Business travel jargon explained
a
Advance purchase- An airfare, rail ticket or hotel room that must be purchased a specific number of days before travel, typically 7, 14, or 21 days, for the best fare. Most Advance purchase fares and rates are non-refundable but can create considerable savings for travel.
AEA – Association of European Airlines – trade body representing major European airlines advocating on range of issues like regulatory matters, environmental policies and air traffic management.
Airport Code– Airports that are part of the International Airport Transport Association (IATA) worldwide have a three-letter code to identify them. For example, LHR (London-Heathrow) and SFO (San Francisco International). See the list here.
Airport access fee – A fee paid by car rental companies for the use of shuttle vehicles. Paid to the airport authority, this often appears in customer’s car rental bills.
Airport Code– Airports that are part of the International Airport Transport Association (IATA) worldwide have a three-letter code to identify them. For example, LHR (London-Heathrow) and SFO (San Francisco International). See the list here.
Airline Alliances– An aviation industry arrangement between airlines agreeing to cooperate on a substantial level. I.e., the Star Alliance comprises of 26 members including United Airlines and Lufthansa. Alliance members work together to share flight routes, airport lounges, ground crews, and even their booking systems. Frequent flyers miles can be used with airlines across the alliance, and members can market seats for partner airlines on their own website.
Airline Joint Venture– A joint venture is an agreement between airlines in which they jointly set pricing, scheduling, and revenue sharing. This is typically only done in specific regions and requires government approval.
Airside- The part of an airport nearest the aircraft, the boundary is the security check, customs and passport control
Air Miles- Points accumulated by buyers of airline tickets that are redeemable against the cost of air travel with a particular airline. An example of which is Avios points associated with British Airways.
APEX Fare– APEX Fare stands for advance purchase excursion and is a type of airline fare that is discounted due to certain usage restrictions.
ARC – The Airlines Reporting Corporation is responsible for supervising payments from traveller agencies to airlines, and the process of issuing tickets to consumers in the USA.
b
Basic Economy– This is the lowest airfare that comes with certain restrictions, such as limits on carry-on luggage and seating assignments. Each airline has its own set of restrictions.
Baggage Allowance – Also known as a baggage policy, is the limit on baggage per passenger set by each airline, including size, weight, and number of items for both checked and hand luggage. Restrictions vary by ticket class, passenger status, and route.
Bed-nights- The total number of nights spent in accommodation establishments.
Billback– When a hotel bills a customer’s TMC directly for the traveller’s stay. Travelers don’t need to pay for the room or tax at the hotel, although they can still be asked to put a card on file upon check-in for incidentals.
Blackout Dates– Black-out dates are the specific dates set by the airline, hotel, or car rental agency when special discounts, promotions, or use of miles are not permitted.
Bleisure – A combination of business and leisure travel, also known as blended travel.
Boarding pass- A pass for boarding an aircraft, given to passengers when checking in. They identify the passenger, the flight number, and the date and scheduled time for departure and can be a physical pass or downloaded onto a mobile device.
Booking Engine– Web-based booking software that enables clients to make airline, train, hotel and car reservations, such as R&M/Book, the quick and easy online booking system by Reed & Mackay.
Boutique Hotels– Unaffiliated (independent) hotels with fewer than 100 rooms.
Brexit- The departure of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). The UK leaving the European Union has an impact on UK citizens travelling to Europe, including changes in passport rules, health insurance and business travel requirements.
BTN –Business Travel News – A travel industry publication that delivers news and research to the corporate travel population.
Bulkhead– A Bullkhead seat is an airline seat directly behind the bulkhead, or the interior dividing wall that separates cabins, often having more legroom that other seats in the same fare class. Larger planes often have Bulkheads throughout the plane as well as at the front.
Business Class– An airline class that is above economy or premium economy, with upgraded amenities, service, and seating. With Reed & Mackay, not only can you book business class, but you can use your rewards to upgrade for a smoother flight experience.
Business Continuity– Business continuity is the process of planning and preparing for external events that threaten the ongoing operations of a business.
Business Traveller- Someone who is travelling specifically for work. This is a trip that is essential to work, it could be a meeting with suppliers, partners, or to visit other branches of a company.
c
CDF – Customer data fields, used to collect specific company information such as an employee’s role and department. This information will pull into your traveller data view.
Centralised Billing– A form of billing in which the customer receives a consolidated invoice of all travel charges.
