Pilot Paul's Travel Accessories and Travel News Blog

It is impossible to be up on all the technicalities and terms in every arena that you encounter.

In an effort to help airline passengers, this article can help take the mystery out of some of the unique air travel terms. I also hope that it can save you some money and surprises when booking flights,

Pilot Paul

Here's the article:

With airline travel increasing in record numbers, more people
are experiencing the frustration of understanding the airlines
industry language, and leaving them feeling that they need an
interpreter for the travel information they're receiving from
the airline industry! It seems that air companies think that
every individual that flies should have to understand all that
travel Jargon they place on their flight reservations, and maybe
it’s about time we figure out what they’re talking about,
because it’s costing you money and valuable time!

Once you learn all the airlines travel terms, you won’t be
dependent on your local travel agent anymore, and he/she won’t
be able to collect all the wonderful service fees from you for
being your traveling interpreter.

The price of your travel flight is based on many intricate
components that the airlines reservations department implement,
not to purposely confuse you, but to formulate their airfares
and determine what they need to charge each passenger for all
flights taken.

Now if you already know most of these airlines flight terms,
then that’s ok. However, there are many people that are new to
traveling, and are now beginning to use online air suppliers to
capitalize on the great deals they offer. But when you’re making
that reservation, you want to understand why the flight you
selected is so cheap, and what are the reasons for the low
pricing.

Misunderstanding in Airline Terms can cost you more money!

Most of the airlines service terms you will come across will
play a big factor on whether you pay an expensive price for you
ticket, or getting the discounted travel deals you're looking
for in the first place. I will explain the most common industry
terms that many people get confused about:

Nonstop versus Direct or Through Service: Don’t get this
one confused, because many airline companies don’t explain this
properly. Nonstop means exactly that, and most travelers want
these flights, so they book-up quickly. You fly from your origin
and land at your desired destination without any stops in
between.

Direct or Through Service: This can get a little
confusing to many individuals. The aircraft even though is en
route directly to your destination, it may be making some
routine stops on the way, and all passengers must remain on the
plane at that time. There are many times when you print your
ticket that it will not list the cities that it will be landing
in, so it is always wise to investigate a little further, and
see how long the stop is going to be in each individual city.

Connecting Flight: When you’re on this type of service
flight, now this is treated differently than the other services
above. With this type of flight the plane travels from one city
to another, however, the passengers must change aircrafts at
some point between the origin city and the destination city.

On-line Connections: This is when you change an aircraft
but continue to fly with the same carrier. So if you’re flying
form Los Angeles to New York on American Airlines. If you make a
stop for example in Denver, you will change planes at that
airport, but with the same American Airline carrier.

Interline Connection: This is when you as a passenger
changes airplanes, but instead of boarding the same company
plane you will be on a different airline. For this example,
you’re flying from Seattle, Washington en route to San Antonio,
Texas. If you were on a United flight, you will have a stop in a
city in-between your origin and destination, and let say you
have to get on an American carrier to continue your journey. The
main reason for this is that the particular airline company may
not be flying into certain cities due to particular business
reasons, so then they share with competing airline business
companies.

Open Jaw: No it's not when you see the price of your
ticket and your jaw drops. This trip is one in which you depart
out of one city, and later return from another city. For
example: you fly from San Diego, California to New York City,
and then return back home from the city of Boston back to San
Diego. This can dramatically increase your airline ticket, so if
you’re looking to visit a family member in another city that you
arrived in, and then depart out of another city where your
families live, then carefully check and make sure you understand
this term.

Consolidators: A consolidator can be your friend if you
understand how they work. Simply put, they purchase tickets from
an airline at a rate less than the tariff, with the intention of
reselling the tickets to either you the public or travel
agencies. They buy tickets in bulk from air carrier companies,
and therefore offer substantial savings. If you happen to be
wondering what a tariff is, it’s basically set pricing, rules,
and regulations all put in place by authorized organizations in
the airline industry.

Lets talk types of Fares! If you’re searching for fares online,
you will come across a list of different terminologies for your
ticket, and it will reflect on the price you end up paying. The
airlines distinguish certain fare prices by the terms normal or
restricted.

Normal Fares: A normal fare is first class, business
class, and economy. These have no restrictions such as advanced
reservation requirements or minimum stay stipulations. Such
flights are valid for one year from the date of the first flight
and can be extended if not used within that period.

Restricted Excursion and Discounted Fares: These have
certain restrictions, and that is why they are cheaper to
purchase. They’re sold with a number of conditions attached,
which most require advanced reservations, and there is normally
a minimum and sometimes a maximum stay requirement. Travel dates
are pre-determined, and any changes in most cases are subject to
a penalty, or at times you can’t make any changes at all!
Airlines limit the number of seats at these fares to encourage
travelers to book early.

With an understanding how the air travel industry communicates,
and how they determine a flight schedule and pricing, you will
eventually be able to speak their language, prevent air lingo
confusion, and obtain the best flight itinerary and price with
this new knowledge!

About the author:

About the author: William Lezubski (Accredited Cruise
Counsellor (ACC), and Certified Travel Counsellor(CTC) - William
is the owner and author of “Discount Caribbean Vacations Web
Site” available at href="http://discount-caribbean-vacations.com/product%20pages/che
ap-flights.htm"target="_blank">www.discount-caribbean-vacations.c
om A great source for Cheap Flights to the Caribbean!