a la carte
referring to meals, an indication that each dish is priced separately; also that a choice of meals may be vailable, such as on a tour
AAA
American Automobile Association.
ABA
American Bus Association. A trade association representing inter-city and charter bus companies.
ABC
a reference to the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, in the Netherlands Antilles, just off the northern coast of South America ( Venezuela ). Fabulous for diving, snorkelling and all manner of watersports
ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act.
add-on
an option, usually at extra cost, added to travel arrangements
ADT
Atlantic Daylight Time; Alaska Daylight Time
advance purchase requirement
an airfare that must be purchased a certain number of days ahead of departure, usually 7, 14, or 21 days, for the best fare
aft
toward the rear of a ship
AHMA
American Hotel & Motel Association.
air mile
a distance of approx. 6076 feet
Air Travel Card
a credit card sponsored by the airlines, for the purchase of air travel only
air/sea
a term referring to tickets, trips, fares, etc. that include both air and land-based travel arrangements, such as a cruise package with air included
airport access fee
a fee paid by the car rental companies to the airport authority, for the use of shuttle vehicles, etc - usually passed on to the consumer
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
all-inclusive
should mean a plan that includes all meals, drinks, tips, service charges, accommodations, some watersports ( usually non-motorized ), etc.
ALLOTMENT
A certain number of rooms, cabins or other items held by an operator to sell, usually by a certain date.
American plan
a hotel's meal plan that usually includes all three meals each day
AMEX
American Express ( AX )
amidships
toward the middle of a ship - usually the stabilest part of the vessel
antebellum
describes a building and/or period of time prior to the Civil War, such as an antebellum mansion on a cotton plantation in the southern US
APEX
an airline term meaning " advance purchase excursion fare " - normally the least expensive fares
ARC
the Airlines Reporting Corporation - oversees the tracking of payments from travel agency to airline, upon issuance of tickets; created by the air carriers
ARTA
Association of Retail Travel Agents - professional trade group of travel agents only
AST
Atlantic ( or Alaska ) Standard Time
ASTA
American Society of Travel Agents.
ATO
Airline Ticket Office - becoming rarer these days, as carriers continue to reduce customer service
ATTRACTION
General term to include anything a visitor might be interested in seeing.
Autobahn
high-speed equivalent to the US interstate highway system, in Germany and a few other European countries
availability
the actual inventory of seats that are really available to be sold at a certain fare. Just because a fare is presented as " available " between two cities does NOT mean seats at that rate are available. This causes much confusion when airfare ads are published, so you must read the " fine print " before calling your agent and asking them to get that fare for you ! |