AIRLINE TERMINOLOGY

Actual flying time: Definition: The actual time that an aircraft is in the air - does not include time on the ground (waiting in line for take-off, for example).

ADCOL: Definition: Also ADCOLL - The abbreviated form for additional collection.
Used by computer reservations systems, airports, and travel agencies. ADCOL is used to collect additional fees.
For example, paying to upgrade a ticket from economy to business class would require an ADCOL.

AOG Definition: Act of God - also known as a `force majeure'.
This encompasses the situations where airlines are not legally responsible to provide lodging, transport, or other expenses that travelers may incur as a result of an AOG. Inclement weather, civil disruptions, and other unanticipated events may be classified as an AOG.
Sometimes is also used to state the Aircraft is On the Ground - when an aircraft urgently needs some sort of maintenance on the ground when it is supposed to be in the air.

ADT Definition: The abbreviated form for Approved departure time.

Airline designator Definition: The code designated by IATA to represent the name of an airline (UA is United Airlines, QF is Qantas, etc.).

Airport codes Definition: Three letter codes used to identify airports (ex. YVR is Vancouver, Canada, EWR is Newark, New Jersey, etc.).

Air Rage Definition: When passengers become violent towards crew members or passengers

APEX Definition: Abbreviated form for Advance Purchase Excursion Fare. Usually refers to international fares that have been discounted.

ARNK Definition: Pronounced Arunk - The abbreviated form of Arrival Not Known.
Used in computer reservations systems to indicate a portion of an air travel itinerary that does not involve a flight. Eg: A passenger travels from Boston to Madrid. He makes his way to Barcelona by train. He flies back to Boston from Barcelona. The portion from Madrid to Barcelona would be an ARNK.

ATA Definition: The abbreviated form for actual time of arrival of a flight.

ATC Definition: The abbreviated form for Air Traffic Control.

AVIH Definition: Indicates that an animal is in the cargo hold, and not in the passenger cabin of an aircraft, used in computer reservations systems.

Back-to-Back Ticketing:Definition: Considered an illegal practice by the airlines. When a passenger does not meet the requirements of a discounted ticket (usually the Saturday night stay requirement), and is traveling more than once to a destination on business, a passenger may purchase two tickets.
For one ticket, the city of origin is the starting and ending point of the ticket. For the other, the destination city serves as the starting point of the ticket. Airlines that discover back to back ticketing may issue a warning; confiscate the ticket; assess a fee; etc.
For example, a passenger is traveling from Houston to Cleveland two weeks in a row from Monday to Wednesday both times. The first ticket would read Houston-Cleveland(first Monday), and Cleveland-Houston(second Wednesday). The second ticket would be Cleveland-Houston(first Wednesday), and Houston-Cleveland(second Monday).

Base Fare: Definition: The price of a ticket before any taxes have been added.

Bereavement Fare:Definition: A discounted fare offered to family members traveling because of an imminent death or death in the family. Most airlines that offer bereavement fares will require information about the situation

Black Box: Definition: Also known as the Cockpit Recorder or the Flight Data Recorder.
Records all of the data transmissions such as altitude, air speed, etc., and the voice and sound transmissions.
Black boxes are not black, they are brightly colored in order to find them more easily amongst the wreckage after an accident.

Black-out Dates: Definition: Also known as Blackout Periods.
The dates on which certain fares or certain types of tickets are not permitted.
Blackout dates can also extend to issues like baggage or cargo restrictions (for example, there may be winter blackout dates on specific aircraft, not permitting animals to be accepted in the cargo hold).
Blackout dates often apply during peak travel periods or over holiday travel periods.

Bucket Shop: Definition: The British term for a consolidator. A bucket shop deals in discounted fares.

Bulk Head: definition: The physical walls on an aircraft that separates the plane into different sections (such as business class and economy class).

Bulk Head Seats: Definition: The seats on an airplane that are immediately behind the bulkhead (see definition of bulkhead). These seats usually have limited storage, and may have either more leg room or sometimes less leg room.

Bumping: Definition: Passengers that are denied a seat on the flight they originally booked on due to a flight being oversold. They will then be `bumped' to another flight.

