Lufthansa Group is taking a major step toward modernizing airline retail by introducing a single “Order ID” designed to replace the multiple booking records that have long defined air travel. The initiative, developed in partnership with Amadeus, aims to make booking, managing, and adjusting flights significantly easier for travelers across the group’s airlines.
Under traditional airline systems, a single trip can generate several different records. Passengers typically receive a passenger name record for the booking, an electronic ticket for the flight, and additional electronic documents for extras such as baggage, seat selection, or lounge access.
Managing changes or disruptions often requires navigating between these records, creating complexity for both travelers and airline staff. Lufthansa’s new Order ID consolidates all of these elements into one unified digital reference.
With the Order ID, every component of a journey – flights, seats, bags, upgrades, and additional services – will be linked to a single identifier. Lufthansa says this approach will give customers a clearer overview of their trips and allow them to make changes more quickly, especially during schedule disruptions. Instead of reissuing multiple documents, the airline can update one order, simplifying rebooking and servicing processes.
The move aligns closely with the long-standing One Order initiative promoted by International Air Transport Association, which encourages airlines to shift away from legacy booking structures toward a single, flexible digital order. This model mirrors how retail works in other industries, where customers receive one order reference regardless of how many products or services are included.
Lufthansa is not the first airline to move in this direction. Finnair previously became the first carrier to complete an end-to-end One Order booking using the same Amadeus platform. Since then, Finnair has processed millions of transactions through the system and expanded its capabilities to include ancillary services, providing a real-world example of how the technology can scale.
For Lufthansa Group, the rollout will be gradual and span its wide portfolio of airlines, including Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, ITA Airways, and several regional brands. The Order ID will also work alongside existing digital tools such as Lufthansa’s Travel ID, which stores customer profiles and preferences.
Beyond customer convenience, the new system is expected to improve operational efficiency behind the scenes. A unified order structure simplifies settlement, accounting, and customer service workflows, reducing errors and manual intervention. Over time, Lufthansa believes this shift will support more personalized offers, faster recovery from disruptions, and a smoother end-to-end travel experience.
As airlines increasingly focus on retail-style flexibility and digital simplicity, Lufthansa’s Order ID initiative signals a broader industry transition away from decades-old booking infrastructure toward a more intuitive and transparent future.