Chain Discounts– A negotiated discount between businesses and entire hotel chains. If the company is large enough, they may be able to receive a blanket discount at all chain properties
Check-in- The act of recording your arrival at a hotel or at an airport when you are going to travel. Reed & Mackay provide online check-in for flights.
Check-out- The process of leaving a hotel or lodgings and settling any outstanding bills.
City Pairs– A pair of cities: the origin and destination on an itinerary.
Codeshare – An agreement between two or more airlines which allows one carrier to market and collect payment for a flight operated by another carrier.
Consortia Rate– A discounted rate agreement between an agency and hotel. Consortia rates are negotiated by travel management companies making them available to all the agency’s travellers and can include various value-adds.
Corporate Card– A corporate card is like a credit or debit card issued to a business or organisation. The business entity is legally responsible for charges made to the card, not the individual card owner.
Corporate fare- The offer of non-published fares at discounts from the otherwise applicable prices to corporations or other entities for authorised travel.
Corporate Travel Policy– A corporate travel policy is a set of guidelines created by a company for their business travel created by their travel managers and used by employees as they plan trips on behalf of the company, and typically outlines protocol on travel.
COS – Class of service.
Cross-platform Search– Start a search on web and pick it back up on the mobile app.
d
Deadhead– An off-duty airline employee travelling in a passenger seat.
Direct flight– Different from “nonstop,” a passenger flying on a direct flight will not have connections or a change in flight number — but they may stop for refuelling, to add/disembark passengers, or to actually change aircraft.
Duty of Care– An organisation’s moral and legal obligation to care for employees while they’re conducting business. As it relates to business travel, duty of care involves ensuring the safety of travelling employees.
Dynamic Pricing -A strategy in which airlines and hotels change prices based on algorithms that consider competitor pricing as well as supply and demand.
e
ETIAS – European Travel Information and Authorisation System is an entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals travelling to any of these 30 European countries
ETA – Electronic travel authorisation – A digital permit that allows certain travellers to enter a the United Kingdom without a visa.
Excess baggage- Luggage that weighs more than the limit allowed on an aircraft and is liable to an extra charge.
Expense Automation– The practice of using modern technology solutions to streamline a company’s expense management processes.
Expense Management Software– Technology utilised by companies to authorise, manage, and edit employee expense claims. This software is also useful for implementing practices for employee reimbursement.
Expense Policy– Expense policies are dynamic sets of guidelines created and enforced by companies that employees can turn to for understanding business-related expenses and travel costs. Read more about expense management here.
Expense Reimbursements– Compensation paid by a business to employees, customers, or third parties that incur out-of-pocket expenses or overpayments on transactions made on behalf of that company.
Expense Report– An expense report is a working document that encompasses expenses incurred on behalf of the company within a certain time frame. Typically broken down by categories and itemised, this report helps finance and accounting teams determine what money was spent where, when and for how much while simultaneously approving in-policy transactions. Read more about how R&M can provide in-depth data insights.
Expense Report Software– Is the technology used to automate and streamline the process of filing an expense report. When an expense is obtained by an employee, that software can automatically recognise, reconcile, and potentially reimburse as a function of the policy constraints within the software.
Extended Stay – Accommodations that offer long-term housing facilities for travellers.
f
FB – Fare Basis– alpha-numeric codes used to identify different types of fares and help find the rules corresponding to that particular fare. The fare basis is usually constructed by an airline as a combination of RBD (booking class) plus two to four characters to identify the airline’s fare program (leisure, corporate, season) and market. Example: VPRGB – stands for V (booking class) PR (promotional fare) GB (market to which promo is available is Great Britain).
Fair Market Price– The benchmark number used behind the scenes as the foundation for company savings. It’s based on dynamic personalisation (individual behaviour and company settings/trends) as well as inventory available at the time of booking.
Flag carrier – A loose term, referring to the airline registered within a specific country or state which may allow it certain privileges.
Flown Data- Traveller ticketing information collected after the trip is taken.
Fixed-rate negotiations– A hotel rate in which a company has negotiated for with a fixed price and set of amenities that remains in place throughout the year, such as LRA, cancellation, or check-in flexibility.
First class- The premium, most luxurious cabin class on an airline, categorised by superior amenities, more spacious seating, enhanced services, and priority treatment for passengers.
Frequent Flyer Number- A unique identifier assigned to an individual by an airline’s loyalty or rewards programme. It allows the airline to track and credit a passenger with frequent flyer miles and other qualifying activities that earn benefits or privileges.
g
GBTA – Global Business Travel Association– A global business travel and meetings organisation that acts as a hub, bringing together leaders in the business travel industry to exchange information and ideas among members.
