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The travel industry is full of
terminology. With our
glossary we have attempted to explain in simple terms what some of
these are and why they are important for global travellers...
A B
C D
E F
G H I
J K
L M
N O P Q
R S
T U
V W X
Y Z
A
AA:
UK Automobile Association
ABTA:
Association of British Travel Agents.
AirBus:
Aircraft designed to carry a large number of low fare passengers
over short routes.
ATC:
Air Traffic Control
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B
B & B:
Bed and Breakfast
BAA:
British Airports Authority.
Biplane:
Early type of aeroplane with two sets of wings, one mounted above
the other one. Modern biplanes are used in specialist areas such as
aerobatics and agricultural spraying.
Black Box:
Also known as the Cockpit Recorder or the Flight Data Recorder.
Records all the data transmissions such as altitude, air speed, etc.,
and voice and sound transmissions.
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C
CAA:
Civil Aviation Authority (UK).
Cabin Crew:
The crew members of an aircraft responsible for the welfare of
passengers, luggage and cargo.
Concorde:
The only supersonic airliner to have entered operational service.
Concorde has now been withdrawn from active service.
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D
Date Line:
An imaginary north south line through the Pacific Ocean. The date
changes when the line is crossed - east of the line is a day earlier
than it is to the west.
DFW Airport:
Dallas: Fort Worth Airport - the world's third busiest airport.
Dirigible:
A ballon or airship which is capable of being guided.
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E
Eastern Standard Time:
Standard time in a zone including most of eastern Canada and the USA.
Excess Baggage:
Luggage that exceeds an airline's weight allowance and is liable to an
extra charge.
ETA:
Estimated time of arrival.
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F
Flight bag:
Small, usually zipped, bag carried by air travellers - easily stowed
under seats or in overhead lockers.
Flying Boat:
A seaplane with a fuselage that looks like a boat and allows the
aircraft to take-off and land on water.
Frequent Flyer Program:
A program offered by many airlines to reward customer loyalty with
frequent flyer miles which can be redeemed for free air travel and
other products or services.
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G
Gatwick:
An international airport in south east England, south of London.
Globe-Trotter:
Person who travels widely - normally a frequent flyer.
Guaranteed Reservation:
A lodging reservation held for passenger's late arrival,
usually secured by a credit card obligation to pay even if the
passenger never arrives at the lodging.
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H
Hang-glider:
A form of glider made up of a frame with a fabric aerofoil stretched
over it.
Heli-skiing:
Mountain skiing where a helicopter is used as transport.
Helipad:
A landing pad, often circular, for helicopters to take off and land.
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I
IATA:
International Air Transport Association.
Intercity:
Travelling between cities. Often refers to rail travel.
International Civil Aviation Organization:
An agency of the United Nations which deals with problems of
international civil aviation and sets standards and regulations.
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J
Jet Set:
Wealthy people who travel by air frequently.
Joystick:
The control column of an aircraft.
Jump-Jet:
A jet aircraft that can take off and land vertically.
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K
Keflavik (KEF):
The international airport of Iceland.
Kerosene:
Fuel oil which is developed for jet engines.
KLM:
Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij - Royal Aviation Enterprise or
Royal Dutch Airlines.
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L
LAC:
Leading Aircraftman.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519):
Italian painter, scientist and design engineer. Produced early
designs for the helicopter.
Long Haul:
The transport of passengers or goods over a long distance- usually
intercontinental.
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M
MDT:
Mountain Daylight Time.
Monoplane:
An aeroplane with one set of wings.
MST:
Mountain Standard Time
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N
NASA:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Near Miss:
A narrowly avoided air collision.
NM:
Nautical mile.
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O
Overseas:
Connected with movement or transport across sea or seas.
Overshoot:
fly or taxi too far along an airport runway when landing or taking
off.
Ozone Layer:
Atmospheric layer which absorbs UV radiation preventing it from
reaching the ground.
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P
PDT:
Pacific Daylight Time.
Prop:
An aircraft propeller.
PTA:
Passenger Transport Authority.
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Q
Qatar Airways:
National airline of the Middle East Gulf State of Qatar.
Quantas:
Australian international airline.
Quay:
An artificial landing place for loading and unloading ships of
cargo and passengers.
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R
Railcar:
Railway vehicle made up of a single powered coach.
RAF:
Royal Air Force (UK)
RFC:
Royal Flying Corps
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S
Seaplane:
Aircraft designed to take off from and land on sea, loch and lake.
SIA:
Singapore Airlines
Spinnaker:
Large triangular shaped sail used in larger yachts, often during races
and regattas.
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T
Tailplane:
Horizontal aerofoil at the tail of an aircraft.
Triplane:
An early type of aircraft with 3 sets of wings. Arguably the best-known triplane
is the Fokker Dr.I, immortalised as the aircraft most closely identified with Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron".
TT:
Tourist Trophy.
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U
UT:
Universal Time
UFO:
Unidentified Flying Object
Undercarriage:
Wheeled landing structure lowered by an aircraft prior to landing.
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V
Vacation Land:
Area or region providing attractions for holiday-makers.
Vapour Trail:
A stream of condensed water from a high altitude aircraft, which
appears as white smoke in the sky.
VTOL:
Vertical take-off and landing.
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W
Wright Brothers:
American aviation pioneers. Became the first aviators to design,
manufacture and fly a fully powered aeroplane.
Whittle:
Sir Frank Whittle - Inventor of the first jet aircraft engine. He
established a patent for his turbojet in 1930.
WRAF:
Women's Royal Air Force (UK).
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X
Xebec:
A small three mast vessel used in the Mediterranean sea. In present
times scale models of xebecs are highly valued.
Xian:
Chinese city famous for the 'Terracotta Army' - 10,000 life size
soldiers and horses made from pottery.
Xmas:
One of the busiest periods of the year for global travel.
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Y
Yacht:
Light sailing vessel - used for cruising or competitions.
Yawl:
A small leisure or fishing boat.
YHA:
Youth Hostels Association
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Z
Zeppelin:
Large airships used for warfare then passenger transport up to the
1930s.
Zermatt:
Famous Alpine ski and climbing resort located near the Matterhorn in
Switzerland.
Zip Code:
US system of 5 digit postal codes. These codes can be keyed into
search engines to find USA locations.
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