Adding a rental car for a group booking where several vehicles are required.
Recording a one-way rental with different pickup and return locations.
Noting a car arranged for a special event, conference, or corporate programme.
Adding car rental arranged outside the standard car availability flow so the booking reflects the full trip.

How CU Fits Into Your PNR Management Workflow

A typical session using CU might look like this:

Retrieve the PNR with RT and confirm the flight itinerary is complete.
Confirm the car rental details with the customer — rental company, location, dates, and car category.
Enter the CU entry with the correct status, city code, dates, car category, and rental company.
Verify the car rental segment appears correctly by redisplaying the itinerary with RTIM.
Add any supporting remark with RM if extra detail is required — such as the confirmation number, rate, or pickup time.
Save the change with ER or ET.

How CU Relates to Other Auxiliary and PNR Element Commands

CU → creates a car rental auxiliary segment in the PNR.
HU → creates a hotel auxiliary segment in the PNR.
RU → creates a memo auxiliary segment for informational travel services.
RM → adds a general remark to the PNR.
RX → adds a corporate or business-related remark to the PNR.
RC → adds a confidential remark to the PNR.
OP → creates an option element for follow-up actions.
RH → displays the PNR history, including auxiliary segments.

The distinction: CU records car rental as an auxiliary segment, HU records hotel accommodation, RU records other informational services, and RM, RX, and RC add remarks that do not appear as itinerary items. Use CU when the car rental should be visible as part of the trip.

Important: The CU entry records the car rental information in the PNR. Whether it creates a bookable reservation depends on the format used and the supplier. In many cases, CU is used as an auxiliary segment to reflect a car rental arranged outside the standard availability flow.

Always confirm the correct city code, dates, car category, and rental company before entering the segment. A wrong date, location, or company name will be visible in the itinerary and could mislead the passenger or the next agent working on the booking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the CU command do in Amadeus?

CU creates a car rental auxiliary segment in a PNR, recording the rental company, location, pickup and return dates, and other service details.

What does CULHNN1FRA12SEP-14SEPECAR /EUROPCAR mean?

It creates a car rental auxiliary segment in Frankfurt (FRA) from 12 September to 14 September, with 1 economy car requested from Europcar.

Does CU create an actual car rental booking?

The CU entry records the car rental information in the PNR. Depending on the format and the supplier, it may create a bookable reservation or act as an auxiliary segment reflecting a car rental arranged outside the standard booking flow.

Where does the CU segment appear in the PNR?

It appears in the itinerary as a car element. Retrieve the PNR with RT or review it with RTIM to see it alongside the flight segments.

How is CU different from HU?

HU records hotel accommodation as an auxiliary segment. CU is specifically for car rental as an auxiliary segment.

Conclusion

The CU command is the car rental auxiliary segment tool in Amadeus. Use CULHNN1FRA12SEP-14SEPECAR /EUROPCAR to record car rental in the PNR, including the rental company, city, dates, and car category. The segment appears in the itinerary alongside the flight and hotel segments, giving anyone reviewing the booking a complete picture of the trip. Always confirm the details with the customer before entering the CU entry, and remember that the segment is the record of the car rental arrangement — whether or not it constitutes a bookable reservation depends on the format and supplier. Paired with RT for retrieval, RTIM for itinerary display, HU for hotels, RU for memo services, RM and RC for remarks, XE to delete an incorrect segment, and RH for reviewing the history, the CU command completes your auxiliary segment toolkit and keeps every booking’s full car rental details properly documented.