Global Entry– A programme of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service that allows pre-approved, low-risk travellers to receive expedited clearance through automatic kiosks at select airports upon arrival into the United States. As of May 4th, 2018, Global Entry was available at 53 US airports and 15 pre-clearance locations.
Group Fare- Fares for a group booking for 10 seats or more with the same carrier, route and date. Each airline has differences in what they consider as the minimum amount to provide group fares.
h
Hotel Billback- A way of allowing business travellers to stay at hotels without having to pay their hotel bill on departure. The hotel will send the bill to the TMC who invoice the traveller’s organisation.
Hotel Brands– Brands are the second level of hotel organisation, in which a collection of properties with similar levels of luxury and offerings are grouped together under one name, such as Hilton’s Waldorf, Curio and DoubleTree. Chains can develop their own brands or acquire smaller chains and convert them into their own brands.
Hotel Prepayment- When booking a hotel, this means paying for the room at the time of booking instead of on departure or arrival.
Hotel Programme– This is a catch-all term a company’s travel manager uses to describe all the rooms and rates available to their travellers.
Hotel sourcing- The process of identifying, negotiating and contracting with hotels to secure accommodations for a specific group, event or organisation.
i
Implant- A business consultant established on the premises of the client company to handle the travel needs of the company’s employees.
Implementation – The process where a travel management company integrates its products and services into a new client’s workflow, which forms part of the client onboarding process.
Independent Hotels– Hotels that are not affiliated with a chain or brand. Although these hotels can have certain agreements with chains, they retain their name and complete autonomy over the property management.
Intercontinental traveller – Travel between two continents, such as traveller from the U.S. to the U.K.
Intracontinental traveller – Travel within a continent, such as traveller between the U.S. and Canada.
Interline– A very basic form of agreement between airlines where check-ins and baggage handling can be done together, so a traveller only needs to check in once and not worry about moving checked bags despite changing carriers during a trip.
Interline connection – A trip with a connection flight from a different airline.
IROP – Irregular operations refers to flight disruptions such as delays or cancellations due to weather, acts of God, equipment changes or rest for the crew.
Itemised Receipt– An itemised receipt is a copy of a proof of purchase that contains detailed and line-item information about that transaction. Itemised receipts mirror typical receipts but will also have each individual service or good listed out and may include various sales taxes attached to some items or the total amount.
j
k
l
Land arrangements – All non-flying reservations upon arrival such as car rental, hotel and tourist reservations.
Layover – Different from a stopover, a layover is a short period of time between connecting flights. On domestic flights this refers to stops of 4 hours or less. For international flights, this refers to stops of less than 24 hours.
Leakage– This is when employees book business travel outside the preferred channels; a lot of leakage in a managed travel program can lead to missed cost-savings opportunities and weaken duty of care capabilities.
Leisure travel- Travel that is undertaken by an individual on their own personal time for enjoyment and relaxation.
LLF- Lowest Logistical Fare– The least expensive, non-refundable fare with the minimum number of stops at the time of booking.
Limited service hotel – A hotel without a restaurant on the premises.
Load Factor- A metric used in the airline industry that measures the percentage of available seating capacity that has been filled with passengers.
Lodge Card– A type of payment mechanism held by TMCs and used by their clients to pay for travel. Typically, it is issued for an entire company or entire cost-centre. Access is usually given virtually, although physical cards can be provided.
LRA– Last room availability- A hotel industry term for ensuring a negotiated rate or negotiated room type is always available.
m
Managed Travel– A business travel programme in which employees book travel within pre-established guidelines, designed to control spend and help enhance travellers’ safety.
Marine fares- Discounted, one-way airfares that are offered exclusively to those working on or for a vessel, be it a commercial/merchant vessel or a cruise vessel.
Metal – Industry slang that refers to the operating carrier of a flight.
Minimum connect time – The shortest time required to successfully transfer to a connecting flight at an airport.
Multi-carrier Support-Book your departure and return flights with any airline combination of your choosing.
Multi-fare Class Support- Mix and match cabin fares on a single ticket. For example, Book economy class on the flight out and business class on the way home.
n
NDC– New distribution capability. Read more here
NGS- Next Generation Storefront- A set of data standards that enable distribution channels to better present, sort, and find the airline products and services travellers are looking for.
Net fare/ net rate – Implies the commission has already been added to the price of the fare.
