A complete guide to the SB command in Amadeus โ how to modify booking classes, travel dates, airlines, flight numbers, and specific itinerary segments in an existing PNR.
Once an itinerary has been booked, changes are inevitable. A customer wants to travel a day later, a higher class becomes available, an airline reschedules a flight, or a segment is moved to a different carrier. The SB command is the Amadeus entry that modifies existing itinerary segments in place. It allows you to change the booking class, the travel date, the airline, the flight number, the seat quantity, or any combination of these โ without cancelling and rebooking the segment manually. This guide walks through each SB variation with a working example so you can modify any part of the itinerary quickly and accurately.
What Does the SB Command Do?
SB is the Amadeus GDS command used to modify booking classes, travel dates, airlines, flight numbers, and specific itinerary segments.
Category: PNR Management.
It allows you to rebook existing itinerary segments by changing the class of service, travel date, airline, flight number, or seat quantity. Because the change is applied directly to the existing segment, the rest of the PNR โ passengers, other flights, seat requests, TSTs โ remains as it was, unless the change invalidates them.
Change Booking Class
SBYChanges the booking class of all segments to Y.
SBC2Changes the booking class of segment 2 to C.
SBC2,5Changes the booking class of segments 2 and 5.
SBY3-6Changes the booking class of segments 3 through 6 to Y.
SBY2/C4/M5Changes the booking classes of segments 2, 4, and 5 โ each segment can be given a different class in the same entry.
Change Travel Date
SB19JUNChanges the date of all segments to 19 June.
SB18AUG4Changes the date of segment 4 to 18 August.
SB14MAY2,4Changes the dates of segments 2 and 4.
SB18APR3-5Changes the dates of segments 3 through 5.
SB3AUG2/4AUG3Changes the dates of segment 2 to 3 August and segment 3 to 4 August in a single entry.
Change Class and Date
SBF19DEC4Changes the booking class and date for segment 4 โ F as the class, 19 December as the date.
Change Airline and Flight Number
SBBD194*3Changes the airline and flight number for segment 3 to BD194.
SBBA349*D3Changes the airline, flight number, and class of service for segment 3 โ BA349 in class D.
SBBA352*Y01JUN4Changes the airline, flight number, class of service, and date for segment 4 โ BA352 in class Y on 01 June.
Rebook from an Availability or Schedule Display
SB3*2Changes segment 2 to the flight shown on line 3 of an availability or schedule display.
SB4*C5Changes the class of service for segment 5 using the flight shown on line 4 of an availability or schedule display.
This variation is particularly useful during schedule changes and rebooking, because you can point directly at a flight on the availability screen instead of retyping the airline, flight number, and date.
When to Use SB
Use SB when you need to rebook or modify an existing itinerary by changing the booking class, travel date, airline, flight number, or specific segment. Typical scenarios include:
- Upgrading a passenger to a higher booking class.
- Moving the entire itinerary to a new travel date.
- Changing the date of one or more specific segments.
- Switching a segment to a different airline or flight number.
- Rebooking after a schedule change using the availability screen.
- Adjusting the class of service to obtain a lower fare before pricing with FXB.
- Rebooking seats for passengers whose itinerary has been modified.
How SB Fits Into Your PNR Management Workflow
A typical itinerary modification session using SB might look like this:
- Retrieve the PNR and confirm the segments you need to modify.
- Check seat requests โ if the change affects an aircraft or date, cancel seats with
SXfirst. - Enter the appropriate SB entry for the change you need.
- Verify the segment was updated correctly by redisplaying the PNR.
- Reprice the itinerary if the change affects the fare โ with
FXP,FXR, orFXB. - Reassign seat requests if required.
- Issue the ticket with
TTPonce everything is correct.
How SB Relates to Other PNR Management Commands
- SB โ modifies existing itinerary segments.
- SS โ sells new segments from availability.
- XE โ cancels individual segments.
- XI โ cancels the full itinerary, including MCOs.
- SX โ cancels seat requests.
- RP โ changes the responsible office and related assignments.
- RH โ displays PNR history, including all SB modifications.
Important: Any change to a booked segment may invalidate the existing TST and any seat requests on that segment. After using SB, always check whether a TST is stored in the PNR and whether it needs to be deleted with TTE and recreated after repricing.
Seat requests tied to the modified segment will usually need to be rebooked with SX and ST.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does SB do in Amadeus?
SB modifies existing itinerary segments by changing the booking class, travel date, airline, flight number, or seat quantity.
What does SBY3-6 mean?
It changes the booking class of segments 3 through 6 to Y in a single entry.
How do I rebook using an availability display?
Display availability, note the line number of the flight you want, then use SB3*2 where 3 is the availability line number and 2 is the segment you are changing.
Will SB delete my TST?
SB does not delete the TST, but the change may invalidate it. Always check the TST with TQT after modifying a segment, and reprice if needed.
Do I need to cancel seat requests before using SB?
If the change affects the aircraft, the date, or the flight number, cancel seats with SX first โ otherwise the system may reject the change or lose the seat items.
Conclusion
The SB command is the itinerary modification tool in Amadeus. Use SBY to change all segments to a new booking class, SB19JUN to move the whole itinerary to a new date, SBBA352*Y01JUN4 to change the airline, flight number, class, and date on a specific segment, and SB3*2 to rebook directly from an availability display. It is essential for schedule changes, upgrades, date changes, and rebooking. Because any modification can affect seats and pricing, always check the PNR afterwards, clear seat requests with SX if necessary, reprice with FXP or FXR, and issue with TTP once everything is correct. Paired with SS, XE, SX, and RH, the SB command completes your PNR management toolkit and keeps every booking accurate from initial sale to final ticket.
