Business class glossary

The words airlines and agents use about a business class ticket, each explained in plain English, with what it means for your trip.

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Routes and trips

How a trip is shaped: where it stops, where it connects and how it is ticketed.

Open-jaw ticket
A round trip that flies into one city and home from another, or leaves from a different city than it returns to. It is priced as one ticket, not two one-ways.
Multi-city ticket
One ticket with three or more flights between different cities, priced and issued together rather than as separate tickets.
One-way ticket
A ticket for one direction only. On many international routes a business class one-way costs close to a round trip; some airlines price it at about half.
Stopover
A planned stay of more than 24 hours in a connecting city on an international ticket, as opposed to a layover, which is a short wait between flights.
Layover
The time between two flights in a connecting city, usually a few hours. On international tickets it lasts under 24 hours; anything longer is a stopover.
Minimum connection time
The shortest time an airport and airline allow between two connecting flights on one ticket. Tickets are never sold with less.
Nonstop and direct flights
A nonstop flight lands only at your destination. A direct flight keeps one flight number but may stop on the way, sometimes for hours.
Red-eye flight
A flight that leaves late in the evening and lands early the next morning, so most of it is flown at night.
Hub airport
An airport where an airline bases its network and connects most of its flights, such as Frankfurt for Lufthansa or Doha for Qatar Airways.
Positioning flight
A separate flight to the city where the main trip starts, taken because a fare from there is cheaper or better.
Fifth-freedom flight
A flight by an airline between two countries that are not its home, as part of a route that starts or ends at home.

Fares and rules

What sets the price of a ticket, and what happens if your plans change.

Consolidator fare
A fare an airline sells through agencies at a negotiated price it does not publish on its own website, often below the published fare for the same seat.
Published fare
The fare an airline files publicly and sells to anyone, on its own website and on booking sites: the price discounted fares are measured against.
Fare class (booking class)
A one-letter code inside a cabin that sets a ticket's price and rules. Business class has several, often J, C, D, I and Z; each airline uses its own.
Fare basis
The code on a ticket that names the exact fare it was sold at, starting with its fare class letter. It points to the fare's rules.
Fare rules
The conditions attached to a fare: whether you can change or cancel, at what cost, the minimum and maximum stay, stopovers and open jaws.
Refundable fare
A fare you can cancel for your money back, sometimes minus a fee. A nonrefundable fare returns nothing, or only a credit with the airline.
Travel credit
Value an airline keeps for you when a ticket is canceled and not refunded in money, to spend on a later ticket within a set time.
Schedule change
When the airline changes the time, flight number, route or aircraft of a flight you have booked, after you bought the ticket.
Advance purchase
A fare rule that a ticket must be bought a set number of days before departure. Cheaper fares often require it.
Carrier-imposed surcharge
A charge an airline adds to a ticket on top of the fare and government taxes, shown in the taxes box. It is the airline's own charge, not a tax.
Upgrade
Moving from a lower cabin to a higher one, paid for or given by the airline to frequent flyers when the cabin has room.

Seats and cabins

What you get on board, from a flat bed to a door.

Lie-flat seat
A business class seat that turns into a fully flat bed, 180 degrees, so you can sleep lying down on a night flight.
Angled lie-flat seat
A seat that reclines to a long flat surface tilted at an angle, not level, so you tend to slide down it while sleeping.
Direct aisle access
A seat layout where every business class seat opens onto the aisle, so no one climbs over a neighbor.
Business class suite
A business class seat with a door or high walls that close it off from the aisle, for more privacy.
Seat map
A drawing of the cabin that shows where each seat is and which are free. In business class it also shows the layout, such as 1-2-1.
Widebody aircraft
A plane with two aisles, such as the Boeing 777 and 787 or the Airbus A350 and A380. Most long-haul business class cabins are on widebodies.
Amenity kit
The small bag airlines give long-haul business class passengers: usually an eye mask, earplugs, socks, a dental kit and skin care.
Premium economy
A cabin between economy and business class: a wider seat with more legroom and recline, but no bed.
First class
The cabin above business class on some long-haul flights: fewer seats, more space and more service. Many airlines no longer offer it.
Mixed-cabin itinerary
A trip that flies business class on some flights and economy or premium economy on others, priced as one ticket.

At the airport

From check-in to the gate: what a business class ticket opens before the flight, and what belongs to the traveler.

Priority boarding
Boarding the plane in one of the first groups, before most passengers. Business class tickets include it.
Fast track security
A separate, shorter security lane for premium passengers at many airports outside the US. In the US, TSA PreCheck is the usual faster lane.
TSA PreCheck
A US program for faster airport security: approved travelers keep their shoes, belt and light jacket on and leave laptops and liquids in the bag.
Global Entry
A US Customs and Border Protection program that speeds up immigration and customs when returning to the US. It includes TSA PreCheck.
Lounge access
Use of an airline's lounge before a flight and between connections. Most international business class tickets include it, the airline's or a partner's.
Chauffeur service
A car to or from the airport that a few airlines include with some business or first class tickets, in some cities; most airlines do not offer it.

Airlines and tickets

How airlines work together, and how to check and manage a booking.

Airline alliance
A group of airlines that share networks, lounges and loyalty benefits: Star Alliance, oneworld and SkyTeam.
Airline joint venture
A deeper partnership in which airlines coordinate schedules and fares on a set of routes and share the revenue, beyond an alliance.
Codeshare flight
A flight sold under the flight number of more than one airline. One airline flies the plane; the others sell seats on it.
Interline agreement
An agreement between airlines to carry each other's passengers and bags on one ticket, even outside an alliance.
E-ticket number
The 13-digit number of an issued airline ticket. Its first three digits identify the airline, and it proves the ticket exists in the airline's system.
Record locator (PNR)
The six-character code of a booking, also called a booking reference, confirmation code or PNR. You use it to manage the trip.
IATA accreditation
Registration with the International Air Transport Association that lets an agency issue airline tickets. Each accredited agency has a number you can check.
Baggage allowance
How many bags you can check and carry on, and how heavy they can be. Business class usually includes more than economy; the airline sets the exact allowance.