NOJ – Normal open jaw- Where a passenger flies from one city to another but returns to the original city from a different place (single open jaw – SOJ) or there is a surface sector at both the origin and turnaround point (see DOJ-double open jaw).
Non-Last Room Availability– The opposite of Last Room Availability. Non-Last Room Availability means hotels do not need to guarantee a company’s negotiated rate can be used for their last available room. That means a traveller may see that a room is available at a hotel, but he/she may not find an associated corporate negotiated rate at that hotel.
Nonstop flight – A flight with no stops enroute to a passenger’s final destination.
Non-Rev – A non-rev (revenue) passenger is an airline employee, or their friends or family, travelling on a deeply discounted airline ticket. These flights are generally on a standby basis only and for personal needs.
Non-transferable – A ticket that can only be used by the person who was originally scheduled to fly.
NR – Non-refundable- A ticket on a fare that does not allow for a refund, changing tickets may come with a fee.
No-show- Is when a ticketed passenger does not show up for their flight. Many airlines or other modes of transport attempt to reduce losses caused by no-shows by employing tactics like overbooking, reconfirmation and penalty charges.
NUC – Neutral units of construction- imaginary currency established by IATA that allows fares of different currencies to be added together
o
OBT – Online booking tool- A web-based platform allowing travellers to make self-service reservations for air, rail, hotels and ground transport. R&M’s proprietary online booking is R&M/Book, see here
Offline connection – A connection that requires switching to both a new aircraft and carrier.
OLA- Online Adoption– Used to describe the proportion of travel bookings made using an online booking tool versus the number of bookings made using traditional methods such as by phone and email.
Open-Jaw – An itinerary where the passenger flies into one city and out of another. For example, a ticket originating in JFK and flying to LJR and then returning MAN to JFK.
OTA – Online Travel Agency- A website or application that allows users to search and book travel services.
O&D – Origin and destination of a trip.
p
PAX – abbreviation for passengers
P-card- Also known as purchase cards or procurement cards, are commercial cards companies issue employees for business expenses. P-cards enable employees to spend company funds without going through a typical accounts payable process.
PCC –Pseudo City Code – an alpha-numeric code ( 3-5 characters long) used to identify travel agent locations. It is assigned by GDS.
PEX – Public Excursion fares- They have the same restrictions as APEX fares but may be purchased at any time. Usually, no stopovers are allowed, and direct flights are used.
Physical Corporate Card– A plastic card issued to employees to spend on work-related purchases. The card is tangible with a unique 16-digit number, expiration date, and CVC.
Pitch – The legroom between airline seats as measured from the back of one airplane seat to the seat in front of it.
PNR – Passenger Name Record- Record held within a CRS/GDS which gives the personal details associated with a particular booking.
POC – Point of Commencement related to a booking or journey
Point-to-point – Refers to the fares between two cities.
POS – Point of service or point of sale, A time and place where a transaction is made.
Preferred Supplier- A preferred supplier is a specific supplier or service provider with whom a travel agency or travel management company has established a preferred relationship, often based on negotiated terms, pricing, and other mutually beneficial arrangements.
PUC – Pricing Unit Concept- An alternative method of fare construction for multiple-stopover journeys that uses pricing unit, only used internationally.
Published fare – A fare immediately offered for purchase by the airline. The does not include heavily discounted flights.
q
r
Rack rate – The price of a hotel prior to discount.
RC – Reason codes- Term used for the codes used to document and report of traveller decisions and behaviour whilst travelling.
Record locator – The number assigned to a reservation in the airlines’ number. This number is unique and will never be assigned again.
Red-eye flight – A flight in which the traveller takes place between the hours of 9pm and 7am.
Regional Hotel Chain/Brand– This is a smaller form of hotel chain that also has multiple properties, and potentially multiple brands, within their holding. In addition to operating on a much smaller scale, they also operate in a specific region.
Reissue- A new airline ticket that is generated by exchanging an existing one due to changes. This may include change fees and penalties.
RLI – Rate location instructions- A hotel term for TMC-specific rate codes as displayed in the GDS.
Round the World Fare– An air ticket that allows travellers to make many stops on an itinerary using codeshare agreements, often at a lower cost. Typically, the passenger flies around the world instead of out and back.
ROH – Run of the house- A flat rate where a hotel offers any of its available rooms.
s
SBT – Self Booking Tool- See online booking tool.
Schengen Visa- An authorisation issued by a Schengen state that allows travellers to enter the Schengen area for:
- intended short stays in or transit through the territory of a Schengen state (short stay visa)
- transit through the international transit areas of airports of the Schengen states (airport transit visa)
Find out more information here.
