Attention to these commonly confused air travel terms

Would you book a nonstop flight or a direct flight when seeking the shortest route to your destination? Or, if a connecting flight is your preferred choice, have you ever distinguished between a stopover and a layover? There are certain air travel terms like these that seem quite similar but are actually different, which is the reason why they are often confused and misunderstood even by seasoned travelers.

Some other pairs of commonly confused air travel terms include 'transfer and transit', 'round robin and open jaw flights', and 'split and return tickets'. The difference between a few of them might not be substantial, but understanding the nuances of these air travel terms is crucial to make the right choice when booking flights. Below is the infographic that highlights the difference between the most commonly confused air travel terms. Go through it to get them straight!

Nonstop vs direct flights

Nonstop: Flies you from Point A to Point B with no intermediate stops.

Direct: You'll still fly direct from your departure to the destination airport on the same aircraft, but a direct flight has a brief stop at an intermediate airport for picking up/ dropping off passengers, refueling, or other reasons.

Transit vs Transfer

Transit: You are in transit if you return to the same aircraft for your onward journey after a brief layover at an intermediate airport

Transfer: You are a transfer passenger when you change aircraft or airlines to reach your final destination.

Stopover vs Layover

Stopover: A stop at a connection point between cities that usually lasts more than 24 hours is called a stopover.

Layover: The break in your itinerary is called a layover if it is less than 24 hours.

Open Jaw vs Round Robin Ticket

Round Robin Ticket: It refers to booking a multi-city itinerary in which you will be booking a ticket for your trip from Point A to B, from B to C, and then back to A from C.

Open Jaw Flight Ticket: An Open Jaw flight ticket takes you from Point A to B and flies you back to Point A from Point C. You will have to arrange the travel from Point B to C.

Split vs Return ticket

Split ticket: Split ticketing is when you split your itinerary and book separate tickets for each part of your journey. You either book two one-way tickets for travel from Point A to B and back or split the ticket at the connection city C.

Return ticket: Also called a round trip ticket, this is a single ticket for your whole journey, from Point A to B and back to Point A from B. This single airline ticket includes the details of both flights

SOURCE: It’s high time you paid attention to these commonly confused air travel terms