Call Sign:  Definition: The title used to identify an aircraft for communication purposes. An example would be Air Canada 856 (A flight from Toronto to London).

Carry-On: Definition: Luggage that is permitted to be brought on to the aircraft by the passenger.

Circle Trip: Definition: A trip that involves more than one destination.
An example would be London to Milan, then Milan to Frankfurt, and return to London (with Milan and Frankfurt both being destinations).

Cockpit: Definition: The compartment at the front of the plane containing all of the devices required to fly an aircraft.

Code Share: Definition: An agreement between airlines to sell space on each other's flights.
The flights will have both the operating carrier's flight number (the airline that is using its aircraft for the flight), and the code sharing flight number (the partner airline in the agreement sells space on the flight as if it were its own, and has its own flight number).
For example, Air Canada operates flight AC812 from Chicago O'Hare to Toronto Pearson. United codeshares on this flight, selling space as UA3094.

Commercial Airline: Definition: An airline that transports passengers.

COMP Definition: The abbreviated form of Complimentary - any freebies or complimentary extras.

Connection: Definition: The additional flight(s) required to get from the airport of origin to the final arrival airport. For example, Salt Lake City to London with a connection in Chicago means a change of planes in Chicago.

Consolidator: Definition: A company that negotiates the purchase of blocks of tickets from an airline and sells that space (at some sort of discount) to the traveling public.

Contract of Carriage: Definition: The legal contract between the passenger and the airline, issued with the ticket.

DALPO Definition: The abbreviated form of do all possible, used in computer reservations systems.

Destination:  Definition: The place a person is traveling to.

Direct Flight: Definition: A flight that stops at another airport, but passengers do not change planes.
An example of a direct flight is a passenger taking a direct flight from Boston to Dublin. The flight first stops at Shannon Airport and then continues to Dublin, with the passengers traveling to Dublin staying on the same plane.

Discount Fare: Definition: A lower priced fare, usually offered for a limited time.

Double Booking: Definition: Booking two or more reservations when only one will be used. Doing this can lead to all reservations involved being canceled.

ETA: Definition: The abbreviated form of Estimated Time of Arrival, used in computer reservations systems, airports, and by the travel industry. 

E-tickets: Definition: Also known as Electronic Tickets or Ticketless Travel.
A ticket that is not physically printed on ticket stock, and is instead stored in the computer reservation system of an airline. E-ticket holders are issued a receipt, contract of carriage, and flight itinerary as proof of travel documents.

Excess Baggage: Definition: Luggage that exceeds the airline's allowable limit for weight or number of pieces. Passengers are usually charged extra for excess baggage, if excess baggage is permitted at all.

Excursion Fare: Definition: A lower priced fare with restrictions, like advance purchase, non refundable, etc.

Extra Section: Definition: A second flight added to a flight schedule in order to accommodate additional passengers.

Fare Basis: Definition: Representing a specific fare and class of service with letters, numbers, or a combination of both. For example, the letter Y on its own represents full fare economy.

FIM: Definition: Abbreviated form of Flight Interruption Manifest. FIMs are flight coupons that are given to passengers when some change in their flight itineraries has occurred at the airport. For example, if a passenger volunteers to take a later flight in an oversold flight situation and the new flights involve a different connection city, a FIM (which acts as a ticket) will be issued so that the passenger has a ticket to fly on the new flights.

Final Approach: Definition: A common term for landing an aircraft at the end of a flight.

FIRAV: Definition: The abbreviated form for First Available Flight, used in computer reservations systems.

FLIFO: Definition: The abbreviated form for Flight Information, used in computer reservations systems.

FQTV: Definition: The abbreviated form for Frequent Traveler, used in computer reservations systems.

Fuel Surcharge: Definition: A fee added to a ticket by an airline to cover the increased cost of fuel. Usually lumped onto the cost of a ticket as if it were a tax.

Fuselage: Definition: The central body of the aircraft.

Gates: Definition: The physical areas of the airport where flights depart and arrive.

