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MAAS.
CRS. Meet and assist.
maglev.
Abr. Magnetic levitation. A technology used in high-speed trains.
magrodome.
On a cruise ship, a retractable glass skylight over a swimming pool.
maid service.
Room cleaning services, such as those provided in a hotel, that are
offered separately as in a condo (qv) or villa (qv).
maiden voyage.
The first voyage of a ship.
maitre d'.
Fr. The host or head waiter at a restaurant; supervises the waiters.
Also maitre d'hotel.
mal de mer.
Fr. Seasickness.
management contract.
An arrangement whereby a hotel's owner contracts with a separate company
to run the hotel.
management report.
A report prepared by a travel agency for a corporate client detailing
all travel activity and expenditures during the reporting period. Used
to analyze patterns of travel usage.
manifest.
A document listing the contents of a shipment or the passengers on a
ship.
manual.
1. A book of instructions, computer documentation. 2. A car with a
manual transmission.
MAP.
Abr. Modified American plan (qv).
MAPTA.
Metropolitan Association of Professional Travel Agents.
Marad.
Abr. Maritime Administration.
Mardi Gras.
From the French phrase meaning "Fat Tuesday." A pre-Lenten
celebration, marked by street revelry and parades, most notably observed
in New Orleans.
market share.
The volume of sales, expressed as a percentage, achieved by one company
in a specific geographic area, compared to all sales of similar products
or of similar companies.
market share override program.
An enhanced commission system in which a supplier (typically an airline)
will pay a travel agency an override (qv) only when the agency's
percentage of sales of the supplier's product exceeds by a specified
amount the supplier's market share in the travel agency's market. In
other words, a travel agency's sales of an airline's tickets might have
to reach 33% of the agency's total airline sales before the airline,
with a market share of 30% in the agency's market, would pay the agency
an override.
markup.
The sum of money or percentage added to a wholesale or purchase price to
arrive at the retail or resale price.
marquee.
1. A sign over a theater entrance listing the current attraction. 2. A
large tent, usually without some or all the sides, used during outdoor
events.
MARS.
Abr. Multi-access reservations system.
Mason-Dixon line.
The boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland. The traditional boundary
between the Northern and Southern United States.
masseur, masseuse.
Fr. The male and female variants for a person who gives massages.
MAST.
Midwest Agents Selling Travel.
maximum authorized amount.
The largest sum of money a bank can withdraw from a travel agency's
account to settle its weekly sales report.
Mayday. 1.
A radio signal word used to denote a distress call. 2. By extension, a
distress call.
MCO.
CRS. Abr. Miscellaneous charge order.
MCT.
CRS. Minimum connecting time (qv).
meal sitting.
See sitting.
meet and greet.
Slang. Term for a service that greets and assists members of a group on
their arrival at the airport.
meeting fare.
Special fare negotiated with an airline for passengers traveling to
attend a specific meeting or convention.
meeting planner.
A person who specializes in the planning and organization of conventions
and other business meetings.
meeting rate.
Special rate offered by a hotel for guests attending a meeting, usually
one being held at the hotel.
mega-agency.
Slang. A very large travel agency with nationwide operations. There are
currently about seven such agencies in the United States.
megalopolis.
An extended urban area caused by the tendency of large cities to grow
together.
megaship.
An extremely large cruise vessel, typically with a passenger capacity of
greater than 2,000.
menu engineering.
In the hospitality industry, a process that analyzes the entire menu (as
opposed to individual menu items) as a measure of profitability.
merchant marine.
1. The commercial shipping industry of a given nation. 2. Those involved
in that industry.
merchant model pricing.
A system in which suppliers sell space to travel agents at a net price,
allowing the agency to set a retail price of its choosing.
merchant status.
The relationship between a company, such as a travel agency, and a bank
that allows the company to accept credit card payments from its
customers.
merger.
The legal process whereby one corporation acquires or joins with
another.
meridians.
The imaginary lines of longitude on a globe.
merry-go-round.
A circular amusement park ride on which fixed wooden horses or other
figures, carry riders. See also carousel.
metal.
Slang. An airplane.
metal detector.
A hand-held or walk-through device, such as those used at airport
security checkpoints, used to detect concealed metal objects.
Me-Too.
Nickname for a web site, jointly owned by 11 European airlines, that
would sell a variety of travel products directly to the public,
bypassing travel agents; so named for its resemblance to a similar web
site owned by five U.S. airlines. See also, T-2.
metro.
A public rail transportation system. A subway system.
Metroliner.
