A.CRS. 1. Availability; will display
flights with seats available. 2. An arunk (qv) or surface
segment of a trip. 3. American plan (qv). 4. Code for
a class of service, usually superior.
a la carte. Fr. Literally, "from
the menu." Indicates that each dish ordered will have
a separate price. Also, used in tour literature to indicate
a choice of dishes will be available.
AA. 1. American Airlines. 2. Alcoholics
Anonymous.
AAA. American Automobile Association.
AAAE. American Association of
Airport Executives.
AAD. CRS. Agent automated deduction.
AAR. Association of American Railroads. AARP. American
Association of Retired Persons.
AATTA. African-American Travel
and Tourism Association.
ABA. American Bus Association.
abaft. adj. On a ship, behind.
For example, "abaft the bridge."
ABC. 1. CRS. Advanced booking
charters. 2. Slang. The islands of the Netherlands Antilles
-- Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.
abeam. Off to the side of a ship
or at right angles to its length.
above board. On a cruise ship,
cabins above water level.
ABTA. Association of British Travel
Agents.
AC. 1. Abr. Alternating current.
2. CRS. Access card.
ACAP. Aviation Consumer Action
Project.
a/c. Abr. 1. Air conditioned.
2. Additional collection.
acceleration clause. A provision
in a promissory note (qv) calling for the immediate
payment of the balance in the event of a default (qv)
by the borrower.
access code. Password to gain
entry into a computer or a computer file.
ACCL. American Canadian Caribbean
Line.
accommodation. Any seat, berth,
room, or service sold to a passenger.
accommodation ladder. A portable,
external ladder on the side of a ship, used for shore
or tender (qv) access.
accountable document. Any piece
of paper that, when validated by a travel agency, has
a monetary value and which must be accounted for to
the ARC (qv).
accountable manual documents.
Blank ARC (qv) ticket stock used to hand-write tickets.
accreditation. Approval given
by various trade associations to a travel agency allowing
the sale of tickets and other accommodations.
accrual method. An accounting
system in which the recording of income and expenses
is adjusted to reflect the time periods to which they
apply, as opposed to the time monies were received or
disbursed. See also cash method.
ACI. Assist Card International.
ACI-NA. Airports Council International,
North America.
ACK. CRS. Acknowledge.
ACON. CRS. Air conditioned.
ACRA. American Car Rental Association.
acrophobia. Fear of heights.
act of God. A meteorological or
seismic event over which a travel provider has no control
and, hence, no legal responsibility. See also, force
majeure.
ACTA. Alliance of Canadian Travel
Associations.
ACTE. Association of Corporate
Travel Executives.
actual flying time. Total time
spent in the air, as opposed to scheduled flight time
or time spent waiting on the ground.
ACV. Abr. Air cushioned vehicle.
Hovercraft (qv).
AD. 1. CRS. Agent's discount. When followed by
a number, indicates the percentage amount of the discount.
For example: AD75 indicates a discount to travel agents
of 75% off unrestricted coach fares. 2. Abr. Lat. Anno
Domini, "year of our Lord."
ADA room. A hotel room that complies
with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
ad hoc. Lat. Of tours, put together
on a customized or one-time basis, usually from existing
options.
ADB. CRS. 1. Advise if duplicate
booking. 2. Air discount bulletin.
add/coll. Abr. Additional collection.
add-on fare. Amount added to a gateway fare (qv) to
arrive at a through fare (qv). Sometimes called a proportional
fare.
add-on(s). Anything optional purchased
by a passenger, as in tour arrangements.
adiabatic rate. Rule of thumb
which holds that temperature decreases as altitude increases
(3.5ˇF per 1,000 ft.).
adjoining rooms. Hotel rooms which,
while next to each other, have no connecting doors.
See also connecting rooms.
ADNO. CRS. Advise if not okay.
ADOA. CRS. Advise on arrival.
ADR. CRS. Average daily rate.
ADT. Abr. Atlantic Daylight Time;
Alaska Daylight Time.
ADTK. CRS. Advise if ticketed.
aduane. Fr. Customs.
ADV. CRS. Advise.
advertised tour. Specifically,
a travel package meeting the airline requirements needed
to be assigned an IT (inclusive tour) number.
advance purchase rate. Price for
a product or service purchased or guaranteed a specified
number of days prior to arrival or use.
