On the Codes page of Aerofiles, in addition to generic abbreviations and those that are exclusive to Aerofiles, you can discover civil flight-related aviation terms and definitions. The Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Aviation Regulations, and many other sources contain these terms and definitions. Capitalization is used for all references to other passages.

The following is a glossary of key terms and jargon that will help you comprehend aviation stories:

• Available Seat miles can be used to assess the capacity of an airplane or train. This is calculated by multiplying the total number of seats by the distance traveled.
• A bank is a group of flights that are scheduled to depart a hub airport at roughly the same moment to connect with other aircraft.
• When a flight is oversold, the “bump” policy prohibits passengers with verified reservations from boarding even if there are empty seats. According to U.S. law, passengers who are impacted are entitled to monetary compensation.
• The privilege of operating domestic flights within a foreign-owned country is known as cabotage, and some governments grant it to foreign airlines.
• The term “code share” refers to a marketing arrangement in which two or more airlines agree to share a two-letter designator code used in electronic reservation systems. Consequently, it appears that a passenger’s itinerary is scheduled with a single airline.
• Regional carriers are also known as commuter carriers, and they typically conduct business under a name derived from that of a major carrier. Commuter carriers may be independent businesses or subsidiaries of major airlines.
• A connection is a flight route that requires passengers to switch aircraft, typically at a gateway airport.
• A “Contract of Carriage” is analogous to the “Terms and Conditions” that must be acknowledged prior to downloading any software. When purchasing a ticket, it is assumed that you have accepted the terms of this agreement.
• Cost per available seat mile (ASM) is the primary metric used to calculate the operational expenses of an airline. Beginning and ending yield components.
• A direct flight is one that travels from one city to another without requiring any aircraft changes. Booking a direct flight does NOT always guarantee a continuous flight.
• A corporation contracted by an airport authority or a municipality to operate a general aviation (see below) airport or the general aviation portion of a commercial airport is known as a fixed-base operator, or FBO for short.
• General aviation, in contrast to commercial aviation, refers to the operation of private or corporate aircraft.
• A hub-and-spoke routing system is one in which the majority of an airline’s flights are routed through a number of significant airports, necessitating multiple aircraft changes for passengers.
• The load factor is the percentage of a vehicle’s total capacity that is occupied by paying passengers. A crucial indicator of Amtrak’s and the airline industry’s overall efficacy.
• Mainline – Employees of mainline companies are typically paid significantly more than those of partner carriers and are protected by their own set of union contracts.
• A narrow-body aircraft is a type of aircraft with only one aisle between passenger cabins.
• Despite its somewhat misleading moniker, On-Time performance is an essential indicator of service quality. In the context of regulations, “on-time” refers to an aircraft or train that arrives at its destination or departs within 15 minutes of the originally scheduled time for either event.
• O&D stands for “origin and destination” traffic, distinguishing it from airline traffic and passengers who transit a central airport en route to another location.
• Overbooking is the practice of selling more seats on a flight than are actually available in order to safeguard airlines from no-show passengers.
• The area adjacent to the terminal facility where baggage is loaded and unloaded is known as the ramp.
• A tax of up to $4.50 per flight segment that is added to airline tickets to fund airport improvements. This cost is referred to as the passenger facility levy (PFC).
• RJ is an abbreviation for “regional jets,” which are aircraft that typically have seventy seats or fewer and are used for flights between cities when passenger demand is insufficient to load a larger plane, such as a 737.
• The term “turboprop” refers to aircraft powered by piston engines coupled to turbines as opposed to jet engines. In the foreseeable future, regional planes will replace these.
• A wide-body aircraft is one that has more than one aisle between sections of passengers.
• The amount of revenue generated per passenger per mile flown is known as the “yield.” This is the most crucial indicator of revenue for transportation service providers.

The term “Yield Management” refers to a sophisticated computer program that is used to determine the price of each seat in order to maximize revenue.