- J -

jet lag - a upset of one's biological clock, due to travel across many time zones; not all folks are affected by it

joint fare - An agreement between certain airlines to charge specific fares when a passenger uses more than one airline.

These fares are agreed on by the airlines involved and would be closer to the fares that could be charged if a passenger was only traveling on one airline to get to their destination.

Jones Act - a law dating back to 1886, that forbids foreign-flagged ships from carrying passengers between US ports with no foreign port stops in-between

- K -

kilometer - a measure of distance used in almost all other countries, at about 5/8 mile.

king room - a hotel room with a king bed

knot - a nautical measure of speed equaling approx. 1.5 mph. A ship traveling at 15 knots is traveling at about 22 mph.

kph - kilometers-per-hour - land speed measurement in most other countries. 60 kph equals approx. 36 miles-per-hour

- L -

land arrangements - all the details of a the land portion of a trip ( hotel, car, tours, sightseeing, etc. )

landing fee - A fee that the airlines pay for the right to land at an airport.

land-only - a rate that does NOT include airfare; usually includes most other land-based charges such as accommodations, transfers, taxes, and perhaps other optional items like theme park tickets, rental care, etc.

last-seat availability - the ability of a travel agent to get, literally, the " last seat " for you on a particular flight, either at a certain fare or actually the last remaining seat on an aircraft. See " direct access "

late booking fee - a fee due if travel arrangement are made at the last minute. Normally covers express delivery of documents and other last-minute arrangements that may have to be made by a tour operator

latitude - imaginary horizontal lines of angular distance, measured in degrees north or south of the equator

layover - a period of time spent during a trip, sometimes overnight, while waiting for a transportation connection - usually a change of planes

leg - One single flight portion of an itinerary.

LDW - loss damage waiver - additional insurance pertaining to car rentals, covering theft and vandalism in addition to accident damage

lead-in price - the lowest available price for a travel product, often pertaining to cabins on a cruise ship. Usually, there are only a few staterooms available on board each cruiseliner in this category, but often better accommodations are only slightly higher in price. Rock-bottom price shoppers normally insist on these rates, though they sell out quickly. Often, passengers are not happy with the outcome !

leeward - the side of a ship or an island that is located opposite from the direction of the prevailing wind -the " Leeward Islands " in the Caribbean for example

leg - on segment of a journey, normally referring to an air itinerary, such as the " outbound leg " or the " return leg "

leisure travel - travel for pleasure as opposed to business

lido deck - usually the deck on a cruise ship that surrounds the pool area
limited service hotel - a hotel property without a restaurant

load factor - the percent of available space on an aircraft or other form of transportation that has been sold to date

lowest available fare - the current, lowest airfare available for purchase right then - may or may not change within minutes/hours/days.

lowest fare - the lowest published airfare between two cities; may NOT have seats available

at that fare, as the airlines usually have a limited number of those seats on any given flight
low season The times of year when prices of tickets decline because it is a less popular time of year to travel to a destination.

lower (bed) - in a cruise stateroom, the bed(s) on the floor as opposed to the higher bunks
( uppers ), if any. On many ships, two lowers can be arranged to make a king or queen bed - but NOT always.

luxury class - the most expensive, high-class accommodations or category of fare

-M-

MAAS - The abbreviated form for Meet and Assist, used in computer reservations systems. Indicates that the passenger needs to be assisted in some way by an airline agent.

maximum stay - the maximum time you may stay at your destination in order to qualify for a specific airfare. Normally most fares have a 30-day limit, but some are less. Usually, the longer you stay, the higher the fare will be.

MCO - The abbreviated form of Miscellaneous Charge Order, used by airlines and travel agencies. It is widely known for its use as a travel voucher. Can also be used for collecting miscellaneous charges such as excess baggage and change fees.

midship - same as " amidships "

minimum connect time - The legal minimum time necessary to change planes at a given airport. If this is ignored, the connection is called an illegal connection.

Min/Max - The abbreviated form for Minimum/Maximum stay - refers to the minimum and maximum times allowed for travel on a ticket. Minimum and maximum stays are restrictions often imposed on discounted fares.

Weekend fares are examples of tickets with minimum and/or maximum stays. A weekend fare will typically allow a passenger to begin travel on a Friday or Saturday, and return Monday or Tuesday. In this example, the minimum stay would be a Saturday night, with the maximum stay being the Monday or Tuesday.

modified american plan ( MAP ) - meal plan that includes two daily meals, usually breakfast and dinner

MST - Mountain Standard Time

- N -

NACOA - National Association of Cruise-Oriented Agencies - a professional trade group of travel agencies who sell primarily cruises, and perhaps tours

NACTA - National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents - trade group representing primarily independent and home-based agents

nautical mile - air/sea distance measurement of approx. 1.1 statute miles

NN - The abbreviated form of need or require space on a flight or another air travel related service, used in computer reservations systems.

no show - a passenger who doesn't show for a flight, hotel, or rental car booking - shame on you for not canceling.

non-refundable - If a passenger does not use a ticket, none of the money paid for the ticket will be returned. Many airlines will allow such unused, non refundable tickets to be used as a credit towards future travel after paying a fee to change the ticket. non-transferable - an air ticket that cannot be used by anyone else ( all tickets are such nowadays )

nonstop - referring to an air flight that does not stop enroute to it's first destination, that is, a single flight segment with no intermediate stops

NOOP - The abbreviated form for Not Operating, used in computer reservations systems. In other words, the flight is not operating because it has been removed from the airline's schedule, or has been canceled.

NOREC - The abbreviated form for No Record, used in computer reservations systems. Indicates no record of a passenger's booking can be found. NTSB - National Transportation Safety Board; investigates accidents and other incidents related to public transportation

NOSHO - Also known as No Show. A passenger who doesn't show up to take the flight that he/she is booked on.

- O -

occupancy rate - the percent of hotel rooms expected to be filled during a specific time period. For example,

oceanview cabin - a cabin aboard a cruise ship with a window, such as a porthole or picture-window, and perhaps a balcony/verandah

OCV - oceanview, usually in reference to a hotel room

offline connection - A connection that not only involves a change of planes, but a change of airlines as well.

off-peak - a time when less travel occurs. Fares are usually lower during these times

OHG - Official Hotel Guide

on-line connection - A connection that involves a change of airplanes but not a change of airlines.

open jaw - A flight itinerary where the departure city is different on the way out than the return.Or alternatively, the destination city that a passenger arrives in is different than the one that is departed from on the return portion of a flight itinerary.

An example would be a traveler starting at New York's Laguardia flying into San Francisco International, and then returning to Washington Dulles airport instead of New York.

open return - a air ticket with no return date specified. Rarely done these days, usually quite expensive and not allowed on most discounted fares

open ticket - A ticket with no date specified and the passenger books a flight when ready to travel. These are usually full fare tickets, as opposed to a discounted, restricted fare.

operator - a company providing transportation or travel related services ( airline, cruise line, railway, hotel, car rental company, etc. )

option date - drop dead date on which a reservation must be deposited or cancellation will result

outbound - The portion of the trip where a passenger is leaving the first city of a flight itinerary and is traveling to a destination, or destinations.

outside cabin - see " oceanview " cabin

outside salesperson - job description of an travel agency employee who sells travel but is not based primarily in the agency location most of the time

overbooking - the practice of selling more airline seats than are available on a specific flight, to make up for no-shows.

oversell - As with overbooking, it is when an airline takes more reservations than it has seats on an aircraft.

override - extra commission that travel agents sometimes get, usually for selling a certain amount of a supplier's product