Over a period of time you may have come across new terms used in the Indian or Internatonal Travel Industry. Below we along with the help from our seasoned travellers would like to assist you with glossary of traveler’s terms. Even several seasoned travelers may not be aware of some of the definitions, which could cause confusion when dealing with information presented on the internet and elsewhere. ENJOY, and if you have any entries we haven’t considered, please let us know !
Team Indiantravel
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A la carte – referring to meals, an indication that each dish is priced separately so the total bill would be the sum total of all dishes; also that a choice of meals may be available,
Add-on – an option, usually at extra cost, added to travel arrangements
Air mile – a distance of approx. 6076 feet
ARC – the Airlines Reporting Corporation – oversees the tracking of payments from travel agency to airline, upon issuance of tickets; created by the air carriers
Airport transfer – a transport service to/from an airport to hotel, etc, normally prepaid as part of a package tour, but available separately as well
American plan – a hotel’s meal plan that usually includes all three meals each day
APEX – an airline term meaning ” advance purchase excursion fare ” – normally the least expensive fares
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B & B – Bed & Breakfast; usually a quaint, country-style accommodation with a small number of rooms, that includes breakfast each morning
Back-to-back ticket(ing) – an against-the-rules practice whereby an air ticket is issued round-trip with only one portion to be used. Another is then issued roundtrip, again with only one portion to be used. In effect, this amounts to using one ticket for the outbound part of a trip, and the other for the return. The normal Saturday night stay requirement is then avoided -useful only when two roundtrip tickets are LESS than the cost of a single ticket with no Saturday night stayover. Most agents will not issue such tickets, as they can be severely penalized – please DO NOT ask for them !
Base fare – the basic price of an airline ticket, before ANY taxes, surcharges, airport fees, etc.
Bellman – a person who carries one’s luggage to a hotel room
Berth – usually refers to the bed in a train’s cabin
Blackout dates – refers to a date or series of dates on which travel is NOT available. Can refer to airline, hotel or car rental arrangements.
Blocked space – seats, rooms, and/or cabins held on airlines, in hotels, or aboard ships. Usually held speculatively and made available at reduced rates.
Boarding pass – a receipt with a seat number, now issued only at check-in at the airport. A ticket is not valid unless a boarding pass has been issued !
Bonded – protected or guaranteed by a bond, usually referring to the protection of passenger’s funds
Bulk fare – a fare only available when buying blocks of airline seats; usually lower than published fares
Bumping – the airline practice of denying boarding to confirmed passengers who hold tickets on a specific flight, due to an oversold condition. The carrier will ask for volunteers to take later flights, and will normally provide some sort of compensation in the form of vouchers or tickets for future travel. Rules for when compensation must be provided are complicated; ask the ticket agent for a copy of that carrier’s rules, as each has their own set of guidelines. Some folks have managed to get bumped regularly in order to collect compensation – elevating the process to an art form !