ADVN. CRS. Advise as to names.
ADVR. CRS. Advise as to rate.
aerospace. Concerning the earth's
atmosphere and its immediate environs, as in "Aerospace
Museum."
AF. CRS. Added phone.
AFA. Association of Flight Attendants.
affinity card. A credit card marketed
by a company, charity, or other group in association
with the credit card company.
affinity charter. A charter (of
an airplane, ship, etc.) arranged by or for an affinity
group.
affinity group. A group of people
linked by a common bond, such as ethnicity or membership
in an organization.
affinity group airfare. A fare
set aside specifically for affinity groups.
AFT. CRS. Actual flying time (qv).
aft. Toward the rear of a ship.
agency. 1. A legal relationship
in which one person acts for another in a business dealing
with a third party. 2. A travel agency.
Agency Agreement, The. The contract
used by IATAN (qv) to govern its dealings with travel
agencies.
agency check. A check drawn on
the business account of a travel agency and bearing
the agency's name.
agency list. The list maintained
by ARC (qv) and IATAN (qv) of appointed travel agencies.
agency manager. The person in
a travel agency who holds appointment from ARC (qv),
IATA (qv), etc. The person who runs an agency's day-to-day
affairs.
agent. 1. A person who represents
another to a third party. 2. A travel agent.
agent bypass. The practice of
suppliers dealing directly with the public See also
agentless booking.
agent eligibility list. A list
prepared by the travel agency and submitted to ARC (qv)
or IATAN (qv) of agency employees eligible for travel
benefits. Also referred to as "the ARC list."
Agent Reporting Agreement, The.
The contract used by ARC (qv) to govern its dealings
with travel agencies.
agent sine. CRS. An agent's two-letter personal
identification code.
agentless booking. A booking made
by a consumer using an automated system and bypassing
a travel agent.
agoraphobia. Fear of open spaces
or public places.
AGT. CRS. Agent. ahead. In front
of the ship's bow.
AHMA. American Hotel and Motel
Association.
air courier. A person who accompanies
time-sensitive cargo being shipped as passengers' baggage,
usually in exchange for a deep discount on the air fare.
air mile. A unit of distance measuring
approximately 6,076 feet.
air piracy. The forcible appropriation
or hijacking of an aircraft.
air rage. A phenomenon in which
airline passengers become unruly or violent toward crew
members or fellow travelers.
air taxi. An aircraft with a limited
seating capacity (19 or fewer), operating within a limited
range (250 miles).
air traffic controller. Person
in the control tower of an airport charged with monitoring
and directing the takeoff and landing of planes.
Air Travel Card. An airline-sponsored
credit card, good for airline tickets only. Also known
as the Universal Air Travel Plan Card.
air walls. Moveable panels used
to subdivide a larger area, such as a hotel ballroom,
into smaller rooms.
airdrome. Airport, now generally
obsolete.
AIRIMP. CRS. ARC/IATAN reservations
interline message procedures/passenger.
airline appointed agency. A U.S.
travel agency that holds airline ticket stock or has
e-ticketing capabilities.
airline codes. Specifically, the
unique two- or three-digit indicators that identify
specific airlines in CRS systems. More loosely, all
such unique indicators, including those that identify
airports.
airline designator. Two- or three-digit
alphanumeric code for an air carrier, administered by
IATA (qv).
airline plate. A metal plate given
to travel agencies by airlines for the purpose of imprinting
and thereby validating tickets. See also plates.
Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC).
An autonomous corporation created by the domestic airlines.
Appoints travel agencies to sell airline tickets and
oversees the financial details of tracking payments
to airlines and the disbursement of commissions to travel
agencies.
airport access fee. The fee paid
to an airport management by a car rental company for
the privilege of operating its vans and buses on the
airport grounds, usually passed on to the consumer.
airport codes. Three-letter codes
used to uniquely identify all airports.
airport tax. A local tax imposed
on air tickets and passed along to passengers, ostensibly
used to fund airport maintenance, expansion, and similar
expenditures.
airport transfer. Transportation
provided by a tour operator to a passenger to/from an
airport, usually to/from a hotel.
air/sea. Trips, tickets, or fares
that include both air and sea components, as in a cruise
package.
airsickness. Nausea or other discomfort
caused by the motion of an aircraft.
airway. See jetway.
airworthy. Capable of being flown.
