The term "PNR flushed" refers to a specific event in an airline's Global Distribution System (GDS) where a Passenger Name Record is archived or purged from the active database. This typically happens 24 to 48 hours after a journey is completed to free up system resources. However, if your PNR is "flushed" before you travel, it usually indicates that the reservation was canceled due to a failure to issue the ticket (often because of payment issues) or because of a significant schedule change that wasn't acknowledged. In 2026, with the transition to more advanced NDC (New Distribution Capability) standards, PNRs are managed more dynamically, but "flushing" remains a common troubleshooting term when a travel agent can no longer see your booking. If you are told your PNR has been flushed, you must contact the airline immediately to see if the record can be retrieved from the history file or if a new booking needs to be generated from scratch.