Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Learning the language of the travel industry
Learning the language of the travel industry
The travel
industry has a language all its own. Unfortunately, this can mean trouble for
consumers who aren't fluent.
Every year, millions of passengers request a "direct
flight" when what they really want is a "nonstop flight." This isn't their
fault; it's the airlines that have twisted a nice simple word like "direct" to
mean "an en-route stop without a change of airplanes."
Similarly, many hotel guests request "adjoining rooms"
when what they really want is the private door found in "connecting rooms."
Travel can be confusing, and not speaking its language
can make it even more confusing. The glossary below is designed to make it just
a little easier to understand.
A travel dictionary for the 2000s
No-show n. a hotel guest who is charged for
a stay due to his or her failure to cancel. See also mo-show n.
the double revenue a hotel earns by booking the no-show room.
CDW n. optional car rental coverage that is
unnecessary for most consumers; alternately known as "collision damage waiver"
or "completely disregard whenever."
Code-sharing n. a practice that allows two
or more airlines to cross-sell each other's flights using their own airline
codes; extensive research has shown the primary benefit is confusing passengers
who want to file a complaint.
Family plan n. a rate offered for a family
member to travel at a discount or for free; however, the travel industry's
definition of "family member" may exclude grandparents, grandchildren, siblings,
aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins, in-laws, parents, children or spouses.
Force majeure n. an Act of God (bad
weather, etc.) that absolves an airline from compensating passengers after a
delay or cancellation. See also force maneure n. an act of airline
management that is later denied by that airline.
Froot Loops, stale n. see complimentary
continental breakfast.
Non-revenue n. passengers, guests or
customers who do not contribute to a travel company's profits (note: this
applies to all passengers aboard United and US Airways flights).
Open jaws n. 1) airline tickets that allow
you to fly into one city and fly out of another city; 2) Las Vegas hotel patrons
after crab claws are added to the $5.99 buffet.
Paperless travel n. the printed
itineraries, confirmations, and receipts that were supposed to be rendered
obsolete by the elimination of airline tickets.
Shoulder season n. term used by resorts to
charge the high rates of peak season while still offering the skeleton staff of
low season.
Spoke n. a city served by an airline from
its hub, in which the last two flights of the evening are routinely cancelled.
Yield management n. a sophisticated
technological mechanism used by airlines and other travel companies to determine
fair pricing; also known as dart board.
Coining New Terms
Many frequent travelers speak in shorthand and have
devised their own terminology to explain the peculiarities of life on the road.
At Consumer Reports WebWatch, we've coined our own term — "fare-jumping"
— to describe the phenomenon of airline rates that suddenly increase right in
the middle of the booking process. Now it's catching on and is starting to be
used throughout the industry.
What follows are additional suggestions to expand the
travel lexicon.
Bin-itis n. a chronic condition caused by
falling baggage from an airplane's overhead storage compartment.
Deck shoes n. the sandals used for a
10-hour period to "reserve" a prime lounge chair on the deck of a cruise ship.
Ignition artery n. the blood vessel in
one's inner ear that bursts upon starting a rental car with a radio adjusted to
the maximum volume by the cleaning staff.
Jackson gallon n. a unit of measurement
used to describe topping off a gas tank by a car rental firm (named for the U.S.
President on the $20 bill).
New York minute n. the accepted length of
time to use the lavatory on a shuttle flight from Washington.
One-and-a-half n. a cruise ship's gym
(named for the number of adults who can fit in it).
Shine-ons n. the shoe mitts one finds at
the bottom of a carry-on bag that were stolen from a hotel on the last trip and
never unpacked.
Taxi-neck n. the traffic logjam that occurs
¾ of a mile from an airport terminal and causes one to miss a flight.
Virtual victuals n. an airborne meal
comprised entirely of crumbs found in the seatback pocket underneath the
ditching card.
Visa freeze n. the frightful stage of an
online travel booking when this message appears: "We are processing your credit
card data."
Undoubtedly you've probably minted a few travel terms of
your own. Feel free to
pass them along and perhaps we can share them with other readers.
Bill McGee, a contributing editor to Consumer
Reports and the former editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, is an
FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher who worked in airline operations and management
for several years. Tell him what you think of his latest column by sending him
an e-mail at USATODAY.com at
travel@usatoday.com. Include your name, hometown and daytime phone number,
and he may use your feedback in a future column.
