Acronyms & Glossary
The travel industry is a world of acronyms and unique terms and it can be a constant world of deciphering what your colleagues are talking about. Here are some of the top acronyms and key words you need to know to help you better understand the travel industry. And for fun, we added the phonetic alphabet.
A (Alpha)
ADM (Agency Debit Memo): A notice sent from an airline to an agency, requiring the agency to pay the airline. A frequent reason for a debit memo is the non-compliance of an airline's rules relating to a ticket transaction.
Aggregator: A website or booking platform that collects and displays travel content from multiple sources (airlines, hotels, car) in a single location.
AMM (ARC Memo Manager): An easy way for airlines and agencies to electronically process and settle debit/credit memos.
API: A particular set of rules and specifications that software programs can follow to communicate with each other. It serves as an interface between different software programs and facilitates their interaction, similar to the way the user interface facilitates interaction between humans and computers.
AP (Advance purchase): An airfare that must be purchased a certain number of days ahead of departure, usually 7, 14, or 21 days before departure.
Airport code: A 3-letter code used to identify airports. For example DAL – Dallas, Love Field.
ARC (Airlines Reporting Corp): a settlement service provider for airlines and travel agencies. It is the transaction link between agencies airlines. It also serves as an accreditor for travel agencies who use GDSs to book tickets.
ASM: Available Seat Mile
ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents)
B (Bravo)
Block-out dates: Days excluded for some promotion fares and discounts during peak dates.
BTA (business travel account): sometimes known as a “ghost card”, is a central billing and payment solution provided for clients to manage expenses. It allows for the payment of travel services without the need for a physical credit card.
C (Charlie)
CCC (Certified Cruise Counsellor)
CTA (Certified Travel Associate)
CTC (Certified Travel Counsellor)
CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association)
Chargeback: A payment authority issued to a travel supplier to charge an account or corporate credit card for the approved travel services provided.
City pair: The origin and arrival destination of a trip.
Code share: Airlines that share the same flight numbers and operate as one carrier for specified routes and city pairs. This is where a seat is purchased on one airline (the selling carrier), but the flight is operated by a different airline (the operating carrier).
Corporate fare: A negotiated airfare for business travel.
D (Delta)
E (Echo)
EMD (Electronic Miscellaneous Document): An electronic voucher issued by an airline or designated agency to document various non-flight related services or fees. JSX currently does not support EMDs
ETA (Estimated time of arrival)
ETD (Estimated time of departure)
F (Foxtrot)
FAM (Familiarization Trip): FAM Trips are trips typically for travel advisors, provided either for free or at a discount, that can be used to become familiar with the products they will be selling.
Fare class: The class of travel that an airline offers, such as economy, premium economy, business class, or first class.
Fare basis: The code used to identify the pricing rules and conditions for a particular fare class.
Fare type: Refers to the different types of airfares offered by airlines and their associated inclusions and conditions, such as Hop On or All In
FOP: Form of Payment
G (Golf)
GDS (Global Distribution System): A reservation network used as a single point of access for issuing airline tickets, viewing schedules, reserving hotel rooms and rental cars. The GDS leaders include Amadeus, Apollo/Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan. Note: JSX currently only uses Sabre.
GBTA (Global Business Travel Association): a global business travel and meetings trade organization that delivers education, events, research, advocacy, and media to a network of travel professionals.
Group: Often categorized as 10 or more people traveling together in a single booking.
H (Hotel)
HOL (Home Office Location): An ARC-accredited agency that has one or more ARC locations associated to it.
Hub: An airport that serves as a connecting point for travel to multiple destinations.
I (India)
IATA (International Air Transport Association)
IATA is a trade association that represents airlines and also provides accreditation that allows advisors to sell international or domestic tickets on behalf of IATA member airlines.
IC (Independent Contractor)
In the travel industry, independent contractors are typically affiliated with a host agency that provides resources like discounts/commissions with suppliers, payment processing, and training. They are not typically employed by their host agency.
Incidentals: Incidentals refer to expenses incurred by a traveler during a trip that is not included in the primary travel expenses, such as meals, hotels, and other miscellaneous expenses.
J (Juliet)
Joint fare: A fare option offered by airlines that allows travelers to purchase a single ticket for a trip that involves multiple airlines through a codeshare or interline agreement.
K (Kilo)
L (Lima)
Land only: Includes only the cost of ground transportation, accommodation, and other non-airfare expenses.
Layover: The period spent between connecting flights on the ground.
LCC (Low-cost carrier (airline))
M (Mike)
M&E: Meetings and Events
MCO (Miscellaneous Charges Order): A document that serves as proof of payment for various non-ticket purchases or as a residual amount from a ticket exchange. JSX does not have the ability to view agency MCOs.
MICE: Meetings, incentives, conferences, and events.
MCT (Minimum connect time): The minimum time required between connecting flights.
Multi-airport city: A city that offers more than one major airport. For example, London has, UK – Heathrow Airport (LHR), Gatwick Airport (LGW), Stansted Airport (STN), and Luton Airport (LTN)
N (November)
NCF (Non-Commissionable Fees): a charge does not qualify for commission.
NDC (New Distribution Capability): A change in how airlines communicate and share information with travel agents and other third-party sellers. It provide richer content and allows for personalized offers and allows carriers to share more detailed product information, such as seat selection, baggage options, and upgrade offers, which were previously limited in traditional Global Distribution Systems (GDS).
Nett rate: The price of flights excluding commission.
Non-commissionable: A rate or fare that does not include or qualify for a commission payment.