An Amtrak train running between New York and Washington, offering faster
service at a higher fare.
mezzanine.
The first balcony level above the orchestra in a theater. See also dress
circle.
microbrewery. A beer maker with
limited capacity whose products are typically distributed within a
restricted geographic region.
mid-air passenger exchange.
Slang. Tasteless air traffic control term for a collision between two
planes.
mid-office system.
The management information (or MIS) portion of a travel agency's
computer system, as distinct from the CRS (front office) and accounting
functions (back office).
midship(s).
See amidships.
migration.
1. The periodic movement of animals from one location to another. 2. The
movement of large groups of ethnically similar peoples from one area to
another.
mileage allowance, mileage
cap. The mileage a rental car may be
driven on a single day without additional charge.
mileage charge.
The per mile fee charged by a car rental company.
mileage run.
A multi-segment airline trip taken during periods of special promotions
for the sole or primary purpose of accruing frequent flyer miles.
mileage system, mileage based
pricing. An airfare system allowing
stopovers up to a specific maximum permitted mileage.
milk run.
Slang. A trip, usually by a train and late at night, that makes many
stops along the way.
millennium.
1. A period of 1,000 years. 2. Informally, January 1, 2000, expected to
be a record-breaking time for tourism.
millibar.
A measure of atmospheric pressure.
MIN.
CRS. Minimum room (qv).
minibar.
A hotel room amenity consisting of a small, stocked refrigerator
containing beverages and snacks which are inventoried daily and paid for
as they are used.
minimum connecting time.
The legally defined minimum time necessary to change planes at a given
airport.
minimum land package.
The minimum cost of land arrangements that must be purchased to qualify
for a special air fare.
minimum room.
An inexpensive hotel room booked with the understanding that the booking
can be upgraded if other rooms are available on arrival.
minshuku.
An inexpensive Japanese inn, with fewer amenities and a lower level of
service than a ryokan (qv).
MINR.
CRS. Minimum rate.
MIS.
Abr. Management information system.
miscellaneous charge order.
An ARC document used to process the payment of travel arrangements other
than airfares.
M/M.
CRS. Mr. and Mrs.
MOD.
CRS. Moderate room.
modem.
A device that allows computers to exchange data over phone lines.
modified American plan.
A hotel rate that includes two meals daily, usually breakfast and
dinner.
MODR.
CRS. Moderate rate.
modular.
In sections. Designed for easy expansion, as a modular computer system.
MOML.
CRS. Muslim meal.
Montezuma's revenge.
Slang. Traveler's diarrhea (qv), especially when experienced in Mexico.
Named after the Aztec king of Mexico conquered by the Spanish.
Considered derogatory by Mexicans.
moor.
To secure a ship to a dock.
Morse code.
A communications system consisting of letters coded into dots and
dashes, and used in telegraphs.
mortality rate.
1. Of humans, the rate of deaths per thousand or hundred thousand of
population. 2. Of businesses, the rate at which they cease operations or
the amount of time between inception and failure.
motel.
A type of hotel in which parking is provided at or near the room and the
room door gives out onto the parking lot.
motor court, motor hotel.
See motel.
motor home.
A recreational vehicle that is self-driving (as opposed to towed) and
which contains complete living accommodation.
motorbike. A
small, easily-operated motorcycle.
motorboat.
A power boat. A boat with an inboard or outboard gasoline or diesel
engine.
motorcoach.
A bus specifically designed for touring, featuring large windows and a
large luggage compartment. May include toilet facilities.
moving sidewalk.
A motorized, belt-like people mover which operates flush to the floor.
Often found in long corridors at airports.
MPH.
Abr. Miles per hour.
MPI.
Meeting Professionals International, formerly Meeting Planners
International.
MPM.
Abr. Maximum permitted mileage. See also mileage system.
MS.
Abr. Motor ship. A designation for many cruise liners.
MSCN.
CRS. Misconnection.
MST.
Abr. Mountain Standard Time.
MT.
Abr. CRS. Mountain Time.
MTS.
Abr. Motor turbine ship.
multi-access system.
A CRS that can directly access the computers of several airlines or
other travel suppliers.
multi-level. Having
more than one floor or level.
mural.
A large-scale painting on an interior or exterior wall.
Murphy bed.
A bed designed to fold up into the wall when not in use. Found in some
hotel rooms.
mustering station.
A place on a ship where passengers or crew must gather in case of
emergency.
MV.
Abr. Motorized vessel.
MY.
Abr. Motorized yacht.
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