Hidden Cities: Definition: When a passenger books an itinerary that is further than his/her destination in order to get a lower fare. The passenger then ends travel by getting off the plane, and not connecting to the city that ensured the lower fare. Let's say that there is a seat sale between Chicago and San Francisco, but you want to travel to Denver and there is no seat sale that is as low as the one to San Francisco. If you booked the ticket Chicago to San Francisco with a connection in Denver, and got off in Denver, you would be practicing the `hidden cities' process (which the airlines consider illegal).

HK: Definition: Also KK and GK - the most frequently used codes to indicate confirmed space on a flight, used in computer reservations systems.

HL: Definition: The abbreviated form of have waitlisted (HL is a code representing waitlisting), used in computer reservations systems.

Holding Pattern: Definition: When Air Traffic Control has a flight turn away from the airport and remain at an assigned altitude instead of landing. The pilots then await further instructions.

hub Definition: An airport where an airline bases many of its major flight operations, and uses many of the gates for its aircraft.

IATA: Definition: The abbreviated form of International Air Transport Association.

Illegal Connection: Definition: Connections that do not adhere to the minimum connection time, and are thus not legal connections because it is deemed that there is not enough time to connect.

Inbound: Definition: The return flight portion of a ticket.

Inflight: Definition: Services provided during a flight.

In Transit: Definition: A passenger is currently traveling to his/her destination.

INVOL: Definition: The abbreviated form of Involuntary denied boarding.
Refers to passengers who do not volunteer to take a later flight due to an oversold flight situation (and are compensated for doing so), but are forced to take a later flight.

Itinerary: Definition: A list of flights that a passenger is scheduled to take.

Jet Lag: Definition: The tired, often disorienting way a passenger feels after traveling through many time zones in a short amount of time.

Joint Fare: Definition: An agreement between certain airlines to charge specific fares when a passenger uses more than one airline. These fares are agreed on by the airlines involved and would be closer to the fares that could be charged if a passenger was only traveling on one airline to get to their destination.

Landing Fee: Definition: A fee that the airlines pay for the right to land at an airport.

Layover: Definition: Usually an overnight stop during the flight portion of a trip, involving a change of airplanes or another form of transportation.

Leg: Definition: One single flight portion of an itinerary.

Low Season: Definition: The times of year when prices of tickets decline because it is a less popular time of year to travel to a destination.

MAAS Definition: The abbreviated form for Meet and Assist, used in computer reservations systems. Indicates that the passenger needs to be assisted in some way by an airline agent.

MCO: Definition: The abbreviated form of Miscellaneous Charge Order, used by airlines and travel agencies.
It is widely known for its use as a travel voucher. Can also be used for collecting miscellaneous charges such as excess baggage and change fees.

minimum connection time Definition: The legal minimum time necessary to change planes at a given airport. If this is ignored, the connection is called an illegal connection.

MIN/MAX: Definition: The abbreviated form for Minimum/Maximum stay - refers to the minimum and maximum times allowed for travel on a ticket. Minimum and maximum stays are restrictions often imposed on discounted fares. Weekend fares are examples of tickets with minimum and/or maximum stays. A weekend fare will typically allow a passenger to begin travel on a Friday or Saturday, and return Monday or Tuesday. In this example, the minimum stay would be a Saturday night, with the maximum stay being the Monday or Tuesday.

NN: Definition: The abbreviated form of need or require space on a flight or another air travel related service, used in computer reservations systems.

Non Refundable: Definition: If a passenger does not use a ticket, none of the money paid for the ticket will be returned. Many airlines will allow such unused, non refundable tickets to be used as a credit towards future travel after paying a fee to change the ticket.

NOOPs: Definition: The abbreviated form for Not Operating, used in computer reservations systems. In other words, the flight is not operating because it has been removed from the airline's schedule, or has been canceled.

NOREC: Definition: The abbreviated form for No Record, used in computer reservations systems. Indicates no record of a passenger's booking can be found.

NOSHO: Definition: Also known as No Show. A passenger who doesn't show up to take the flight that he/she is booked on.

off-line connection Definition: A connection that not only involves a change of planes, but a change of airlines as well.

On-line Connection: Definition: A connection that involves a change of airplanes but not a change of airlines.

