FAQs - Quick Answers to Business Travel Questions

Blackout dates are periods when certain rates or rewards for airline travel or hotel stays are not available.

Corporate rates are discounted hotel, airline, or other travel rates.

The TSA is the Transportation Security Administration, charged with maintaining security for travelers.

Learn what the TSA’s advanced imaging technologies are, whether they’re safe or not, and how they affect airline travel.

Actual flying time is a travel industry term for the amount of time that a flight is in the air.

Bulkhead seating is the set of seats right behind the bulkheads (or walls) that divide sections of an airplane

The IATAN is the International Airlines Travel Agent Network, an industry standards body for the travel market.

A global distribution system an automated system for making travel transactions, such as airline ticket purchases, hotel reservations, or rental car reservations.

Learn what liquids (and how much of them) you can bring on a plane in your carry on bag. Find out the latest TSA regulations before your flight.

A segment refers to a portion of an airline itinerary, typically a flight from one city to another.

Bumping is what happens when planes are too full and airlines have to ask passengers to take a later flight. You can be voluntarily or involuntarily bumped from flights, but there are regulations about how passengers should be compensated for being bumped.

The Fare Basis (or code) of an airline ticket is the code on which that ticket is based. It specifies what rules apply to that ticket.

Unrestricted airline fares provide business travelers with great flexibility because they do not have restrictions such as advance purchase or Saturday night stay requirements.

VAT stands for Value Added Tax, a tax levied by many European governments on the final consumption (or use/purchase) of goods and services.

APEX fares are advance purchase fares that are discounted, but have restrictions

The throw away ticket ticketing ploy is used when a traveler can find a round trip fare that's cheaper than a one-way fare.

The hidden city ticketing ploy is used when a traveler can find a fare to a (false) destination city that connects through the real destination, and he or she simply gets off the plane at the connecting city.

Back-to-back ticketing is when a passenger books two flights to get around ticketing restrictions like Saturday night stay requirements.

Airline locator numbers are numbers that the airlines assign to each reservation to uniquely identify them.

The Airline Reporting Corporation is a airline-owned company that provides information and transaction services for travel agents and airlines.

Add your favorite time-saving tips to the list, so we can spend less time on the travel, and more time on the business.

TSA - Find out what the acronym TSA actually stands for, as well as what the organization is responsible for.

Being on the road for work is no excuse for not gifting your partner on Valentine's Day. Whether you need to send a gift from afar, or need a last-minute gift idea you can pick up on your way home, look no further than this handy round-up of last minute Valentine's Day gift ideas.

If you are planning a Hilton stay and are short on points, learning how to convert your Amex points into HHonors can be a useful tool. Learn how to make the easy switch with this handy tutorial.

You don't have to settle for the seat the airline assigns you to - check out these simple tips for choosing a better seat on the airplane.

Check in to your next flight before heading to the airport with these airline check-in policies and websites.

Find an airport lounge for your next business trip with this roundup of airport lounges.

Need to book your own business trip? From flights to cars and hotel reservations, plan your next business trip with help from these top travel-booking websites.

Make your business trips more rewarding (pun intended) by taking advantage of hotel loyalty programs. Sign up here for the most popular hotel rewards programs and start earning your way towards free nights, elite status and more.

In addition to a passport, you'll need a need a visa for business trips to mainland China. If your company's travel agency isn't handling the process for you, this tutorial will walk you through the (occasionally confusing) steps.

You give up a lot of time with your family when you travel for work, but these five tips can make staying in touch easier.

From visas and hotel considerations, to health and safety issues, this handy travel checklist will make planning your long journey a little easier.

Check out the top 10 ways to get a flight upgrade, from your About Guide to Air Travel.

What can you tote on your next business trip - and how much is going to cost you (or your company)? Find out with this handy airline-by-airline list of baggage policies and fees, from your About Guide to Air Travel.

Find out how to navigate through airport security without incident with your About Guide to Student Travel.

Find all the U.S. airport websites, on one handy page.