Safe, of an aircraft.
aka. Abr. Also known as.
alcove. A small section of a room,
indented into the wall or otherwise set apart.
alfresco. It. In the open air,
as in alfresco dining.
all inclusive. One price covers
all listed elements of the package.
alleyway. A corridor or passage
on a ship.
alliance fare. A round-the-world
fare offered by a group of airlines (an "alliance").
See also construction fare.
all-in. Slang. All inclusive,
as a tour.
allotment. The number of seats,
cabins, berths, etc. available for sale by a supplier
or agent.
all-suite. Adj. Describing a hotel
in which all rooms have a separate living room and/or
kitchen facilities.
all-terrain vehicle. A one- or
two-person motorized vehicle with large wheels designed
for recreational use on uneven ground or sand.
aloha. The Hawaiian word for both
"hello" and "good-bye."
alongside. Describing a ship when
next to a pier or another vessel.
ALPA. Airline Pilots Association.
alphanumeric. Composed of both letters and numbers,
as in a record locator number (qv).
alternate distribution system. Any system that
bypasses travel agencies in selling travel arrangements.
Usually used to refer to the distribution of tickets
through personal computers and ETDNs (qv).
alternate restaurant. On a cruise
ship, a restaurant at which the passenger must pay either
the full cost of the meal or a service charge, as opposed
to those dining rooms whose meals are included in the
price of the cruise.
altiport. An airport or airstrip
in a high, mountainous region.
altitude. Height above sea level.
alumni rates. Fares reserved for
passenger who have previously sailed with a cruise line.
a.m. Abr. Lat. Ante meridian.
Morning; between midnight and noon.
Amadeus¨ . A computerized reservations
system (qv).
ambassador. The highest ranking
diplomatic representative of one country to the government
of another. The executive in charge of an embassy, typically
located in the capitol city.
ambiance. n. The overall look
and feel of a restaurant, hotel, destination, or the
mood or atmosphere it creates.
amenities. The facilities and
features of a property, usually a hotel.
American plan. A meal plan at
a hotel or resort in which three meals a day are included
in the price. Sometimes referred to as Full American
Plan.
AMEX, AMEXCO. American Express.
amidships. Toward the middle of
a ship; the imaginary line that runs down the center
of a ship.
amphibious. Capable of operating
on land as well as sea.
Amtrak. Trade name of the U. S.
National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
amusement park. A recreational
attraction featuring mechanical rides and other forms
of active entertainment. See also theme park.
AN. CRS. Added name.
anchor ball. A black ball hoisted
over a ship's bow to indicate that it is anchored.
antebellum. Built or in existence
prior to the American Civil War. Used primarily to describe
historic buildings.
antipodean day. The day gained
by crossing the International Date Line (qv). Also,
called meridian day.
AP. Abr. American plan (qv).
apartheid. The former racist policy
of South Africa, mandating the rigid separation of peoples
by race.
APEX. CRS. Advance purchase excursion
fare.
APHIS. Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
Apollo. A computerized reservation
system owned by United Airlines and the Covia Corp.
appointment. The process whereby
an air carrier or other supplier certifies a travel
agency to act as its agent.
apres-ski. Fr. Any activity that
is scheduled after skiing.
APT. CRS. Airline passenger tariff.
aqueduct. A bridge-like structure,
usually raised, designed to carry water or a canal.
arbiter, travel agent. An individual
selected by a committee representing travel agents and
air carriers and charged with the responsibility of
settling disputes between travel agents and ARC (qv)
and enforcing terms of the Agent Reporting Agreement
(qv).
arbitrary fare. See add-on fare.
arbitration. A method of dispute
resolution intended to avoid the high costs of legal
action, typically conducted under rules established
by the American Arbitration Association.
arbitration clause. A provision
in a contract requiring any disputes between the parties
involved to be submitted to arbitration, typically under
rules established by the American Arbitration Association.
ARC. Airlines Reporting Corporation
(qv).
