Travel Glossary

Whether the requested flight itinerary can currently be booked as an award through a particular points or miles program.

A service charge that may apply when an award reservation is completed or an award ticket is issued.

A charge that may apply when an award booking is cancelled.

A service charge that may apply when a traveler changes an award booking.

A loyalty program’s published chart showing how many points or miles an award can require for specified trips or travel categories.

An award-travel reservation kept temporarily while ticketing is still to be completed.

Seats a program makes available for redemption as award tickets.

The number of points or miles required to redeem an award.

A loyalty program’s restriction on the route or sequence of flights that can be included in one award itinerary.

A flight ticket obtained by redeeming loyalty-program miles.

The period during which an award flight can be booked, from the opening of reservations until the applicable cutoff before departure.

An additional charge imposed by an airline rather than a government tax.

Award pricing in which the number of points or miles required can vary by flight or date.

An award-availability rule applied to a combined itinerary, so a connecting trip may be available even when one of its individual flights is not.

The return of previously redeemed miles to a loyalty account after an eligible award cancellation.

An award redemption using one loyalty program’s points or miles for travel on a partner airline.

A flight taken to reach the airport where the main itinerary begins.

Miles in an airline loyalty account that can be used to obtain eligible rewards, including award flights.

A lower-points or lower-mileage award option within a loyalty program, with availability that may be limited. It helps distinguish lower-priced award seats from that program’s higher-priced redemption options.

An advertised lowest or starting points-and-miles price for an award, rather than the price of every flight or date.

Charges associated with an award redemption in addition to the points or miles required for it.

An award-flight request that is waiting for seat availability to be confirmed.

Equipment that helps a passenger with a disability hear, see, communicate, move or carry out other daily activities. In air travel, a wheelchair, hearing aid or CPAP machine can be an assistive device.

An identifier issued to someone approved for TSA PreCheck expedited screening, entered in the Known Traveler Number field of an airline reservation.

A Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler Program that provides expedited security-screening benefits for flights departing from United States airports.

The airline-issued baggage reference, usually a barcode label, that lets a traveler identify a checked bag.

Baggage or its contents that are physically harmed during airline handling or transport.

A checked bag that has not arrived at the destination as expected and is still being located or delivered.

A missing checked bag that the airline has determined is lost after applying its baggage-search process.

Baggage checked through connecting flights to an onward destination.

A booking reference code used to find and manage a reservation or trip record.

An arrangement in which a flight is marketed under one airline’s name and flight code but operated by another airline.

Flight space on a particular date, flight and class of service that the airline has verified as reserved for a passenger.

A request to travel on a flight without confirmed space on that particular flight.

The airline whose identity and flight designator code are used to market a flight.

The airline that actually operates a flight. On a codeshare, this can differ from the airline whose name and code are used to sell it.

A temporary reservation kept while the traveler has time to complete ticket purchase.

A journey arranged using separate flight bookings rather than booking the flights together as one journey.

The latest time by which a ticket must be issued for a reservation.

The identifying number attached to an airline ticket, used to look up the ticket or associated travel record.

Lawful entry into the United States after inspection by an immigration officer.

Any location in the United States or its territories that is designated as a point of entry for aliens and U.S. citizens.

A U.S. visa used to apply for entry for a temporary purpose, such as visiting or studying, in the relevant nonimmigrant category.

A U.S. visa allows its holder to apply for entry into the United States in a specified category, such as visitor or student.

Alaska Airlines’ lower-priced Main Cabin fare product, sold with more restrictions than its standard Main Cabin fare.

A lower-priced economy fare product with restrictions compared with more flexible economy fares.

An economy-cabin seat with more legroom than the airline’s standard economy seats.

A category of ticket sold with its own set of fare rules, such as conditions for changes or refunds.

A flight itinerary with segments booked in different cabin classes.

A cabin category separate from ordinary economy, with its own seating and service features.

A specific seat allocated to a traveler on a flight.

A class of service describing the cabin location and type of accommodation a passenger receives, depending on the fare bought.

A pending request to move to a higher cabin that has not yet been confirmed.

The smallest amount of points or miles that a rewards program allows in one transfer to a partner program.

The required step size for the number of points or miles transferred to a partner program.

A participating loyalty program to which a rewards program allows points or miles to be transferred. For air awards, the receiving airline program is the transfer partner.

The time a rewards program takes to process a transfer of points or miles to a partner loyalty program.

The conversion rate between the points or miles sent from one rewards program and the points or miles received in another.

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler Program that provides expedited U.S. customs screening for international air travelers entering the United States.

Insurance that reimburses covered losses of baggage or personal items while traveling, subject to the policy’s terms.

An optional cancellation benefit that allows a traveler to cancel for a reason not already covered by a standard travel insurance policy.

Insurance that reimburses covered, nonrefundable prepaid travel costs when a covered event prevents the trip from starting.

A way of expressing the value obtained from an award redemption in cents for each mile used. In points-and-miles discussions, the abbreviation is CPM.

Informal terminology: This explanation is based on MilesTalk as its sole reference. Other travel communities may use it differently.

A way of expressing the value obtained from a redemption in cents for each point used, abbreviated CPP.

An individual report of a personal experience, such as whether a particular request worked or did not work. In points-and-miles discussions it is often abbreviated DP.

Informal terminology: This explanation is based on MilesTalk as its sole reference. Other travel communities may use it differently.

Informal shorthand for ending an unhelpful customer-service call and calling again. The letters stand for “hang up and call again.”

The amount of credit-card spending required to meet the spending condition for a sign-up bonus. In points-and-miles discussions, it is abbreviated MSR.

Informal labels meaning Player 1 and Player 2, used for two people coordinating credit-card rewards.

Changing an existing credit card to a different card product from the same issuer.

Informal shorthand for “your mileage may vary,” meaning one person’s experience or result may differ from another’s.

A connection that requires traveling from the airport where one flight arrives to a different airport for the next flight.

A change from one flight to another during a journey.

In U.S. Department of Transportation guidance, a direct flight has a single flight number and may include intermediate stops, but passengers do not have to change planes.

A flight that travels from its departure airport to its arrival airport without an intermediate stop.

A planned interruption of a journey between its origin and destination, agreed by the passenger and airline and scheduled to exceed the applicable connecting-time threshold.