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Glossary for the airline industry

Definitions and explanations of common terms in the airline industry

base amount

1. An amount representing the highest selling local fare used in certain markets under the IATA Multi-lateral Proration Agreement. Base amounts are published in the IATA Prorate Manual--Passenger (PMP).

2. A base fare used in Category 25 as a calculation tool to produce Net or Selling amounts.

base fare

1. The fare amount excluding taxes and other charges. However, charges resulting from Stopovers (Category 8), Transfers (Category 9), and/or Surcharges (Category 12) processing are included in the base fare. This amount appears in the "fare" portion of the Fare Box on the ticket.

2. A fare or fares used as a basis for calculating other fare amounts to create a resulting fare in Category 25 or in Categories 19-22. This may also be the fare amount filed in the Fare Record

batch

A unit of work containing a group of transactions that are entered and released to the file, used for describing a set of instructions that are being implemented. Every batch is identified by a two-character alphanumeric code (based on batch ID of user) plus a control number assigned by the system. The batch header specifies the proposal number, tariff, carrier, effective date of transactions, and the batch status (public, private, or incomplete). See also batch processing.

batch number

A number preceded by the alphanumeric ID code of the compiler or airline and assigned sequentially by the computer. This number goes on a batch sheet or is used online to be associated with a group of updates or transactions.

bid pricing

A type of continuous pricing where airlines link their revenue management systems directly to price determination.

bilateral agreements

An agreement between two nations concerning rate or fare levels. This, in some instances, supersedes normal filing requirements for the DOT. Also refers to special prorate agreements between two carriers.

booking

The reservation of a fare or fee product for an itinerary by a customer.

booking code

One or two letters functioning as an inventory control code. Also called the reservation booking designator (RBD) or prime booking code, it specifies the class of service a passenger should be booked in to receive the fare.

BPO
Business process outsourcing.
Branded Fares

Product that allows carriers to group and name fares by fare families, fare types, or other criteria and supports ancillary revenue development.

BSP

Billing Settlement Plan; the IATA entity responsible for settling funds and reporting accountable information between the travel agency and the airline for fares sold outside the United States, as well as for controlling accountable ticket stock. BSPs are usually organized by country.

BSP method

In coding Category 35, an ATPCO value of 1-5 or blank used to describe to the subscriber which Net Remit Reporting procedure should be used at time of ticketing. The five method types available in Category 35 are based on the seven IATA-established method types.

BSR

Banker’s Selling Rate.

bulletin

See notification. A primary method of communication between ATPCO and customers. Notifications are e-mailed to participants whenever bulletins are posted on the Customer Center extranet site.

carrier

As defined by ATPCO, a carrier is generally an airline (scheduled or chartered), but may also be a rail company or car rental company. It is the owner or service provider for a fare and is identified by an industry-standard alphanumeric code.

Carrier-Imposed Fees

A standardized, automated collection, distribution, and pricing method that provides marketing carriers (carriers that appear on the flight coupon) the ability to control and collect fees at the sector (coupon), at the portion of travel (multiple sectors), or on the journey. ATPCO's application handles fuel, insurance, and carrier-imposed miscellaneous fees.

CASK

Cost per Average Seat Kilometer. A measure of how expensive it is for airlines to operate any given route. This is calculated by dividing the operating cost per flight by the number of ASKs available on that particular flight. In the United States, CASM (Cost per Average Seat Mile) is used.

Cat

Abbreviation for category.

category

The structure within the Rules system is designed to identify various kinds of restrictive information regarding a fare. Restrictions are listed in the FareManager Rules database and are sorted by various categories of application such as day/time and season of travel.

1 Eligibility
2 Day/Time
3 Seasonality
4 Flight Application
5 Advanced Reservations/Ticketing
6 Minimum Stay
7 Maximum Stay
8 Stopovers
9 Transfers
10 Permitted Combinations
11 Blackout Dates
12 Surcharges
13 Accompanied Travel
14 Travel Restrictions
15 Sales Restrictions
16 Penalties
17 Higher Intermediate Point/Mileage
18 Ticket Endorsements
19 Children Discounts
20 Tour Conductor Discounts
21 Agency Discounts
22 All Other Discounts
23 Miscellaneous Provisions
25 Fare By Rule
26 Groups
27 Tours
28 Visit Another Country
29 Deposits
31 Voluntary Changes
33 Voluntary Refunds
35 Negotiated Fare Restrictions
50 Application and Other Conditions

CCF Subs

An ATPCO data subscription product that provides subscribers with new carrier, city, or fare class codes and multi-airport city relationships to validate before processing fares and related subscription products.