It can be frustrating when you book a flight and the booking status remains “pending” instead of being confirmed right away. There are a few common reasons why a flight booking may stay in a pending status for some time before it is finalized. Understanding these reasons can help you know whether you need to take any action or simply wait for the airline to finish processing your booking request.
Some common reasons for a pending flight booking status include:
High demand
If you booked at a peak travel time when many other customers are also booking flights, it may take the airline reservations system extra time to process all the requests. The large volume of bookings can cause processing delays.
Major holidays, popular vacation weeks, and summer travel season tend to see high airline booking demand. If you booked during one of those peak times, the pending status could simply mean the airline is working through a backlog of requests.
Awaiting payment processing
Even after you enter your payment information for the flight, it takes some time for that payment to go through the system and be verified and authorized by your bank or credit card company. The airline will list the booking as pending until your payment fully processes.
This payment processing can take anywhere from a few minutes up to 24 hours depending on your bank/credit card company policies. If you used a debit card or other immediate payment method, the pending period should be shorter.
Manual fare review
If you received an exceptionally low fare for your flight booking, the airline may put it into pending status while their team manually reviews to confirm the fare is valid. This prevents reservations errors from accidentally allowing bookings at extremely low or incorrect fares.
A manual review usually takes anywhere from 1-3 days in most cases. You will likely receive an email or update from the airline when the review is completed. As long as the low fare you booked was valid, the booking should be finalized after the review.
Making changes to the booking
If you need to modify your original flight booking – changing dates, destinations, adding passengers etc. – this can also trigger a pending status. The airline will put the booking into pending while they update it with your requested changes.
Depending on how significant the changes are, it may take a few hours up to 1-2 days for the modified reservation to be re-processed and finalized. The airline will confirm once your updated booking is complete.
Unverified customer account
If you booked through a new customer account you just created with the airline, they will want to verify your account information before confirming the booking. This account verification process puts a booking into pending status.
You may receive emails to confirm your email address, phone number, or other account details. After your information is verified as legitimate, the pending booking can become confirmed.
Extra screening measures
In rare cases, an airline booking may be flagged for additional security screening if something about it matches a high-risk pattern. This will place the booking in a pending status until the extra screening is completed by the airline and deemed valid.
This could occur randomly or could be triggered by factors like suspicious payment activity, booking one-way travel, purchasing tickets last minute, etc. It’s an unusual situation but can cause a pending status for security reasons.
How long does “pending” status usually last?
In most normal situations, a pending airline booking will hold that status anywhere from just a few minutes up to 1-3 days at the maximum. Here are some general timelines you can expect:
Reason for Pending Status | Typical Duration |
---|---|
High booking demand | 24-72 hours |
Payment processing | 10 minutes – 24 hours |
Fare review | 24-72 hours |
Booking changes | 2-24 hours |
Unverified account | 24 hours – 3 days |
Extra security screening | 24-72 hours |
As you can see, most pending bookings should finalize within a 1-3 day window. The major exceptions are:
– If you booked during an extremely busy holiday or peak event travel period, high demand could extend the pending period longer than normal.
– In very rare cases, if your booking needed extensive manual reviews or security screening, the pending status may last longer than 3 days before a final decision is made.
If your booking remains stuck in pending status for an unusually long time beyond the typical windows, it’s appropriate to contact the airline and ask about the specific cause for the extended delay.
What should I do if my flight booking is pending?
Here are some tips on steps to take when your airline reservation is first made as a pending booking:
Wait 2-3 days
For most routine pending bookings, the first step is simply to wait. Give the airline 2-3 days to resolve high demand volume, finish payment processing, complete fare or security reviews, etc. Most bookings will finalize within 72 hours.
Check your email frequently
Watch your email inbox closely for any messages from the airline regarding your pending booking. They may send updates on the status, request additional information needed, or confirm when your reservation is finalized. Email is the main way the airline will communicate with you about a pending booking.
Avoid making big changes
Try not to modify your original booking too much while it is still pending, as major changes can reset the processing timeline. If possible, only make essential adjustments and wait to modify non-crucial details until after the booking is confirmed. This prevents delaying the pending period further.
Call customer service if still pending after 3 days
If your booking remains pending for longer than 3 days without any email explanation from the airline, it’s smart to call their customer service line for an update. The agent can investigate why it is still pending and when your reservation might finalize.
Be patient
Keep in mind that pending bookings are a routine part of airline reservations processes. Try to be patient and avoid worrying unless the pending status exceeds 3+ days without explanation. Most bookings will be finalized within the typical 1-3 day window.
Conclusion
Having a flight reservation stuck in “pending” status can be stressful when you are eager to have your trip confirmed. However, in most scenarios a pending booking is simply part of the normal airline processing flow and will finalize within a few days at most.
Try to avoid obsessively calling the airline immediately to check on a pending booking. Give them reasonable time to handle the usual volume of reservations and bookings during busy travel periods. If you haven’t received any confirmation or updates after 3 days, do check in with their customer service. But in many cases, simply waiting and frequently monitoring your email is all that is needed when your flight is first listed as a pending booking.