ABTA    www.abta.com                                                           This is the official website of UK Travel Agents. It is a major trade association for tour operators and travel agents.

AITO AITO, the Association of Independent Tour Operators, is an organisation representing around 160 of Britain’s best specialist tour operators. AITO members are independent companies, most of them owner-managed, specialising in particular destinations or types of holiday; this means that they are uniquely placed to provide personalised advice based on first hand experience. Every AITO member is passionate about its chosen destinations or activities and keen to share that enthusiasm with discerning holidaymakers.

Apex Fare
Advanced Passenger Excursion Fare. Generally the lowest and most heavily restricted airfare.

ARNK
Arrival Unknown. On a Passenger Name Record(PNR) this will indicate that a passenger will arrive in one city and depart from another one.

ATC
Air Traffic Control

BAA    British Airport Authority. BAA is the world’s leading airport company.

Back-to-Back Ticketing
Booking two overlapping round trips with opposite origin and destination points, where both bookings meet restrictions required to obtain a discount fare (such as a Saturday-night stopover); then using one segment from each round trip for each direction of a single journey in order to get a lower overall fare.

Berth
1. A bed on a ship, usually attached to the bulkhead (qv).
2. By extension, a passengers stateroom.
3. The space on a dock at which a ship or boat is moored.

Blackout Periods
Days or periods of high demand when special rates are not in effect.
 

CAA Civil Aviation Authority

Cabin
1. The passenger compartment of an airplane.
2. A ship’s stateroom.
3. A rustic hotel room separate from the main building.

Cabin Steward
A ship’s employee responsible for cleaning staterooms.

Cable Car
1. A trolley operated by underground cables.
2. An aerial tramway

Cashless System
System operated on modern cruise ships where cash is not usually accepted onboard. All expenses (excluding tips and gambling costs) are billed for payment by credit card on the final morning of the cruise.

Child
A person who has attained his/her second but not their twelfth birthday.

Collision Damage Waiver
(CDW) If the vehicle or any of its parts or accessories are damaged other than by theft, attempted theft or vandalism, while on rental, CDW limits you liability to the amount of the non-waivable excess, if any, which applies in each country provided that you have complied with all the terms of the Rental Agreement. CDW does not cover any damage caused as a result of theft, attempted theft or vandalism.

Connecting Flight
A flight which requires the passenger to change aircraft as part of the itinerary.

Consolidator
Business that buys international tickets at deep discounts from airlines seating inventory that is expected to remain unsold. Consolidators resell tickets at a mark-up to travel agencies or travellers directly. (Travellers should understand terms for repayment are not favourable, should a consolidator cancel a flight. If you have not done business with a particular consolidator in the past, purchasing trip insurance may be a worthwhile option).

Coupon
Part of an airline ticket. The flight coupon is surrendered by the passenger at check-in. Coupons contain the formal contract of carriage

Direct Flight
A Flight between two predetermined points that does not require a passenger to change aircraft even though there may be an intermediate stop.

Disclaimer, disclaimer of liability
A formal denial of legal and financial responsibility for monetary losses or other injury incurred as a result of advice given or products or services sold. Example: A travel agent would use a disclaimer to ward off claims for injuries or losses a client might incur while travelling, as a result, say, of a charter cancellation or an accident while white-water rafting.

Elderhostel
1. Hostel that caters to senior citizens.
2. Special travel-study program for seniors offered by a college or university. Participants stay in college dormitories and may generally take a short course of study if they so desire.

Excess Baggage
Part of the baggage which is excess of the baggage which may be carried free of charge.

Excess Baggage Charge
Amount charged for the carriage of excess baggage

Excursion Fare
Round-trip fare with restrictions such as minimum and maximum stays or advance-purchase requirements

Fixed costs
Costs that remain constant independent of income. Example: Rent and utilities are fixed costs for business owners, while the cost of processing orders varies with the number of orders received. To stay in business, the owner must be able to cover his or her fixed costs.

