A
ABTA – the Association of British Travel Agents.
APEX – Advance Purchase Excursion (fare). These are usually the cheapest tickets the passenger can get though they are restricted in number.
Airport code – the three digit code which is unique to a specific airport. eg. LHR for Heathrow or LGW for Gatwick.
B
BAA – British Airports Authority.
Back-to-back ticketing – when the passenger combines two return trips with opposite start and destination points but uses only a single segment from each to achieve a lower overall fare.
Baggage allowance – the weight of the luggage the airline allows the traveller to check-in. Economy ticket holders are usually allowed 20kg whilst business and first class passengers able to take between 30-40kg depending on the airline. Hand luggage is fairly standard between the airlines: one piece per passenger and up to 8kg in weight though the dimensions of baggage that is allowed can vary between carriers.
Base fare/rate – the basic price of ticket before taxes and other surcharges are added (these are usually a substantial amount particularly on longer flights).
Blackout periods – specific days or periods of time when special rates are not available due to high demand for flights.
Boarding pass – a card given to the passenger after check-in which allocates a seat number or indicates a boarding pattern. The stub of the card should be retained after going through the boarding gate to show to the flight crew once reaching the aircraft.
Budget / Low-cost airlines – these are short-haul flights at bargain prices but with occasional drawbacks. Usually the flights are from secondary airports which could be miles from your ultimate destination. Food and drink is often not included in the price. Fares are usually non-flexible and can incur a hefty charge for changing travel plans. On the plus side, low-cost carriers continue to add to their already impressive list of destinations which can offer real savings for travellers.
Bumped – this means that the number of seats on the flight has been oversold. Sometimes you might be lucky and get “bumped” up to business or first class but more often that not, you will simply be put on the next available flight. Try to check-in early to avoid this situation
C
Cancellation charges – penalties that you will incur if you cancel your flights. Most fares have this clause in them so travel insurance is advisable if your plans are likely to change.
Capacity-controlled fares – a certain number of seats on a flight to which a cheaper price has been allocated. This percentage changes depending on how quickly the seats are sold.
Carrier – the organisation responsible for transporting passengers or goods – in terms of flights, this will be the airline.
Carry-on – hand-baggage or luggage that has not been checked-in. See restrictions under Baggage allowance.
Charter – an aircraft which is used by a specific group be it customers of a particular holiday company or an individual party.
Check-in – the time before departure when your luggage goes onto the airline and boarding cards are issued. For long-haul this is 2 hours whilst short-haul is approximately 1 hour. Be aware that in these times of occasional heightened airport security, the check-in time can vary. To get up-to-date information it is best to confirm timings with the airline.
City pair – the chosen cities for departure and arrival.
Commission – the percentage of a ticket price which airlines pay their agents.
Companion fare – usually part of a promotion where another ticket may be purchased at a lower rate than the original fare. Normally this is dependent on the two passengers travelling together.
Contract of carriage – this is the legal contract that the passenger enters into with the airline with the terms outlined when the traveller receives the ticket.
Confirmation – oral or written communication which informs the carrier that you will definitely be on a flight or flights.
Construction tickets – term given to two single tickets bought to make up a return flight. See SITI, SOTO and Split ticketing.
Connecting flights – a journey where the passenger must change planes to reach their final destination.
Connecting point – the airport where the traveller changes planes.
Consolidators – airlines often sell blocks of seats to a third party who then sell these to passengers at discounted prices. The airlines are reluctant to publicly discount tickets and so mask this process through consolidators. The tickets usually have a number of restrictions on them so check the conditions of your travel arrangements carefully before booking them.
Corporate rate – this is the discounted rate that organisations and companies can negotiate with the airlines. Often the company’s country of origin will determine which airline it is – usually one of the national carriers.
Coupon – this is part of the ticket that the passenger hands over at check-in and also contains the contract of carriage.
D
Direct flights – a flight where the passenger does not need to change planes but the aircraft may stop en-route.
Discounted tickets – by shopping around you will often be able to find agents selling cheaper tickets than advertised by the airlines but usually you will subject to various restrictions. Airlines also have promotions or special offers so it pays to keep an eye on who is offering what.
E
ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival
EST – Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5 hrs)
Excess baggage – checked-in luggage which exceeds the weight of the Baggage allowance. If you are only just over then you might be lucky but be warned that payments on excess weight can be very expensive.
F
Hidden city faring – this is when a passenger organises their flights to achieve a final destination that is different from their official itinerary in order to get a lower fare. For example if there were discounted tickets between London and Hong Kong with a stop in Dubai (which is actually where you wanted to go) then you would be guilty of the practising hidden city faring if you failed to return to the plane in Dubai to complete the final segment of the journey. Airlines consider this practice illegal.