Segment – A part or leg of an air itinerary, including one take off and one landing.
Shoulder season – The period of time between busy and quiet seasons in which prices are typically at a midpoint.
SLA – Service Level Agreement- An agreement stating measurable performance commitments made to clients.
Smart Card– A physical card embedded with a computer chip that hosts intelligent automation functions and security controls. Unlike a typical physical card with a magnetic strip, a smart card can perform multiple functions as it encrypts additional information to interact with various payment terminals.
Snap codes – Air contract codes.
Spend Control– Spend control incorporates the processes of enforcing policies, whether manually or through technologies, to monitor and manage purchases made within a company.
Spend Management– Both an art and a science, spend management is a blend of reducing financial risk while maximising the value of company dollars spent. In combination with spend management software, financial leaders and accounting experts gain greater visibility into the health of a company’s procurement process.
Split ticketing – Purchasing two separate tickets to build your itinerary, often to obtain a lower price. Travellers do this at their own risk, as if there is a missed connection both airlines may elect not to rebook the traveller unless they purchase a new ticket.
SSR – Special Service Reservation- A request to an airline to provide a particular item/facility for a traveller/s.
STP – Satellite Ticket Printer- A printer at an alternate location than main premises, usually dedicated to a specific account to ensure accountability for transactions by vendor.
STPC– Stopover Paid by Carrier- A programme in which an airline might offer to encourage travellers to use a less optimal connection. The airline covers prearranged hotel, ground transportation and means during a stopover.
t
TEM- Travel Expense Management- The system a company uses to process, pay and audit traveller-initiated expenses.
Through passenger – A passenger who remains on the plane at a connecting stop on the way to his/her final destination.
Ticketing Agreement– A contract between airlines to accept each other’s tickets for transportation.
TOD – Ticket on departure- Transportation ticket collected at the point of departure i.e., at rail station ticket printer.
TMC – Travel Management Company – A company that provides corporate travel services to businesses such as Reed & Mackay.
Travel Agent- A person who arranges travel for clients (individuals, corporations, or groups) on behalf of suppliers (i.e., hotels, airlines, railways, cruise lines, car rentals, travel insurance). Their job is to simplify the travel planning process for their customers as well as providing consultation services and travel travel insights.
Travel Expenses– Goods or services employees of a company incur while traveling for business. Though many expenses may occur during a trip, it is up to the organisation to decide what is considered in-policy business travel expense vs a personal expense.
Travel Insurance– Insurance that is intended to cover medical expenses, trip cancellation, lost luggage, flight accident and other losses incurred while traveling, either internationally or domestically.
Travel Manager- The person responsible for a company’s travel policy. They develop the policy, manage (preferred) supplier relationships, monitor, and approve traveller itineraries and bookings, process T&E reports and more.
Travel Services– A business travel program in which employees book travel within pre-established guidelines, designed to control spend and help enhance travellers’ safety.
TSA – Transportation Security Administration– Body that protects US transportation systems
T&E- T&E stands for “Travel and Expenses” and encompasses the operational costs that are associated with business travel.
u
UATP- Universal Air Travel Plan- Is a specific form of payment (a charge card) that is jointly owned by many airlines, including: Lufthansa, Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta, Etihad Airways, Qantas and United. It is also accepted by some hotels, rail providers, and other suppliers.
ULCC- Ultra-low-cost-carrier– Airlines that offer rock-bottom, no-frill fare prices. Seat selection, baggage or drinks on the flight may be charged as an additional fee.
Unmanaged Travel-Refers to when a company does not have a program or tool set in place for booking business travel. This often results in employees booking independently and managing their own travel arrangements.
Unrestricted fare – An airfare with no limitations. It is typically refundable and has no blackout days.
Unused Ticket– An airline-specific credit from cancelling a non-refundable flight. These funds are not lost and can be applied toward a future flight on the same carrier.
v
VCC – Virtual credit card- Not a physical card but has many of the same features as plastic corporate cards.
VCN- Virtual Card Number– A highly secure, single-use virtual credit card number used to minimise the risk of fraud.
Virtual Card– A unique 16-digit virtual consumer or corporate card number generated digitally. That card number can be used for online checkouts and downloaded to a mobile wallet for in-person purchases where virtual cards are accepted.
w
Waitlist- A list of individuals who are waiting to access a service, product, or opportunity, typically used when demand exceeds available resources. People on a waitlist are usually prioritised for the next available opportunity.
