What is an EMD in airline ticketing?

A traveler paid for an extra-legroom seat, then moved their Thanksgiving flight a day earlier. The new ticket is issued, and the seat payment stays behind on the old one. That seat sat on an EMD, and EMDs follow rules of their own. With holiday changes starting, here's what an EMD is and how to keep each one tied to the right ticket.

What is an EMD?

An electronic miscellaneous document. ARC describes it as an electronic non-flight document used to collect and settle optional airline services, such as preferred seating, baggage and deposits. It carries its own document number, separate from the ticket.

EMDs are replacing the paper miscellaneous charges order, or MCO. Delta's agency policy says EMDs replace MCOs and tour orders for BSP agencies.

What is the difference between an EMD-A and an EMD-S?

One is tied to a flight, and one stands alone. The airline decides which type each service uses.

One ticket can carry several EMD-As. ARC treats each as used once its flight coupon is used.

How do you read the codes on an EMD?

Each EMD carries a reason for issuance code, or RFIC, a single character that says what kind of service it is. Baggage has its own RFIC, for example, and so do airport services.

Each coupon also carries a three-character subcode called the RFISC. ATPCO maintains the list. Residual value uses three of them that ARC recognizes: 99I for residual value, 996 for a refundable balance and 98E for a non-refundable amount.

The document number tells you where it came from. ARC assigns GDS-issued EMDs the form code range 8300 to 8959. EMDs issued through an airline's direct connect provider often start with 4.

How does an EMD reach the ARC report?

Through the GDS, the same way an e-ticket does. ARC says IAR shows EMDs on the same screens and with the same data as e-tickets. To list them, filter on EM for every EMD. EA narrows the list to associated EMDs, and ES to standalone ones.

For a residual value EMD, put the new 13-digit ticket number in the ICDN field and use one of the three subcodes above. IAR then links it to the exchange automatically. Our residual value guide covers that step in detail.

What happens to an EMD when the ticket changes?

This is where most EMD errors start. ARC's rules:

• Exchanges. An EMD-A is meant to stay with its ticket. When the ticket is exchanged, the EMD-A comes loose, and the airline is the party that can attach it again.
• Voids and refunds. When you void or refund a ticket, void or refund its EMD-A as a separate step.
• Standalone exchanges. Start an EMD-S exchange in the GDS. Adding one to an exchange in IAR needs an ESAC code.
• Where to work. ARC recommends voiding and refunding EMDs in the GDS first, so the airline's EMD record updates. IAR handles the exceptions.

Do airlines treat EMDs the same way?

Each airline sets its own EMD rules, from refunds to validity. Delta's agency policy, for example, makes every EMD valid for one year from issue, with refundable residual value balances refundable within that year. It also asks agencies to fill in the issued in connection with field on change and cancellation fees, so audits can match them to the ticket.

Airline support also varies inside ARC. ARC notes that some participating airlines skip its EMD messaging, and its Participating Airline Information page shows which ones take part. Delta's page, last updated in 2022, says Delta EMD transactions are unavailable to ARC locations. Check each carrier's current agency page before you issue.

What is changing next?

ARC plans Ancillary Fee Reporting, which adds an EMD Information tab to IAR. It will show each coupon's value and subcode. It will also flag whether the coupon can be refunded or exchanged, and whether it earns commission. The new fields arrive in ARC's new BOS JSON files for accounting systems. ARC also lists manual EMD entry in IAR as planned. ARC has yet to publish a date for either change.

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