Air travel terminology

What's the difference between a direct flight and a non-stop flight? What does ETA mean and what's an airline alliance? FlightsFrom.com has the answers!

Aeroplane
a vehicle that can fly, has wings and at least one engine

Aircraft
a vehicle that can fly with or without engine

Airline
company providing transport by aircrafts

Airline Alliance
a union of airlines cooperating

Airline credit card
a credit card with which you can accumulate and redeem miles/points for rewards in frequent flyer programs

Airplane
a vehicle that can fly, has wings and at least one engine

Airport
a place from which aircrafts operate and for passengers to wait in

Airport code
a three digit code which is unique to each specific airport

Airport shuttle
service that gets you to and from the airport

Air travel
all travels with a flying vehicle (aircraft)

Baggage allowance
allowed weight of checked luggage

Base fare
the price of a flight ticket before taxes and additional surcharges

Blackout days
specific days when special rates or reward flights are not available due to high demand

Boarding
when passengers are allowed to enter the airplane

Boarding pass
a ticket given to each passenger after check-in with information about seat number and boarding

Boarding time
time when passengers should start entering the airplane

Bonus Program
a program where you can accumulate miles/points and redeem those for rewards with a specific airline

Budget airline
airlines that offer flights at really low prices

Bumped
if a flight's been oversold there's a risk you might be 'bumped' to the next available flight

Cancellation charges
fees you have to pay if you cancel your flight (can be avoided with travel insurance)

Capacity-controlled fares
a fare that increases or decreases according to number of available seats on the flight

Carrier
company providing transport by aircrafts (in other words; an airline)

Carry-on
smaller luggage that has not been checked-in

Charter
an airplane used by a holiday company

Check-in
the process of when you register at the airport, get your boarding pass and hand over your luggage

Check-in time
the time you're recommended to be at the airport before departure

City pair
your departure city and final destination

Co-branded credit card
a card promoted by two different players; a financial institute and an airline

Companion fare
when a second ticket has a lower rate than the original fare; a promotion for passengers traveling together

Contract of carriage
legal contract between passenger and airline when purchasing ticket

Construction tickets
when you purchase two single tickets instead of one return ticket

Connecting flights
when the passenger has to change airplanes to get to their final destination

Connecting point
the airport where a connecting flight happens

Direct flights
a flight where the passenger does not need to change airplanes between departure and arrival city

Domestic route
a flight within one country

Elite Status
a classification reserved for the most loyal airline customers

Elite Qualifying Dollars
amount you need to spend on flight tickets to reach elite status

Elite Qualifying Miles
miles you need to fly to reach elite status - based on actual miles flown and fare class purchased

Elite Qualifying Segments
number of flights you need to take to reach elite status

ETA
estimated time of arrival

EST
eastern standard time

EU 261/2004
regulation that states that passengers are entitled to compensation if the flight arrives at the destination at least three hours late and the airline
is to blame for the delay

Excess baggage
checked-in luggage that weighs more than allowed (see Baggage Allowance)

Final call
the last chance for passengers to enter the airplane

Frequent Flyer
someone who travels very frequently

Frequent Flyer Program
a program where you can accumulate miles/points and redeem those for rewards with a specific airline

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
the international time standard

Hidden city fare
if the airline catches you pulling a "hidden city ticketing" you could be required to pay a fee

Hidden city ticketing
booking a cheaper flight with the intention of getting off at the layover city

Hub
larger airport where an airline concentrate their flights to other smaller airports

IATA
International Air Transport Association

Illegal connection
when the time between landing and departure of your next flight do not meet the minimum requirements

Indirect flights
flights where the passenger has to get off or change airplanes between departure and final destination

Interlining
when the passenger changes airlines between departure city and final destination

Joint fare
a single fare negotiated by two airlines or more

Lifetime status
elite status for life - usually requires millions of miles flown with one single airline

Long-haul flight
a flight 6 hours or longer (definition can vary depending on airline)

Lounge
a place at the airport to which only certain people have access

Lounge access
usually lounge access is given to elite status members or other frequent flyers with membership

Low-cost carriers
airlines that offer flights at really low prices

Lowest fare routing
the cheapest flight to chosen destination

Loyalty Program
a program where you can accumulate miles/points and redeem those for rewards with a specific airline

Medium-haul flight
a flight between 3-6 hours (definition can vary depending on airline)

Mileage bonus
earning miles/points faster than the regular frequent flyer program member

Miles
what many airlines call their rewards currency; miles are earned by spending or air travel

Minimum connecting time
minimum amount of time allowed top change airplanes at an airport

Multi-hop
a journey with stops along the way where the passenger spends time at each destination

Multi-leg
a journey with stops along the way where the passenger spends time at each destination

Non-endorsable ticket
a ticket that's only valid on the airline which issued it

Non-stop flights
a flight that goes directly between your departure city and final destination

Non-transferable ticket
a ticket that can not be transferred from one passenger to another

No-shows
when a passenger arrives late or not at all to the flight they booked

Offline connection
journey involving multiple airlines and airplanes

Oneworld
the world's third largest airline alliance

Online check-in
confirm your seat on the plane and print out your boarding ticket at home

Open-jaw ticket
a return ticket where the passenger flies in to one destination and returns from another

Partner Airline
an airline with which the airline cooperates (either within an airline alliance or a separate partnership)

Penalty fare
fare that has to be payed if you want to make changes or cancel your ticket

Points
what many airlines call their rewards currency; points are earned by spending or air travel

Priority boarding
when a passenger gets to enter the plane before all other travelers

Reward
a prize offered by the airline once you've accumulated enough miles/points

Reward flight
a free flight

Reward level
a set number of miles/points you need to reach a certain reward

Segment
your entire flight (if non-stop) or part of your trip (if with layover)

Short-haul flight
a flight between 30 minutes - 3 hours (definition can vary depending on airline)

Sign-up bonus
a bonus of miles or points given to new airline credit card holders - usually comes with a spending minimum within a certain time frame

Situated in
country where the ticket was purchased

SkyTeam
the world's second largest airline alliance

Split ticketing
when you purchase two single tickets instead of one return ticket

Standby
ticket with no reserved seat and the passenger has to wait for availability

Star Alliance
the world's largest airline alliance

Stopover
an overnight stay at a destination between your departure and arrival city

Surface sector
actual distance between departure airports using an open-jaw ticket

Ticket issuance
purchasing previously reserved tickets

Transfer
service that gets you to and from the airport

Window of convenience
the passenger's desired departure time (+/- 2h)