Airline Terminology

Haul length

Average number of miles each passenger flies

Seat Density

Average seating configuration of an airline's operating fleet. The measure is derived by dividing total available seat miles flown by the number of aircraft miles flown. It is important to understand the average aircraft size as it is an important determinant of employees needed to service the operation of a particular airline. Further, economies of scale generally mean that all other things being equal, an airline's CASM declines with increasing seat density (for instance, two small jet engines on a small commercial jet aircraft generally cost not much less to maintain than two large jet engines on a large commercial jet aircraft).

Wright amendment

A 1979 federal law that limited long-haul flights out of Love Field (LUV) in Dallas, mostly in an effort to protect Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

Codeshare

A code share flight is a flight that is marketed by one carrier and operated by another. Code share flights come about as a result of agreements between airlines to sell seats on each others' flights in order to provide passengers with a wider choice of destinations. The ticket would be booked on the flight number of the airline that you have booked your travel, however it may be operated by another carrier.

Available Seat Miles (ASMs)

A common industry measurement of airline output that refers to one aircraft seat, available for sale, flown one mile, whether occupied or not. An aircraft with 300 passenger seats available for sale, flown a distance of 1,000 miles, generates 300,000 ASMs.

Enplaned traffic

A count of the number of passengers boarding and tons of cargo loaded on an aircraft.

Deplaned traffic

A count of the number of passengers getting off and tons of cargo unloaded from an aircraft.

Stress Flight

A flight where the turn time is under 15 minutes

Block Hit Rate

Actual outgate-to-ingate (block) time compared to the schedule

Turn Compliance

Aircraft Turned (based on Doors Closed) within Allowed time: Actual Turn Minutes - (Gate Push - Doors Closed Time) <= Allowed Turn Minutes

Airlines for America

Airlines for America (A4A), formerly known as Air Transport Association of America (ATA), is America's oldest and largest airline trade association. A4A member airlines and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. Based in Washington, D.C., the association advocates for the U.S. airline industry. It is the only trade organization that represents the principal U.S. airlines and is their voice when lobbying Congress.

Allowable Takeoff Gross Weight

Allowable Takeoff Gross Weight is the weight that's limited by takeoff, enroute, landing or structural weight, whichever is more restrictive.

Revenue per Available Seat Mile (RASM)

Also called "unit revenue," this figure is calculated by dividing the airline's revenue by all the available seat miles.

Block Hour

Also known as Aircraft Hour. The number of block hours for a given (revenue) flight is the time from the moment the aircraft pushes back from the departure gate revenue flight until the moment the aircraft arrives at the arrival gate following its landing (equal to the flight time for the flight plus the taxi time). The number of block hours for an airline for a given period of time (like a year, quarter or month) is a measure of the total time that its aircraft were in use during that period. Block hours are the industry standard measure of aircraft utilization

Revenue Passenger Miles (RPMs)

An RPM is created when a paying passenger flies one mile. This is the basic measure of airline passenger traffic. It reflects how many of an airline's available seats were actually sold. For example, if 200 passengers fly 500 miles on a flight, this generates 100,000 RPMs. In a typical day in 2007 American Airlines produced 380 million RPMs.

Total Revenue per Available Seat Mile (TRASM)

Another measure of unit revenue. It is calculated by dividing total operating revenue by available seat miles. Typically the measure is presented in terms of cents per mile.

Cruise

Cruise is the level portion of aircraft travel where flight is most fuel efficient. It occurs between ascent and descent phases and is usually the majority of a journey. Technically, cruising consists of heading (direction of flight) changes only at a constant airspeed and altitude. It ends as the aircraft approaches the destination where the descent phase of flight commences in preparation for landing.

Scorecards

Daily documents to tell the operational team how they performed and how efficient they were and which KPIs they could improve. There is system performance scorecard, which looks at all flights that day, and station performance, which looks at individual stations. KPIs looked at: 1.OTP (through A14, A15-17, DO, originator on-time) 2. Turn compliance 3. Completion Block Time Hit Rate 4. Avg Daily UAD 5. Overnight PAX

Fuel Hedging

Fuel Hedging is a contractual tool airlines use to reduce their exposure to volatile and potentially rising fuel costs. A fuel hedge contract allows a fuel-consuming company to establish a fixed or capped cost, via a commodity swap or option. The companies enter into hedging contracts to mitigate their exposure to future fuel prices that may be higher than current prices and/or to establish a known fuel cost for budgeting purposes.If such a company buys a fuel swap and the price of fuel declines, the company will effectively be forced to pay an above-market rate for fuel. If the company buys a fuel call option and the price of fuel increases, the company will receive a return on the option that offsets their actual cost of fuel. If the company buys a fuel call option, which requires an upfront premium cost, much like insurance, and the price of fuel decreases, the company will not receive a return on the option but they will benefit from buying fuel at the then-lower cost.