G
H
Hub – a major airport where an airline has many flights leaving to smaller destinations.
I
IATA – International Air Transport Association
Illegal connection – flights that are booked where the time between landing and taking off on the next flight does not adhere to the legal minimum requirements.
Indirect flights – this means the passenger will have to leave the plane at some stage during the journey – either so that it can refuel or possibly so that the traveller can change planes in order to complete the trip.
Interline / Interlining – using multiple airlines to reach the final destination. There may be a formal relationship between the carriers to facilitate baggage transfer and ticketing or it could simply be two or more unconnected companies where the traveller is responsible for luggage and connection timings (see Multi-hop).
J
Joint fare – an arrangement between carriers to charge special rates when a passenger uses their respective airlines. The fares are negotiated by the airlines involved and the price is nearer to what the traveller would pay were they using just one company.
L
Long haul flight – a flight of considerable distance and time – often with the passengers suffering some significant jet-lag along the way.
Lowest Fare Routing (LFR) – the cheapest legal flight to the travellers chosen destination.
M
Minimum connecting time – the smallest amount of time that is allowed to change planes at an airport. If these conditions are breached it is known as an Illegal connection.
Multi-hop or Multi-leg – a journey where the passenger does not just fly between two airports to reach their final destination but where they stop en-route any number of times and perhaps spend time in each of the destinations (see Stopover). The flights do not need to be with the same airline but it is advisable to plan the journey carefully so as to avoid issues with ticket restrictions and onward connections.
N
Net fare or Net rate – the price of a ticket minus any third party commission or tax.
Non-endorsable – a ticket which cannot be used to fly with another airline.
Non-stop flight – a flight that goes directly from A to B without landing en-route.
Non-transferable – a ticket which is specifically for just one passenger and cannot be used by anyone else.
No-shows – the term relating to passengers or either arrive late or do not arrive at all to travel on their booked flight.
O
Offline connection – a journey where the passenger travels on multiple planes using multiple airlines.
Open-jaw – a ticket that allows the traveller to depart from a different airport to the one in which they landed. For example you could fly from
P
Package – flights, hotels and services which are bundled together and sold at a specific price.
Passenger coupon – the final portion of a ticket which acts as a receipt for the passenger’s own records.
PDT – Pacific Daylight Time (GMT -8hrs)
Penalty fare – the amount the passenger has to pay in order to make a change to the travel arrangements or cancel the ticket once it has been issued
R
Restricted to airport check-in – seating allocation and boarding passes which can only be assigned to the passenger at the airport.
S
Segment – an identifiable leg or part of a journey. Usually defined by departure and arrival destinations.
Short-haul flight – one that is brief in terms of distance travelled and time in the air. eg.
Split ticketing – when you travel using two single tickets instead of a return in order to obtain a lower fare
Standby – this is if a passenger holds a ticket that does not automatically guarantee a reserved seat means instead that they are waiting for availability.
Stopover – an overnight stay (or possibly longer) at a location en-route to your final destination. This is usually done to break up a very long journey eg.
Surface sector – the distance between departure airports using an open-jaw ticket. The customer is responsible for organising the travel between the two points of departure.
T
Ticket issuance – purchasing tickets that have previously been reserved.
W
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Advance purchase: The ticket must be purchased at a specified number of days—usually three, seven, 14, or 21 days—in advance of the flight departure. The fare generally goes down the further out from the day of departure it is purchased. Airline alliance: An agreement between a group of airlines involving the sharing of flight codes, reservation systems, airline clubs, or frequent flyer benefits. Alternative airport: A secondary airport, generally smaller and/or farther away from the metropolitan center, than a major airport. Blackout day: A day on which the airlines won't let you fly using a frequent flyer award ticket (the term may also apply to certain promotional fares). Capacity controlled: A limited number of seats on a plane available at a particular fare (might also apply to passengers flying on a frequent flyer reward). Change penalty: A fee charged by the airlines in the event you change your ticket after purchasing it. Coach, or economy class: The cheapest, most abundant class of seats. Code share: An agreement between two airlines in which each shares its flight codes, which means travelers purchasing one airline's ticket might actually be flying on the other carrier's plane. Might also include other types of agreements, such as reciprocal frequent flyer benefits. Curbside check-in: A place at the curb in front of the terminal—which might be staffed or feature an automatic kiosk—where travelers can check in and check their baggage, rather than at the regular counter inside the terminal. Direct