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Business Travel:American Express Corporate Services
BUSINESS TRAVEL 101
Auxiliary Segments - Any piece of the overall reservation in the computer that is not a flight booking, such as car or hotel.

City Pair - The departure and stopover/destination points used to construct a flight itinerary.

Computerised Reservations System (CRS) - A computer network through which travel services are booked, also referred to as GDS or Global Distribution System.

Corporate or commercial rate - A discount rate negotiated with a company or special customer; a special rate that is sometimes available to all business travellers.

Destination - The last stopping point on a passenger’s itinerary. (Also referred to as the arrival city.) In the case of round trips or circle trips, the origin and destination points are the same.

Double Open Jaw - An itinerary with an open end on the outbound and return (two one ways issued on the same ticket).

ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival

ETD - Estimated Time of Departure

E-Ticket - The process of issuing a flight coupon(s) as an electronic image through the CRS.

FFP - Frequent Flyer program

FOP - Form of Payment

Galileo - A global distribution system (GDS) that provides global communications and electronic distribution of information for travel service providers. Web site: http://www.galileo.com/

Global Distribution System (GDS) - A computer network through which travel services are booked, also known as the Computerised Reservations System (CRS).

Hold time - Time when non-guaranteed hotel rooms are released back to the hotel for sale (e.g., 4 p.m. or 6 p.m.).

IATA (International Air Transport Association) - A voluntary membership organization which, by setting rates, establishing conditions of service, and establishing safety standards, provides a unified system of worldwide air transportation. Web site: http://www.iata.org

Interline - The use of a connecting service, which includes two or more carriers.

Interline Agreement - An agreement between carriers to transport passengers or goods.

Itinerary - The complete schedule of a trip.

LLA (Lowest Logical Airfare) - The lowest practical airfare within the client’s designated travel policy guidelines.

Net Rate - A negotiated non-commissionable rate used by corporations or groups.

No-Show - The lowest practical airfare within the client’s designated travel policy guidelines.

On-Line - Connecting flights on the same carrier.

On-Site Agency - A travel agency situated on a company’s premises, doing business only for that company.

One-Way - A journey from an origin point A to a destination point B, either via non-stop, direct, or connection service.

Open Jaw - A circle trip in which there is a surface portion at the origin city or outward destination of the journey.

Origin - The point at which a journey commences; the beginning point. (Also referred to as the boarding point.)

Passenger Name Record (PNR) - Any reservation held with an airline or within the Computer Reservation System (CRS).

Profile - The record of an individual passenger’s preferences kept within the Computer Reservation System (CRS). Note: The name used for these varies between reservation systems.

Rack Rate - The "published," often highest, rate for a hotel room. Many hotels now have a "rate of the day," with different rack rates for different dates throughout the year.

Record Locator - A unique number, usually a combination of letters and numbers, assigned by the CRS for any PNR or by the airline for any flight reservation.

Segment - Each individual flight or car/hotel reservation within the overall reservation in the computer.

Single Open Jaw - An itinerary with one open end.

Stopover - A planned break of a journey made by the passenger between point of origin and destination; stopovers usually exceed 4 hours domestically.

VUSA - Visit USA Pass; a coupon pass valid for travel within the USA.

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