MAAS. CRS. Meet and assist.
maglev. Abr. Magnetic levitation.
A technology used in high-speed trains.
magrodome. On a cruise ship,
a retractable glass skylight over a swimming pool.
maid service. Room cleaning
services, such as those provided in a hotel, that are
offered separately as in a condo (qv) or villa (qv).
maiden voyage. The first voyage
of a ship.
maitre d'. Fr. The host or head
waiter at a restaurant; supervises the waiters. Also
maitre d'hotel.
mal de mer. Fr. Seasickness.
management contract. An arrangement
whereby a hotel's owner contracts with a separate company
to run the hotel.
management report. A report
prepared by a travel agency for a corporate client detailing
all travel activity and expenditures during the reporting
period. Used to analyze patterns of travel usage.
manifest. A document listing
the contents of a shipment or the passengers on a ship.
manual. 1. A book of instructions,
computer documentation. 2. A car with a manual transmission.
MAP. Abr. Modified American
plan (qv).
MAPTA. Metropolitan Association
of Professional Travel Agents.
Marad. Abr. Maritime
Administration.
Mardi Gras. From the French
phrase meaning "Fat Tuesday." A pre-Lenten celebration,
marked by street revelry and parades, most notably observed
in New Orleans.
market share. The volume of
sales, expressed as a percentage, achieved by one company
in a specific geographic area, compared to all sales
of similar products or of similar companies.
market share override program.
An enhanced commission system in which a supplier (typically
an airline) will pay a travel agency an override (qv)
only when the agency's percentage of sales of the supplier's
product exceeds by a specified amount the supplier's
market share in the travel agency's market. In other
words, a travel agency's sales of an airline's tickets
might have to reach 33% of the agency's total airline
sales before the airline, with a market share of 30%
in the agency's market, would pay the agency an override.
marketing. The process of identifying
and reaching specific segments of a population for the
purposes of selling them a product or service.
markup. The sum of money or
percentage added to a wholesale or purchase price to
arrive at the retail or resale price.
marquee. 1. A sign over a theater
entrance listing the current attraction. 2. A large
tent, usually without some or all the sides, used during
outdoor events.
MARS. Abr. Multi-access reservations
system.
martial law. The suspension
of normal civil law and its replacement by strict military
control. Often declared during times of civil unrest.
Mason-Dixon line. The boundary
between Pennsylvania and Maryland. The traditional boundary
between the Northern and Southern United States.
masseur, masseuse. Fr. The male
and female variants for a person who gives massages.
MAST. Midwest Agents Selling
Travel.
maximum authorized amount. The
largest sum of money a bank can withdraw from a travel
agency's account to settle its weekly sales report.
Mayday. 1. A radio signal word
used to denote a distress call. 2. By extension, a distress
call.
MCO. CRS. Abr. Miscellaneous
charge order.
MCT. CRS. Minimum connecting
time (qv).
meal sitting. See sitting.
meet and greet. Slang. Term
for a service that greets and assists members of a group
on their arrival at the airport.
meeting fare. Special fare negotiated
with an airline for passengers traveling to attend a
specific meeting or convention.
meeting planner. A person who
specializes in the planning and organization of conventions
and other business meetings.
meeting rate. Special rate offered
by a hotel for guests attending a meeting, usually one
being held at the hotel.
mega-agency. Slang. A very large
travel agency with nationwide operations. There are
currently about seven such agencies in the United States.
megalopolis. An extended urban
area caused by the tendency of large cities to grow
together.
megaship. An extremely large
cruise vessel, typically with a passenger capacity of
greater than 2,000.
menu engineering. In the hospitality
industry, a process that analyzes the entire menu (as
opposed to individual menu items) as a measure of profitability.
merchant marine. 1. The commercial
shipping industry of a given nation. 2. Those involved
in that industry.
merchant model pricing. A system
in which suppliers sell space to travel agents at a
net price, allowing the agency to set a retail price
of its choosing.
merchant status. The relationship
between a company, such as a travel agency, and a bank
that allows the company to accept credit card payments
from its customers.
merger. The legal process whereby
one corporation acquires or joins with another.
meridians. The imaginary lines
of longitude on a globe.
merry-go-round. A circular amusement
park ride on which fixed wooden horses or other figures,
carry riders. See also carousel.
metal. Slang. An airplane.
metal detector. A hand-held
or walk-through device, such as those used at airport
security checkpoints, used to detect concealed metal
objects.
Me-Too. Nickname for a web site,
jointly owned by 11 European airlines, that would sell
a variety of travel products directly to the public,
bypassing travel agents; so named for its resemblance
to a similar web site owned by five U.S. airlines. See
also, T-2.
metro. A public rail transportation
system. A subway system.