flight, versus nonstop: A flight which involves one or more stops (however, you stay on the same plane). "Nonstop" means there are no stops before you get to your destination. Electronic ticket: A booking made through the Internet or other electronic means, in which there is no paper ticket. Hub: An airport in a large city through which major airlines will route their flights. (See "point-to-point" below.) Minimum stay: The minimum time required for a traveler to stay at a destination in order to qualify for a certain fare. Some fares have maximum stay requirements as well, which generally are one month. Nonrefundable fare: A fare that can't be refunded for any reason after it's purchased. No-show penalty: A fee charged by the airlines in the event you miss your flight and attempt to use your ticket for a different flight. Nontransferable: A ticket that can't be exchanged for another ticket or flight. One-way fare based on a roundtrip purchase: The cost of an airline ticket from the point of origin to your destination (or vice versa), based on the total cost of the roundtrip flight. That is, you'd double the one-way fare to get the roundtrip price, which is actually what you'd pay. Peak, off-peak flights: "Peak" refers to flights scheduled for times when demand is heavy, hence the fares tend to be higher. Off-peak fares are lower because they are scheduled for flights when demand is light. Point-to-point: A nonstop flight between two cities, one or both of which may be smaller destinations. Rather than fly lots of nonstop flights between two smaller city pairs, the larger airlines have tended to route their flights from smaller cities through a major airport, called a hub. Seat pitch: A guide to leg room, pitch measures the distance between seats at the level of your knees. The industry standard in coach is 31—32 inches. Standby fare: A ticket sold at a discount but which doesn't guarantee you a seat on the plane. Standby passengers are usually boarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Upgrade: Switching your ticket from coach class to business or first class (or from business to first). Walk-up fare: A fare that's purchased at the last minute, usually considered to be within three days of the flight departure. Yield management: A system of calculating fares based on the supply of available seats versus the demand. As planes fill up and the supply of seats dwindles, fares increase. Conversely, if seats are not selling, the system will reduce fares in order to attract passengers. __________________________________________________________________________________________ ACFT/EQT: Aircraft Type ACI: Airports Council International. AD HOC SCHEDULE: A variation, addition or cancellation from the basic schedule of one or more flights on single dates. ADMINISTRATING CARRIER: The airline which controls the operation of a flight. AHC: Airport Handling Committee (IATA). AHM: Airport Handling Manual (IATA). AIRCRAFT: A transport vehicle which is certified as airworthy by a competent aeronautical authority. As used herein, the definition may include surface vehicles, the bookings and traffic handling for which are dealt with in a similar manner to that used for aircraft. AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATION: Planned utilisation layout of aircraft interior space. AIRIMP: Reservations Interline Message Procedures - Passenger (ATC/IATA). ALL-CARGO AIRCRAFT: A version of an aircraft type which carries cargo and mail only. AOC: Air Operators Certificate APT: Airport ARCS: Airline Routing and Connections Service ARINC: Aeronautical Radio Incorporated. ARS: Airline Reservation System ASM: Ad hoc Schedules Message (IATA) ATA: Air Transport Association of America. BOARD POINT: Station of embarkation BOOKING: See RESERVATION. BULKHEAD: A Rigid partition BUSINESS DAYS: In the context of Airport Coordination/Advice Procedures, business days refers to business days in the country of the message originator. CABIN: A compartment where passenger seats are installed CANX/DEL: Cancel(lation)/delete CARGO: Any goods carried on an aircraft. CHANGE OF GAUGE EN ROUTE: See CHANGE OF EQUIPMENT EN ROUTE. CITY PAIR: See SEGMENT CLASS: Segregation of passengers according to the fare paid or facilities and services offered CLASS OVERRIDE: Class which overrides that from a previous board point CODE SHARE: A generic term referring to various types of operational or commercial arrangements between two or more airlines. See COMMERCIAL DUPLICATE FLIGHT or SHARED AIRLINE DESIGNATION FLIGHT. COM: Comment COMMERCIAL DUPLICATE FLIGHT: A flight where the operating airline allows seats/space to be sold by one or more than one airline and all participants to such an agreement sell their seats/space on that flight under their own Flight Designator. COMPARTMENT: A space designated within the aircraft for the carriage of passengers or deadload. CONFIGURATION: See AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATION. CONNECTION (Also known as TRANSFER): The ability to transfer passengers, baggage, cargo or mail from one flight to another within a reasonable time period. CONTAINER: See UNIT LOAD DEVICE CRS: Computer Reservations System DATA: A representation of facts, concepts or instructions in a formalised manner suitable for communication, interpretation or processing by human beings or by automatic means. DATA ELEMENT: A data element is a sequence of alpha-numeric characters which, depending on their specific context and position, has a unique meaning, e.g. Flight Designator, Days of Operation. DEI: Data Element Identifier DES/DESI/DESIG: An Airline Designator code