Open Jaw: Definition: A flight itinerary where the departure city is different on the way out than the return.
Or alternatively, the destination city that a passenger arrives in is different than the one that is departed from on the return portion of a flight itinerary. An example would be a traveler starting at New York's Laguardia flying into San Francisco International, and then returning to Washington Dulles airport instead of New York.

Open Ticket: Definition: A ticket with no date specified and the passenger books a flight when ready to travel. These are usually full fare tickets, as opposed to a discounted, restricted fare.

Outbound: Definition: The portion of the trip where a passenger is leaving the first city of a flight itinerary and is traveling to a destination, or destinations.

Overbook: Definition: When an airline takes more reservations for a flight than it has seats on an aircraft.
This is based upon the assumption that there will be passengers who will not show up for their flights. Thus, it is assumed, there will be enough space on the flight for the overbookings.

Oversell: Definition: As with overbooking, it is when an airline takes more reservations than it has seats on an aircraft.

PAX: Definition: Also PSGR - The abbreviated form of passenger, used in computer reservations systems.

PIL: Definition: Also known as Flight Manifest. The abbreviated form for passenger information list.
A PIL contains the list of all persons on board and contains details such as special meals, additional assistance requirements, and/or other information

PNR: Definition: The abbreviated form for Passenger Name Record or Personal Name Record, used in computer reservations systems. A PNR contains all of the passenger's information contained in a specific booking like flights, phone numbers, etc.

Published Fare: Definition: A fare that is available for purchase to anyone.

Record Locator: Definition: A combination of letters, numbers, or both forming a unique code which identifies a passenger's booking.

Red Eye: Definition: An overnight flight that arrives early the following morning.

Revalidation Sticker: Definition: Also known as a Validation Sticker. A sticker placed on a flight coupon in order to indicate a change in flight number, time, class of service, etc.

RMKS: Definition: The abbreviated form for Remarks, used in computer reservations systems.
Remarks may include that the passenger has been advised of the rules of the fare, or other information that is not vital information for airport agents, but may be important for reservation agents.

Round Trip: Definition: A flight itinerary that involves flying to a single destination and back.

Routing: Definition: The sequence of airports used (whether it be connections or destinations) in order to build an airfare.

SC: Definition: The abbreviated form for Schedule Change, used in computer reservations systems. Indicates some sort of change in the arrival or departure times of a flight

Segment: Definition: As with Leg, it is a single portion of a flight itinerary.

Short Haul: Definition: Shorter flights, both in terms of distance and duration.

Shoulder Season: Definition: The travel season that falls between low and high seasons, offering fares that also fall somewhere between low and high seasons.

Standby: Definition: The procedure of waiting for a seat to open up on a flight on which a passenger is not booked/confirmed.

Stopover: Definition: A planned stop of at least one night (or more than 4 hours domestically), and then continuing the next part of a flight itinerary.

Through Fare: Definition: The fare to a destination reached by traveling through a gateway city.
For example, traveling from Atlanta to Oslo via London. The fare is given all the way through from Atlanta to Oslo, and is not broken into a fare between Atlanta and London, and London and Oslo.

Ticket: Definition: A contractual travel document between a traveler and an airline.

Ticket Stock: Definition: Blank airline tickets.

UM: Definition: The abbreviated form for unaccompanied minor, used in computer reservations systems. An unaccompanied minor is a child traveling without a parent or guardian.

Unrestricted Fare: Definition: A more expensive fare that offers greater flexibility (allowing changes, refunds, etc.).

UTR: Definition: The abbreviated form for unable to reach, used in computer reservations systems.
Usually a comment added to a file when some part of a passenger's flight itinerary has changed, and the airline has not yet been able to reach the passenger to advise them.

VOL: Definition: The abbreviated form of Voluntary denied boarding, refers to passengers who volunteer to take a later flight due to an oversold flight situation (and are compensated for doing so).

WK: Definition: Code used to indicate space was confirmed on a flight but no longer is, used in computer reservations systems. WK means that the original flight has somehow changed. Some reasons include - it is now a different flight number, departure time, date of travel, or canceled.

XCL: Definition: Also XXL - The abbreviated form of canceled, used in computer reservations systems.

Zulu time: Definition: Also known as UTC (Universal Time Coordinated), was GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)- Zulu time is the standard time used for flight operations globally.