| Term |
Definition |
| C |
Booking class - use varies depending upon airline |
| C&M |
Cash & Miles (Mileage Redemption) |
| C01 – C17 |
Child passenger and age code |
| C1 |
CapitalOne or Capital One |
| CA |
Air China |
| CAPACITY CONTROLS |
The process airlines, hotels and car rental agencies use to allocate awards depending on actual vs. anticipated demand. Capacity controls are intended to control the economics of frequent flyer programs. |
| CAS |
Crew Alerting System (in aircraft cockpit) |
| CASM |
Cost per Available Seat Mile |
| CATSA |
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority |
| CB |
Cumulonimbus clouds |
| CBP |
Customs and Border Protection. Border patrol and customs/immigration officers at ports of entry. |
| CC |
Credit Card |
| CCR |
Concorde Room |
| CE |
Club Europe (Short haul business class) |
| CERTIFICATE |
An award voucher, which a member must present to the redeeming company, such as a car rental company or hotel, or must exchange for an airline ticket. |
| CFC |
Same Day Confirmed Flight Change |
| Chautauqua Airlines |
An Orlando-based regional subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. |
| Cheatline |
the colored line often extending down the fuselage or an aircraft |
| CHECK-IN |
To confirm intent to board a previously booked flight by showing a ticket to an airline representative either at the ticket counter, curbside baggage check-in or departure gate. |
| Churn |
Refers to applying for a given credit card repeatedly to get the same sign-up bonus multiple times, or to applying for different credit cards one after another to get sign-up bonuses that add up. By extension, it could also mean doing anything that earns points/miles repeatedly. |
| CI |
China Airlines |
| CIP |
Cabin Improvement Program (Refitting an aircraft cabin with updated seats, etc.) |
| CIR |
Circle Pacific, class precedes, MPM follows, e.g. DCIR22 |
| Circle Pacific |
a discounted oneworld product allowing that routing |
| City Pairs |
Airports considered the same for fare construction purposes |
| CL |
Credit Limit |
| CLASS OF SERVICE BONUS |
Many airlines add 50% or 100% or more extra miles to your account when flying in paid Business or First Class. |
| CLASS OF SERVICE/TRAVEL |
Usually refers to airline travel; indicates the level of travel, size of seat and surrounding area, cabin position and amenities offered. Generally first class (F), business class (C) and coach (Y). |
| CLI |
Credit Limit Increase |
| CMT |
Check My Trip |
| CO |
Continental Airlines |
| Co-terminals |
Airports considered the same for standby and similar procedures |
| COBRANDED CARD |
See AFFINITY CARD. |
| CoC |
Contract of Carriage |
| COCB |
Carry Over Carry Back |
| CODESHARING |
When one airline provides connecting service under another carrier's name. Both airlines' codes appear in reservation systems and on tickets. Codeshare flights often accrue mileage. |
| Comair |
British Airlines franchisee based in South Africa |
| COMBINING MILES |
See POOLING. |
| COMMON CARRIER |
Any company engaged in the transport of people or goods for profit. |
| COMPANION TICKET |
A free or discounted ticket for another person flying with a traveler who has purchased a ticket. |
| ConciergeKey / CK |
Invitation-only premium service for the most valued AA customers |
| CONFIRMATION |
An oral or written acknowledgment of a booking, subject to certain conditions. |
| CONFIRMED UPGRADE |
Guarantees an upgrade to a higher class of service prior to travel. |
| CONGA LINE |
A Conga Line is a thread in which members help each other by lending their referrals for a select promotion. Most promotions that offer a bonus for referring a friend will have a corresponding Conga Line thread. |
| CONNECTION |
Changing to a different airplane en route to the final destination. Actual mileage, connection bonuses and segment promotion credits are earned only if the connecting flight number is different from the originating flight number. |
| CONSOLIDATED MILEAGE MANAGERS |
A service provided by a variety of travel- and financial-related Internet companies whereby miles and points accrued in several programs are listed in one account statement. |
| CONUS |
Continental United States (contiguous 48 states) |
| COS |
Class Of Service (referring to cabin service class) |
| COS |
Customer Of Size a.k.a. Person Of Size |
| CP |
Companion Pass |
| CP or C/P |
Security Checkpoint |
| CPM |
Cost Per Mile |
| CPMQM |
"Cost per MQM" or "Cents per MQM", used by mileage runners to determine how good of a deal a Mileage Run is. |
| CPU |
Complementary Premier Upgrades |
| CR |
Credit Report |
| CR-1 |
United's confirmable North American upgrade certificates, good for travel within the 49 United States, the Caribbean, Canada or Mexico. This upgrade is not valid on flights to/from Hawaii, except when member is a resident of Hawaii. You may use Confirmed Systemwide Upgrades anywhere United flies. |
| CR7/CR9 |
Larger Canadair Regional Jets that have F cabins |
| CRC |
Crown Room Club -- the airport lounge program for Delta Air Lines. |
| CRJ |
Canadair Regional Jet |
| CRM |
Crew Resource Management / Cockpit Resource Management (cockpit crew collaboration process) |
| CRS |
A Computerized Reservation System. It is any of several proprietary computer systems allowing real-time access to airline fares, schedules, and seating availability and offering the capability of booking reservations and generating tickets. |
| CS |
Short for Customer Service. Add an "A" or an "R" and you've got Customer Service Agent or Customer Service Rep. |
| CS25 / CS 50 / etc. |
Discount certificates (Type A) that are given to customers as a customer service. |
| CSA |
Customer Service Agent |
| CSD |
Cabin Service Director |
| CSM |
Cabin Service Manager |
| CSR |
Customer Service Representative |
| CTOs |
Acronym for City Ticket Office. These ticketing offices for airlines are not located at airports and are not directly associated with a travel agency. They are directly sponsored by the airline itself. |
| CW |
Club Word (Long haul business class) |
| CX |
Cathay Pacific Airways |
| CZ |
China Southern Airlines |