O (Oscar)
OA: Other Airline
OBT (online booking tool): technology that allows businesses and their employees to book their business travel (flights, hotel, car rental, rail) online. OBTs are offered by 3rd party providers (Concur), GDS propriety tools, and many agencies are now developing their own OBT solutions.
Open skies policy: Refers to a corporate travel policy that allows employees to book flights on any airline to provide more flexibility and choice, and potentially reduce costs by finding the most competitive fares available.
OTA (Online travel agency)
Open-jaw itinerary: A trip that has no air travel between two points on the itinerary.
Online adoption rate: The percentage of tickets issued via an online booking tool compared to booking over the phone or email with a Travel Consultant.
P (Papa)
Point to point: Direct travel between two locations without layovers or connecting flights
Preferred supplier program: A preferred supplier program involves establishing a list of preferred travel suppliers with whom travelers are encouraged/required to book.
Pax (Passengers): An abbreviation in the travel industry that refers to passengers, particularly for air. Note at JSX, we say customer.
PNR (Passenger Name Record): a customer reservation number in the GDS. The PNR is used by airlines, travel agents, and other travel providers to track and manage reservations and itineraries.
Phonetic alphabet: Created to ensure clear and standardized communication among pilots and air traffic controllers. Commonly used by travel industry employees.
PCC (Pseudo city code): a unique identifier assigned to a travel agency or travel management company (TMC) within a global distribution system (GDS) to identify the booking agency.
PRASM (Passenger Revenue per Available Seat Miles): Revenue from passenger fares only divided by total number of seats available across all miles flown.
PSS (Passenger Service System): an airline reservations system, an airline inventory system and a departure control system (DCS).
Q (Quebec)
Queue: A queue is a list of reservations that require special attention by a travel consultant, typically organized by priority or category, such as pending bookings, waitlisted reservations, ticketing deadlines, or canceled trips.
R (Romeo)
RASM: Revenue per Available Seat Mile
Restricted fare: An airfare that comes with certain restrictions, such as advance purchase, minimum stay, or limitations on changes or cancellations. These fares often have lower prices than unrestricted fares.
RFP (Request for Proposal): is a formal document that a company issues to travel suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, and travel management companies, to solicit bids and proposals for travel services. The RFP process allows companies to compare and evaluate multiple travel suppliers and select the one that best meets their needs.
Red-eye: A late-night or overnight flight that arrives at its destination in the early morning.
RTW (Round the World): Some airlines or alliances extend discounted or promotional offers for RTW fares.
Res: Short for reservation
Reissue: A new airline ticket is generated by exchanging an existing one due to changes. This may include change fees and penalties.
S (Sierra)
Seat pitch: The distance between a point on one aircraft seat and the same point on the seat in front or behind it.
SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel): is the main term used by the aviation industry to describe fuel produced from sustainable feedstocks and is very similar in its chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel. Using SAF results in a reduction in carbon emissions compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces over the lifecycle of the fuel and mainly through the manufacturing process.
SMB or SME (Small to Medium-sized business/enterprise): refers to businesses that have a certain revenue spend falling between small and large organizations.
Segment: One part of a journey within a larger travel itinerary. Sometimes referred to as a ‘leg’ of a trip. A segment equates to take-off and landing.
T (Tango)
TMC (travel management company): is a travel agency that typically specializes in corporate travel.
T&E (Travel and Entertainment expenses): Costs incurred by employees while traveling or attending events for work.
Transit: To transit involves a transfer between transportation services, such as a connecting flight or train, or simply passing through a location on the way to the final destination.
Transient: A traveler who only stays in a place for a short period of time.
TRASM (Total Revenue per Available Seat Mile): Revenue from passengers and cargo divided by total number of seats available across all miles flown
Travel credit: Credits are offered when the conditions of the booking do not permit a refund. Typically issued as a dollar value that can be applied towards the cost of future bookings with the nominated airline. Travel credits may have certain restrictions, such as expiration dates or non-transferable. Also referred to as tickets on hold or credit hold.
Travel policy: The policy outlines the process and requirements for booking and managing travel, as well as any restrictions and guidelines that employees must adhere to when traveling for work.
Travel Manager / Program Manager: A person that is responsible for managing a company’s travel program, including policies, procedures, and relationships with travel suppliers.
Travel Arranger / Booker: Someone who is responsible for booking travel on behalf of employees within a company.
Travel Advisor / Consultant: A travel professional who provides expert advice and guidance on travel arrangements for businesses and their employees.
TTL (Ticketing Time Limit): the time limit airlines stipulate for a ticket to be purchased and issued to avoid cancellation or expiry of the airfare.
TTV (Total transaction value): This term is used to describe the total value of all travel-related transactions, such as airline tickets, hotel bookings, and car rentals.
U (Uniform)
UATP (Universal Air Travel Plan): a global payment system that enables businesses to make payments for travel-related expenses through a single account. It helps to provide enhanced data reporting and fraud prevention measures. Note: JSX does not currently accept UATP as a form of payment.
V (Victor)
VCC (Virtual Credit Card): a digital payment solution. A VCC is a unique one-time-use credit card number that is generated for a single transaction.
VCR (Virtual Coupon Record): An electronic representation of a passenger's ticket, essentially an electronic ticket.
Visa: A document that grants permission to enter a country for a specific purpose and for a period of time.
W (Whiskey)
Waitlist: A waitlist refers to a reservation status for flights where the requested availability is not currently available, but the traveler wants to be notified if space becomes available in the future.
X (X-ray)
Y (Yankee)
Yield management: The process of optimizing revenue by adjusting prices in response to market demand.