ARC list. A list prepared by a
travel agency and submitted to ARC (qv) or IATAN (qv)
of agency employees eligible for travel benefits. Also
referred to as "the agent eligibility list."
archipelago. A string of islands.
architectural bias. The tendency
of a CRS (qv) to make it easier to find and book the
flights of its sponsor by virtue of the way the system
is designed.
archive. 1. v. To store in computerized
form, as travel records. 2. n. A repository for documents
or records. area bank. See Area Settlement Plan.
Area Settlement Plan. System administered
by ARC on a regional basis to handle the processing
of airline tickets, payments, and the disbursement of
commissions to travel agencies. Also referred to as
a Bank Settlement Plan.
ARINC. An airline-owned corporation
providing communications and other services to the airline
industry. Originally called Aeronautical Radio, Inc.
ARNK. CRS. (Pronounced "arunk.")
Arrival unknown. Used to indicate the land portion of
an air itinerary. ARR. CRS. Arrival.
ARTA. Association of Retail Travel
Agents.
articles of incorporation. The
formal legal description of a business' activities required
for registration by the state.
arunk. Pronunciation of the acronym,
ARNK (qv).
AS. CRS. Added segment.
ASAP. Abr. As soon as possible.
ASC. CRS. Advising schedule change.
ASP. Abr. Area Settlement Plan.
asset. Any property, real (i.e.
real estate), personal, or intellectual (e.g. a trademark
or copyright), which has a cash value.
AST. Abr. 1. Atlantic Standard
Time (qv). 2. Alaska Standard Time.
ASTA. American Society of Travel
Agents.
ASTAPAC. ASTA Political Action
Committee.
astern. Toward the back of a ship.
asylum. See political asylum.
AT. CRS. Travel to be via the
Atlantic Ocean.
ATA. Air Transport Association.
ATB. Abr. Automated ticket/boarding
pass. An electronically generated ticket which also
includes the boarding pass.
ATC. Air Traffic Conference of
America, the predecessor to ARC.
ATFDS. Abr. Automated ticket and
fare determination system.
athwart. adj. At right angles
to a ship's keel.
Atlantic Standard Time. A Canadian
time zone. Also called Provincial Standard Time.
ATM. Automated teller machine.
ATME. Association of Travel Marketing
Executives.
ATO. Abr. Airport ticket office.
atoll. A ring-shaped tropical
island or coral reef with a lagoon in the middle.
ATP. Airline Tariff Publishing
Company.
atrium. A large open space in
a building, usually topped by a glass roof, sometimes
containing elaborate landscaping and ponds. A popular
style of hotel lobby.
ATV. Abr. All-terrain vehicle
(qv).
ATW. Around the world.
au pair. Fr. A young person, usually
foreign, hired to provide child care and household help
in exchange for room, board, a modest salary, and a
chance to learn a new language.
audit. 1. v. To examine financial
or performance records. 2. n. Any such examination.
auditorium style. In a meeting,
a configuration in which seats are arranged in rows,
facing front, as in a theat
aurora australis. "The Southern
Lights." A colorful geomagnetic and electric display
visible near the South Pole.
aurora borealis. "The Northern
Lights." The Northern hemisphere's equivalent of the
aurora australis.
Australasia. The region including
Australia, New Zealand, and the major South Pacific
islands.
auto drop PNR. A passenger name
record (PNR) that has been flagged for automatic queuing
on a CRS.
Autobahn. A network of high-speed
superhighways in Germany and other European countries.
automated reservation system.
Computerized reservation system (qv).
avail. Slang. Availability.
availability. The current inventory
of seats, rooms, cabins, etc that can be sold or reserved.
available rooms. In a hotel, the
number of rooms actually available for use on a given
day, eliminating rooms not available due to damage,
repairs, and so forth.
available seat miles. One seat,
occupied or not, moved one mile. Used as a measure of
airline capacity.
average daily rate. Statistical
unit used to measure a hotel's pricing scale. Figure
derived by dividing actual daily revenue by the total
number of available rooms (qv).
Aviation Trust Fund. A federal
reserve of tax monies levied on airline tickets and
operations and set aside to improve the U.S. air transportation
system.
AVIH. CRS. Animal in hold.
AVS. CRS. Availability status
messages.
AWOL. Abr. Absent without leave.
Pronounced both as individual letters and as an acronym.
Term used to indicate the unauthorized absence of a
crew member, as on a cruise ship.
AX. CRS. American Express.
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