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Glossary for the airline industry

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

origin

Initial starting place of the journey as shown on the ticket.

OTA

Online travel agency.

outbound travel

1. (non-directional fares) All fare components within the pricing unit prior to the point of turnaround (prior to the furthest geographical fare break point).

2. (directional fares) All fare components that are selected in the direction of the passenger's travel.

overwater

Applies when crossing a water mass within Area 1. When validating overwater travel, processing will determine the endpoints of a sector (coupon). Both end points must be within Area 1. When one end point is within the continental United States/Canada and the other endpoint is outside continental United States/Canada, this is considered overwater travel. This definition applies specifically for sectors between the following points: Between Continental US/CA and Hawaii Between US/CA/Hawaii/Alaska and Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands Between Alaska and Hawaii.

owning carrier

The carrier who owns or publishes the fare. Also called publishing carrier.

owning-carrier tariff

A tariff where the carrier who has data in the tariff also owns the tariff. This means they have full access to all data in the tariff.