Flight Coupon
Means that portion of the ticket that bears the notation good for passage and indicates the particular places between which the passenger is entitled to be carried.

Frequent flyer programme
A programme offered by various airlines to promote passenger loyalty. Participants earn credits good for free travel or upgraded service based on the number of miles they fly with the carrier. They are also entitled to special services. Participation is optional.

Go-Show
A Passenger without reservation who is able to board the plane.
 

IATA    www.iata.org International Air Transport Association

Inclusive Tour
A tour at a flat rate including airfare, accommodation, transfers sight seeing, etc but not necessarily covering all costs.

Infant
A passenger who has not reached his/her second birthday.

IPS
International Passenger Survey (IPS) The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a survey of a random sample of passengers entering and leaving the UK by air, sea or the Channel Tunnel. Over a quarter of million face-to-face interviews are carried out each year with passengers entering and leaving the UK through the main airports, seaports and the Channel Tunnel  -  click here

Minimum Connecting Time
The time needed for through checked baggage and passengers in transit to connect between two scheduled flights.

Miscellaneous Charges
Document issued by an air line or its agent which requests the issuance of a ticket or the supplying of certain services, such as sight seeing, transfers, etc.

Muster station
Onboard assembly point on ships in event of an emergency

Net Fare or Net Rate
Price or fare for a travel service, less an agents commission and without tax.

No Show
Passenger or hotel guest who fails to cancel a reservation not used.

Open Ticket
Ticket that is valid for transportation between certain points but indicates no specific reservation.

Overbooking
Practice of confirming more seats or rooms than are available, in order to protect against no-shows.

Passenger Coupon
Portion of the Passenger ticket and baggage check issued by or on behalf of a carrier, which constitutes the passenger’s written evidence of the contract of carriage.

Passenger Crew Ratio
Number of Passengers per crewmember as a rough guide to service levels aboard. A Ration of 1.5 would indicate an Outstanding level of service. Industry average is around 2.5 but larger ships have higher ratios.

Pre-paid Ticket
Ticketing method in which a person or company purchases an airline ticket in one location for a traveller in another. The traveller picks up the prepaid ticket from the airline ticket counter.

Rack Rate
Official posted rate for a hotel room, published airfares, or no contracted car rental rates.

Reconfirmation
Procedure by which passengers/clients confirm their intention to use the reserved service.

Refund
Reimbursement to purchaser of all or a portion of a fare, rate, or charge for unused service.

Revalidation Sticker
Official notice affixed to a flight coupon to indicate that a new reservation has been made.

Split Ticketing
Issuing two one-way tickets instead of a round-trip ticket, usually for purpose of obtaining a lower fare.

Stand-by
Passenger who does not hold a confirmed reservation, but who waits at the airport ready to travel if a seat becomes available.

Stop-over
Deliberate interruption of a journey, requested by the passenger, at a place between points of departure and destination.

Transfer
Local transportation and porter for example, from one terminal to another, from airport to hotel, from hotel to theatre, etc. It may be prearranged, Prepaid and/or part of an inclusive tour.

UKTS
The United Kingdom Tourism Survey (UKTS) is a national consumer survey measuring the volume and value of tourism trips taken by residents of the United Kingdom. The VisitBritain, VisitScotland, the Wales Tourist Board and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board jointly sponsor it. It began in 1989 and replaced the previous domestic tourism survey, the British Tourism Survey Monthly (BTSM) The survey covers trips away from home lasting one night or more taken by UK residents for the purpose of holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business and conferences or any other purpose. Tourism is measured in terms of volume (trips taken, nights away) and value (expenditure on trips).

Unlimited Mileage
(UM) Unlimited Mileage ensures that you can travel as many kilometres as you wish during your rental, free.

Waitlist
List used in reservations for passengers/clients who are waiting for confirmation of a service, which is fully booked at the time of reservation.


*Whilst we strive to provide you with the best advice possible, the information contained within these pages is intended to be used as a guide, infomat.net cannot be held responsible for any misfortune as a result of reading this guide*