Metroliner. An Amtrak train
running between New York and Washington, offering faster
service at a higher fare.
mezzanine. The first balcony
level above the orchestra in a theater. See also dress
circle.
microbrewery. A beer maker with
limited capacity whose products are typically distributed
within a restricted geographic region.
mid-air passenger exchange.
Slang. Tasteless air traffic control term for a collision
between two planes.
mid-office system. The management
information (or MIS) portion of a travel agency's computer
system, as distinct from the CRS (front office) and
accounting functions (back office).
midship(s). See amidships.
migration. 1. The periodic movement
of animals from one location to another. 2. The movement
of large groups of ethnically similar peoples from one
area to another.
mileage allowance, mileage cap.
The mileage a rental car may be driven on a single day
without additional charge.
mileage charge. The per mile
fee charged by a car rental company.
mileage run. A multi-segment
airline trip taken during periods of special promotions
for the sole or primary purpose of accruing frequent
flyer miles.
mileage system, mileage based pricing.
An airfare system allowing stopovers up to a specific
maximum permitted mileage.
milk run. Slang. A trip, usually
by a train and late at night, that makes many stops
along the way.
millennium. 1. A period of 1,000
years. 2. Informally, January 1, 2000, expected to be
a record-breaking time for tourism.
millibar. A measure of atmospheric
pressure.
MIN. CRS. Minimum room (qv).
minibar. A hotel room amenity
consisting of a small, stocked refrigerator containing
beverages and snacks which are inventoried daily and
paid for as they are used.
minimum connecting time. The
legally defined minimum time necessary to change planes
at a given airport.
minimum land package. The minimum
cost of land arrangements that must be purchased to
qualify for a special air fare.
minimum room. An inexpensive
hotel room booked with the understanding that the booking
can be upgraded if other rooms are available on arrival.
minshuku. An inexpensive Japanese
inn, with fewer amenities and a lower level of service
than a ryokan (qv).
MINR. CRS. Minimum rate.
MIS. Abr. Management information
system.
miscellaneous charge order.
An ARC document used to process the payment of travel
arrangements other than airfares.
MLM. Abr. Multi-level marketing
(qv).
M/M. CRS. Mr. and Mrs.
MOD. CRS. Moderate room.
modem. A device that allows
computers to exchange data over phone lines.
modified American plan. A hotel
rate that includes two meals daily, usually breakfast
and dinner.
MODR. CRS. Moderate rate.
modular. In sections. Designed
for easy expansion, as a modular computer system.
MOML. CRS. Muslim meal.
Montezuma's revenge. Slang.
Traveler's diarrhea (qv), especially when experienced
in Mexico. Named after the Aztec king of Mexico conquered
by the Spanish. Considered derogatory by Mexicans.
moor. To secure a ship to a
dock.
Morse code. A communications
system consisting of letters coded into dots and dashes,
and used in telegraphs.
mortality rate. 1. Of humans,
the rate of deaths per thousand or hundred thousand
of population. 2. Of businesses, the rate at which they
cease operations or the amount of time between inception
and failure.
motel. A type of hotel in which
parking is provided at or near the room and the room
door gives out onto the parking lot.
motor court, motor hotel. See
motel.
motor home. A recreational vehicle
that is self-driving (as opposed to towed) and which
contains complete living accommodation.
motorbike. A small, easily-operated
motorcycle.
motorboat. A power boat. A boat
with an inboard or outboard gasoline or diesel engine.
motorcoach. A bus specifically
designed for touring, featuring large windows and a
large luggage compartment. May include toilet facilities.
moving sidewalk. A motorized,
belt-like people mover which operates flush to the floor.
Often found in long corridors at airports.
MPH. Abr. Miles per hour.
MPI. Meeting Professionals International,
formerly Meeting Planners International.
MPM. Abr. Maximum permitted
mileage. See also mileage system.
MS. Abr. Motor ship. A designation
for many cruise liners.
MSCN. CRS. Misconnection.
MST. Abr. Mountain Standard
Time.
MT. Abr. CRS. Mountain Time.
MTS. Abr. Motor turbine ship.
multi-access system. A CRS that
can directly access the computers of several airlines
or other travel suppliers.
multi-level. Having more than
one floor or level.
multi-level marketing. A distribution
scheme in which individuals are compensated for sales
volume generated by people they have recruited into
the distribution network; often a feature of referral
agencies (qv).
mural. A large-scale painting
on an interior or exterior wall.
Murphy bed. A bed designed to
fold up into the wall when not in use. Found in some
hotel rooms.
mustering station. A place on
a ship where passengers or crew must gather in case
of emergency.
MV. Abr. Motorized vessel.
MY. Abr. Motorized yacht.
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