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GLOSSARY |
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Adult Means a person who has reached his or her 12th birthday when travel commences. Advance Purchase Some special fares require that tickets be issued either a fixed number of days prior to departure - typically 7/14/30/60 or 90 days - or within a certain time from making the booking and getting the ticket issued. This may be as little as 24 hours. Failure to meet such requirements will invalidate the offered fare, and any alternative is generally more expensive. In fact, all airline fares and airport taxes are subject to change until such time as the ticket has been issued. Amendments These cover changes to dates of travel and classes either prior to or after commencement of travel. All fares carry different regulations regarding these. Many fares will not allow them at all. Nearly all fares that allow an amendment require payment of an amendment fee. Apex - Advanced Purchase Excursion Fare Advance Purchase Excursion Fare, where a reservation has to be made and ticketed in advance of departure, e.g 7 or 14 days before the departure date. Availability It is the term used to define if fares or seats are still obtainable on a particular flight. Availability changes often throughout the day as seats are purchased or cancelled. Booking Class There are 3 main classes of service offered by most airlines. They are First Class, Business or Club Class and Economy Class. However these are further sub divided to reflect the fare and related restrictions. Thus a 'Q' class fare would possibly be a sub division of Economy class but with a cheaper fare because of advance purchase requirements. Cancellation Charges Most fares sold, carry with them penalties if you wish to cancel your journey. The penalty could be as high as the total cost of the ticket. Furthermore, very few airlines will countenance a refund for a part used ticket. It is always advisable to insure against events which may lead you to cancel your journey. Child Fare A passenger between the ages of 2 and 11 inclusive, is defined as a child. There is normally a discount applicable if accompanying a passenger paying an Adult fare. Unaccompanied children would some times pay the adult fare. Airlines require certain formalities to be completed before they will accept an unaccompanied child so please check with us. Club Class Unrestricted full published fares which allow changes and full refund without penalty. Direct Flights Although the flight travels directly to its destination, it may stop at one or more locations for refueling or passenger changes. However no changes of plane are required to reach your destination. Economy Class Unrestricted full published fares which allow changes and full refund without penalty. Excursion Excursion fares normally are bookable anytime, but have restrictions on either the minimum and maximum length of stay (or both) at the destination. First Class Unrestricted full published fares which allow changes and full refund without penalty. Flight leg/segment For a journey from Larnaca (Cyprus) to New York (USA) with a plane change at Athens (Hellas) you have 2 flight legs/segments. The first leg is Larnaca to Athens and the 2nd leg is Athens to New York. Thus for the journey Athens is the via point. Infant Is a child under the age of 2 at the time the journey commences and has no entitlement to a seat. Only 1 infant accompanying a passenger paying an Adult fare is allowed at the discounted infant fare. Maximum Stay All fares have maximum stay requirements. Thus along with a minimum stay there could be a condition that you return within 3 months of your outbound flight. If a maximum stay is not specified then the overall maximum is 1 year from date of commencement of travel. Minimum Stay Most airline fares have minimum stay requirements. Many fares require you to stay at your destination at least one Saturday night or some other fixed period. Generally the more restrictive a fare is, the cheaper it is. Name Changes A booking is made and a ticket issued in the name of a specific passenger. These are non transferable. If you do require to change then that would involve cancelling the original booking /ticket (paying the appropriate charges) and making a new booking. Nonstop Flights Flights that travel directly to their destination without making any stops for refueling or passenger changes. Open Jaw Fare Is an international fare in which either the points of arrival and departure are different or the outward point of departure and inward arrival point are different. Pex - Purchase Fares Not bookable in advance but with many restrictions. Like APEX these normally include instant ticketing, non or part refundable. Normally a minimum stay element included. Reconfirmation You should call and reconfirm your intention to travel on your return leg at least 72 hours prior to the commencement of that journey with the airline. All airlines reserve the right to cancel your booking if you do not reconfirm. Return/Round Trip Fare Means a journey made entirely by air from a point of origin to another point and return to same point. E.g. Larnaca - London - Larnaca. Round The World As the name implies inclusive fares circling the globe and generally need to start and finish in the same global direction. Airlines that do not have services which allow this or do not have a varied enough choice of stopovers combine with other airlines. Routing Is the itinerary /stopovers that a fare permits enroute between origin and destination. E.g. for a particular fare to Chicago from London you may be only allowed to use non stop flights to Chicago and not be allowed to take one that involves a change in New York. Status Confirmed reservations are marked OK in the ticket status box. This means that the airline has accepted your reservation subject to its usual conditions. Stopover A stopover at an intermediate point in your journey when the time difference between your arrival and scheduled departure time is greater than 24 hours. There may be additional charges related to voluntary stopovers. Student Fare Aimed at student travel and therefore requiring proof of student status and age of passenger. Superpex - Purchase Fares Not bookable in advance but with many restrictions. Like APEX these normally include instant ticketing, non or part refundable. Normally a minimum stay element included. Surface Sectors If a journey has a break where someone has decided to travel between two points not by air before continuing on to their destination this is called a surface sector, i.e London - Kuala Lumpur - SURFACE (by train) - Singapore - Perth. This is not part of the quoted air fare. Unlimited Mileage (Car Hire) All vehicle rental companies specify the distance you may drive before you begin to incur additional costs. These costs are generally quoted as currency per mile or kilometre. A vehicle that is quoted as unlimited mileage, is provided on the understanding that no additional distance related charges will be made. Visit USA Special fares within the continental USA which can only be booked and ticketed before travel. Must have a ticket to the USA and sometimes only on certain airlines. Restrictions on cancellation and changes vary. Weekend Surcharge If you are looking to travel on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday some airlines may add a surcharge on their fares. Youth Fare Restrictions as to the age of passenger and / or student status, proof required. |