What is EMD? Electronic Miscellaneous Document
An Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD) is the IATA standard electronic record used to collect payment for airline services that are not the flight itself, such as bags, seats, penalties or upgrades.
EMDs sit alongside electronic tickets. There are two main types: EMD-A (associated), which is linked to a specific flight coupon on a ticket — for example a paid seat — and EMD-S (standalone), which is not tied to a flight coupon, such as a change fee or a residual value.
Why it matters
EMDs have their own coupons, statuses and refund rules, and they flow through settlement systems such as BSP. A booking engine that sells ancillary services in traditional channels must issue, track and refund EMDs correctly, or reconciliation breaks.
ONE Order aims to remove the separation between tickets and EMDs by putting every purchased item in a single order.