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Glossary for the airline industry

From A-Z, this glossary covers definitions and explanations for common airline industry terminology.

fare-related services

An optional service that is associated to a specific fare and based on the reissue or refunds that are available for that fare. For example, a passenger may want to pre-purchase the opportunity to change or refund the ticketed itinerary.

FareManager

A web-based application that provides access to all ATPCO's applications, including Fares, Rules, Footnotes, Routings, Market View, Optional Services, and PIPPS.

FareManager Rules system

The only worldwide database of automated passenger fare conditions, this system permits inquiry and maintenance of the rules and conditions that must be met for a passenger to quality for a particular ticket price. It can contain data applying to any fare class in any market via a particular tariff, carrier, or rule. It can also contain data applying to a specific fare class or fare class type, a specific market, or a fare class plus a specific market.

FCN

Filing control number. The FCN is used in GFS to create a GFS filing and in IDMS to identify a paper tariff filing before subscriptions.

fee component

The end points of the travel associated with a carrier-imposed fee as determined by Carrier-Imposed Fees (Record S1) processing.

field

A specific area on a user interface screen where the user can enter data.

fifth freedom

Flights that carry traffic which originates and terminates in countries other than the transporting carrier’s home country, regardless of whether the flight stops in the home country.

filed

1. A status assigned by the system to records that have been filed through GFS; the only records that can be viewed by other carriers in the inquiry mode. Once filed, records are also sent in the next transmission of Subscriptions. See also unfiled data.

2. A tariff filed in GFS and presented to a government who accepts official filings via GFS.

filing

(n) A group of revisions for fares and rules submitted through GFS. This submission can contain data to be presented to a government for approval.

(v) The act of processing data through the GFS system.

filing advice

An instruction from a carrier annotated FA or F/A followed by a sequential reference number. See also filing advice number.

filing advice number

1. A number given to a filing that has been processed through GFS. This number is created using the date of submission and a unique number assigned by the system. It provides information on the date the filing was submitted and can be used for controlling and tracking purposes. Also called GFS number.

2. A reference number or numbers assigned by a carrier to an instruction (such as a GFS filing). Obs.

3. A logging number assigned within the paper tariff environment by the production department to identify a transmittal or set of transmittals to the DOT.

first freedom

The right of an air carrier to fly over another country without landing.

flight coupon

The portion of a ticket the passenger gives to the carrier when boarding. A coupon may cover single or multiple legs of a flight, or even contain the entire journey.

flight-related services

An optional service that must be associated to a specific flights on a passenger's ticket. For example, a service for advance seat assignment.

FN, FNT

Abbreviations for footnote.

footnote

Alpha, numeric, alphanumeric, or numeric-alpha characters appended to a fare record indicating specific conditions applicable to the fare. Used along with categories to further restrict a fare, footnotes usually contain travel dates, sales dates, or other special conditions. An advantage of coding restrictions in a footnote rather than a rule is that a footnote may reside in any fare within its carrier/tariff. Any number 1-99 and any letter other than F and T may be assigned to the footnote. (F and T are reserved to mean "travel must be FROM/TO the first city shown in a given market" when they are coded in Category 23.)

fourth freedom

The right for an air carrier to take on, in the territory of another state, passengers, freight, and mail for off-loading in the state in which it is registered.

G30

Directory that controls which organizations (subscribers) receive what public and private data from ATPCO for processing. Now handled through the FareManager Distribution application.

G33

The Partner Security Access Level (or PASS); it is now called Data Control. This directory enables the data owning organization to authorize users at partner organizations to view, create or update changes to fares, rules, footnotes, and add-ons (through the FareManger Fares application and/or the Fares Upload Service). 

gateway

The last point of departure or first point of arrival within a geographic locale as specified below: (Note there is an implied hierarchy in the following descriptions.) a. When traveling between Areas 1, 2, or 3, the last point of departure/first point of arrival in that area. b. When traveling between zones within an area, the last point of departure/first point of arrival in that zone (not applicable to travel between zones within the United States). c. When traveling between countries within a zone, the last point of departure in one country and the first point arrival in another country. NOTE: Gateway hierarchy applies to fare components or pricing units depending upon category application. When travel crosses multiple IATA areas, such as NYC--BOM via PAR(Area 1 to Area 3 via Area 2), the departure from Area 1 (NYC) and the arrival in Area 3 (BOM) are considered the gateways. The intermediate via points in Area 2 are not (PAR), unless further modified by a Gateway TSI in combination with Geographic Location (such as Gateway Europe).