Amadeus Lesson 5: How to add a Frequent Flyer Card (FFN & SR)

A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Adding Loyalty Program Details in Amadeus GDS

After learning how to search for flights, add passenger names, arrange ticketing, and include contact information, the next important skill for any travel agent is adding frequent flyer cards to the PNR. Frequent flyer numbers allow passengers to earn miles, access lounges, and receive priority services. In this fifth lesson, we’ll show you exactly how to add a frequent flyer card in Amadeus using the FFN and SR commands — with a full video demonstration at the end.

Why Add a Frequent Flyer Card?

Airlines reward loyal customers through frequent flyer programs such as Miles & Smiles (Lufthansa), Skywards (Emirates), Flying Blue (Air France/KLM), and AAdvantage (American Airlines). When you add the passenger’s frequent flyer number to the PNR, the airline automatically credits the miles earned from the trip. It also unlocks benefits like priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, and lounge access — all of which greatly improve the customer experience.

Step 1: Understand the FFN Command

The FFN command (Frequent Flyer Number) is used to add the loyalty card information to the PNR. The general format is:

• FFN – The command to add a frequent flyer number
• LH – The 2-letter airline code (Lufthansa in this example)
• 1234567890 – The passenger’s frequent flyer number
• -P1 – Applies to passenger 1 (use -P2, -P3, etc.)

If the passenger has cards with multiple airlines, you can add each one separately using the FFN command — the airline will credit miles to whichever program matches the flight.

Step 2: Add a Frequent Flyer Card via SR

In some cases, especially when the airline doesn’t automatically accept the FFN command, you can use the SR command with the FQTV code (Frequent Traveler):

• SR – Special Service Request command
• FQTV – The SSR code for frequent flyer information
• LH – Airline code
• 1234567890 – The loyalty card number
• -P1 – Applies to passenger 1

The FQTV approach is often required for partner airlines within the same alliance — for instance, crediting miles from a United flight to a Lufthansa Miles & Smiles account.

Step 3: Add FQTS for Accrual Preference (Optional)

When a passenger travels on an airline that partners with multiple loyalty programs, you can specify which program should receive the miles by using SR FQTS (Frequent Traveler Accrual):

This is especially useful for passengers who collect miles in a program that is different from the operating airline’s own program.

Step 4: Save the PNR Again

After adding the frequent flyer number, always remember to save and retrieve the PNR using the ER command so the changes are permanently stored. If you skip this step, the frequent flyer details will be lost when the session ends.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

The most common errors with the FFN and SR commands include: typing the airline code in lowercase (Amadeus expects uppercase), forgetting the passenger reference (-P1), confusing the operating airline with the marketing airline, adding a card that doesn’t belong to the passenger’s profile, and missing the FQTV/FQTS distinction. Another frequent mistake is assuming all airlines accept the FFN command — some require the SR FQTV format instead. When in doubt, try FFN first and fall back to SR FQTV if the system rejects it.

Video Lesson

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

Conclusion

Adding a frequent flyer card in Amadeus is a quick but high-value step that every travel agent should master. Use the FFN command for direct airline programs, the SR FQTV command for partner airlines, and SR FQTS when you need to specify accrual preference. Combined with the previous lessons, you now have all the tools to build a complete and professional PNR in Amadeus. In the next lesson, we’ll move on to issuing the e-ticket and handling post-ticketing changes.