DOMESTIC FLIGHT LEG: A flight between two stations to which the same ISO country code applies. DOT: Department of Transportation DST: Daylight Saving Time DUPE/DUPLICATE LEG: A single, non-operational leg of a flight that, for commercial/technical reasons is displayed under more than one flight number by the operating carrier, or is displayed by a different Airline Designator/Flight Number by an airline other than the operating carrier. EDIFACT: Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (United Nations) EN ROUTE: (Equivalent to 'Through'). Between station of origin and station of destination FAA: Federal Aviation Authority FLT/FLIGHT: The operation of one or more legs with the same Flight Designator FTP: File Transfer Protocol FUNNEL FLIGHT: (Also known as COMPLEXING, STARBURST, W or Y FLIGHTS) A flight composed of two or more member flights which is identified by the Airline Designator and Flight Number of one of the members. Only one Airline Designator/Flight Number is operational on any one leg, but a leg may have multiple, non operational Flight Numbers). GDS: Global Distribution Systems GMT: Greenwich Mean Time IATA: International Air Transport Association Ivs Itinerary Variations ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organisation IDENTIFIER: A character or group of characters used to identify or name an item of data and possibly to indicate certain properties of that data. INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT LEG: A flight leg between two stations to which different ISO country. ISO: International Organisation for Standardisation. ITINERARY: A single flight or a series of identical flights defined by a continuous Period and Days of Operation (and Frequency Rate if applicable JOINT OPERATION FLIGHT: A flight on which more than one airline operates one or more of its legs LEASED OR BLOCKED SPACE FLIGHT: A flight where the operating airline leases (or blocks) some seats/space to one or more other airlines and all participants to such an agreement sell their seats/space on that flight under their own designator(s) LEG: The operation between a departure station and the next arrival station (non-stop) LINKS; ("OAG LINKS") OAG proprietary schedule update remote access system LT: Local Time MAIL: All types of material communications carried on one aircraft, e.g. General Post Office Mail, diplomatic mail, military mail and company (airline) mail. MCD: Multiple Carrier Designator MCT: Minimum Connecting Time. MOVEMENT: The arrival or departure of an aircraft NON-OPERATIONAL (COMMERCIAL LEG) See 'Operational Leg' OFF POINT: Station of disembarkation. OPERATION: The act of a transport vehicle travelling from point to point. OPERATIONAL LEG: A flight leg which is physically operated and identified by its Airline Designator and Flight Number. ORIGINATING FLIGHT: A flight designated by a Flight Designator, commencing at the station in question. PAX: Passengers RES/RESTN: Restriction ROTATION: The operation of consecutive legs in operational sequence between the station or origin and the station of destination of any flight. ROUTING: A list of consecutive legs in operational sequence between the station of origin and the station of destination of any flight. RSD: Release For Sale Date SAD: Shared Airline Designator SCR: A multi-volume set of documents which describe the protocols, standards and implementation issues related to inter-system communications for the airline and aeronautical communities. SECTOR: see LEG SEGMENT (Sometimes referred to as CITY PAIR). The operation between board point and any subsequent off point within the same flight. SISC: Schedules Information Standards Committee (IATA) SKD/SKED/SKEDS: Schedule SLOT: The scheduled time of arrival or departure available or allocated to an aircraft movement on a specific date at an airport. SPC: Scheduling Procedures Committee (IATA) SSIM: Standard Schedules Information Manual (IATA) SSM: Standard Schedules Message (IATA) STATION: A place to which a Location Identifier has been assigned. STOPOVER: A deliberate interruption of a through journey by the passenger at a station between the station of initial origin and the station of ultimate destination. TC's: Transfer Connections TECHNICAL LANDING: A landing for non-traffic purposes e.g. refuelling. Passengers cannot board or disembark at this point. TERMINATING FLIGHT: A flight, designated by a Flight Designator, ending at the station in question. THRU FLT: Direct Flight TIACA: The International Air Cargo Association TRANSFER: See 'CONNECTION'. TRANSIT FLIGHT: A flight, designated by a Flight Designator, during an en route landing at the station in question. TRANSIT STATION/AIRPORT: A scheduled en route stopping station on a flight. TRANSIT TIME: The time an aircraft remains in transit at the station in question. TURNAROUND: The station in an aircraft rotation, where the flight number changes. TTB: Timetable. UN/ECE: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. UNIT LOAD DEVICE: A load carrying device which interfaces directly with aircraft loading and restraint systems and meets all restraint requirements without the use of supplementary equipment. As such, it becomes a component part of the aircraft. The device can be either a combination of components or one complete structural unit. A combination unit is an aircraft pallet plus net plus non-structural igloo, or pallet plus net. A structural unit is a lower deck or a main deck cargo container, or a structural igloo assembly. UTC: Universal Time Coordinates (same as GMT). Z: Zulu (same as GMT).
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