A simplified and modern guide to the key terms used by travel management companies (TMCs). Perfect for newcomers, partners, or internal teams learning how the travel industry operates in a tech-forward environment.

A unique ID that represents a travel agency office to the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) in the U.S. It’s used for reporting and settling airline ticket sales.

Data points about a traveler or trip that help with personalization, reporting, and policy enforcement.

• Profile Attributes: Info about the traveler, such as name, department, loyalty numbers, or job title.

• Trip Attributes: Info related to a specific trip, like project codes, trip purpose, or cost center.
  Some attributes can be predefined by clients (previously referred to as "UDIDs").

The system or team that handles post-booking tasks like invoicing, travel spend reconciliation, commissions, and reporting.

The international version of ARC. Used outside the U.S. to manage payments and reporting between travel agencies and airlines.

When a travel agency repeatedly holds and cancels airline seats (on purpose) to manipulate availability or pricing. Airlines penalize this behavior with debit memos.

When one airline sells a seat on a flight that is actually operated by a different airline. For example, you may buy a ticket from United, but the flight is operated by Lufthansa.

A fine charged to a travel agency by an airline or ARC when booking rules are violated—like churning, misusing discounts, or issuing invalid tickets.

A method that allows bookings made outside the TMC (like directly on an airline’s website) to be captured in the system for duty of care, reporting, and compliance.

Andavo's visual map showing the current locations of all active travelers. It replaces legacy "SecurityLogic" maps and soon will show live flight tracking and risk alerts for global events.

A company’s responsibility to protect travelers, especially during emergencies, travel disruptions, or high-risk situations. TMCs help fulfill this by tracking itineraries and offering traveler support.

An old-school airline data standard used in GDSs (Global Distribution Systems). It's being replaced by newer standards like NDC that offer more flexibility.

An electronic receipt issued for extras like baggage fees, seat upgrades, or in-flight Wi-Fi. It's not a ticket for a flight but documents additional services.

How a travel booking is paid—such as corporate credit card, virtual card (vCard), personal card, or direct billing.

The global organization that sets standards for airlines, airports, and travel agents to work together smoothly.

The who, when, and where of a trip. Includes names of travelers, dates, times, cities, and services booked (flights, hotels, etc.). Think of it as the travel plan.

A hotel rate your company has secured with no minimum booking requirement. Available across all travelers or locations.

A discounted hotel rate for a specific office or team. Usually requires booking a certain number of nights per year at that property.

The technology layer between booking and billing systems. It automates quality checks, applies travel policy rules, and formats data before it moves to the back office.

A GDS command used to create a passive segment in a reservation. It doesn’t notify the airline—it’s just for documentation purposes.

A newer way airlines offer tickets and services. It allows for more personalized pricing and extras—sometimes bypassing traditional GDS tools.

A ticket booked outside of the standard ARC process—such as directly on an airline’s website. These require manual tracking by the TMC for reporting and reimbursement.

Short for “Application Programming Interface.” A modern way for different travel systems to talk to each other—enabling integration between booking tools, expense platforms, and reporting dashboards.

A placeholder in the itinerary that reflects travel booked elsewhere (like directly on a vendor website). These are not confirmed or ticketed by the GDS and exist only for documentation.

A code that represents an agency or office within a Global Distribution System. It controls access, permissions, and user activity.

Technology that captures travel bookings made outside of the TMC (like via supplier websites) and pulls them into the TMC's system for full visibility and traveler tracking.

The how much of a trip. Shows what was paid, how it was paid, and is often required for expense reports and auditing.

One piece of a trip, like a single flight leg, hotel night, or car rental day.

Another term for a PCC—used interchangeably in some GDS platforms.

When a round-trip is split into two separate tickets (one for outbound, one for return). Sometimes necessary for pricing or routing, but can limit perks like baggage transfers.

An internal GDS record used to manage services or payments that aren’t traditional tickets (like upgrades or bag fees).

A unique number assigned to each trip. It links all travel segments into one “record.”

• Also known as: PNR (Passenger Name Record) or “Record Locator” in legacy systems.

• In Andavo, we use “Trip ID” to simplify and modernize this concept.

A tool that captures bookings made outside of the TMC and feeds them into the company’s travel program for visibility and policy control.

[Replaced by “Attributes”] Previously referred to client-specific tags in reservations (like project codes or reasons for travel). These are now considered a type of attribute.

A digital, single-use credit card issued for a specific booking. Offers extra security and easier expense reconciliation.