Deadhead flight

Deadheading refers to crew members, including flight attendants and pilots, who are being re-positioned as part of their assigned trip. That is, they're flying as passengers while on duty. During so-called irregular operations — flights that operate at substantially different times than originally scheduled due to factors like weather, maintenance, etc. — there are numerous reasons why crews might be deadheaded, but even in regular operations a crew might be assigned to deadhead for part of their trip.

Aircraft Utilization

Measure of aircraft productivity, calculated by dividing aircraft block hours by the number of aircraft days assigned to service on air carrier routes. Typically presented in block hours per day.

Cost per Available Seat Mile (CASM)

Measure of unit cost in the airline industry. CASM is calculated by taking all of an airline's operating expenses and dividing it by the total number of available seat miles produced.

On-Time Count

Non-cancelled flights arriving within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time

A14

Non-cancelled flights arriving within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time / total number of scheduled flights (for specific locations, based on how flights with that location as the origin arrive at their destination)

Late Count

Number of aircraft arriving greater than 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time or cancelled

Passenger Revenue per Available Seat Mile (PRASM)

Often referred to as a measure of passenger "unit revenue", it is calculated by dividing passenger revenue by available seat miles. Typically the measure is presented in terms of cents per mile. This measure is equivalent to the product of load factor and yield

Inbound A0 (Inbnd A0)

Percentage of flights that arrive at a station at or Before their scheduled time

A0 (Inbound Arrivals)

Percentage of flights that arrived at the station on schedule.

Cancelled Count

Scheduled flights that did not complete

Taxi OUT >120

Time from OUT of the gate to wheels OFF ground > 120 minutes

Taxi IN >45

Time from Wheels ON ground to IN the gate > 45 minutes

Avg. Daily UAD (Hours)

Total hours a scheduled aircraft is removed from the scheduled flight line to perform unscheduled Maintenance

Completion Factor

Total number of flights that were completed / total number of flights scheduled (difference being cancelled flights)

Taxi Time

Taxi time is the total time of an aircraft's movement on the ground. Taxi time can be the time it takes an aircraft to go from a hanger or terminal to the runway until cleared for takeoff or the aircraft going from exiting the runway back to the hanger or terminal.The total time in which a plane is on the ground, yet moving. This is monitored to help in fuel, weight, and true airspeed estimations.

Holdover time

The holdover time is the length of time (in minutes) that the anti-icing fluid is effective and is determined by the flight crew from tables in their flight manuals.

Through Passenger

direct flight passenger (as opposed to a transfer/connect passenger

Jetway/Jetbridge

enclosed, movable connector which extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, allowing passengers to board and disembark without going outside.

Flight Length

the flight length is defined as the time airborne during a flight

D0 Delays Zero

Flights that "pushed" (Doors closed AND Brakes Released) BEFORE the scheduled time

Fan In

Unique groups of passengers from an inbound flight who will be boarding the outbound flights

Originator

First SCHEDULED flight of an aircraft route

International Air Transport Association

It is the trade association for the world's airlines, representing some 260 airlines or 83% of total air traffic. It supports many areas of aviation activity and help formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.

Stage-Length

The average distance flown, measure in statute miles, per aircraft departure. The measure is calculated by dividing total aircraft miles flown by the number of total aircraft departures performed. Must apply a stage-length adjustment, to take into account lower CASM, RASM and yield as stage-length increases.

Yield

The average revenue per unit of traffic carried in revenue service. Usually calculated as Revenue per revenue passenger mile Or cents/RPM

Breakeven Load Factor

The load factor necessary for an airline to break even.

Turn Time

The time required to unload an airplane after its arrival at the gate and to prepare it for departure again

Load Factor

This indicator, compiled monthly by the Air Transport Association (ATA), measures the percentage of available seating capacity that is filled with passengers. Analysts state that once the airline load factor exceeds its break-even point, then more and more revenue will trickle down to the bottom line. Keep in mind that during holidays and summer vacations load factor can be significantly higher, therefore, it is important to compare the figures against the same period from the previous year.The number of Revenue Passenger Miles (RPMs) expressed as a percentage of ASMs, either on a particular flight or for the entire system. Load factor represents the proportion of airline output that is actually consumed. To calculate this figure, divide RPMs by ASMs. Load factor for a single flight can also be calculated by dividing the number of passengers by the number of seats