# Travel ancillary glossary

A plain-English glossary for travel ancillary revenue, post-booking merchandising, airline retailing, seat maps, and distribution terms.

The DepartCart travel ancillary glossary defines the commercial, retailing,
distribution, and seat map vocabulary used around post-booking revenue. It is
written for travel teams that need plain-English explanations of industry terms,
so strategy, product, and distribution conversations start from the same
meaning rather than from assumed jargon.

Air retailing is full of useful terms that become unhelpful when teams use them
loosely. A revenue lead may say ancillary revenue and mean every sale outside
the fare. A product lead may hear attach rate and think only about a checkout
metric. A distribution lead may hear NDC or ATPCO and think about content
sources rather than merchandising strategy.

That difference matters. Post-booking revenue is not one topic. It touches fare
structure, offer timing, cabin data, seller economics, and the way content moves
through travel retail. Teams make better decisions when the vocabulary is
specific enough to show which problem they are actually discussing.

## How to use the glossary

Each term starts with a short answer that can stand on its own. The rest of the
page explains why the term matters commercially, where it is commonly confused,
and which related concepts are worth reading next.

The glossary is deliberately educational rather than promotional. DepartCart is
a post-booking ancillary checkout platform, but not every definition needs to be
about the platform. Some terms are revenue terms. Some are cabin terms. Some
come from airline distribution. Understanding the distinctions is what makes the
commercial conversation more precise.

## What the vocabulary helps you see

A travel seller that understands attach rate talks differently about a cart. A
team that understands unbundling reads fare families differently. A team that
understands seat pitch, seats abreast, and cabin layout can ask better questions
about seat maps before a traveller sees them.

The terms are not academic. They are the working language behind whether a
post-booking offer is relevant, whether a paid option feels fair, and whether a
seller can explain the commercial value of the next item in the journey.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is this glossary for?

It is written for commercial, product, and distribution teams at travel sellers who need shared language for ancillary revenue and post-booking merchandising.

### Does the glossary explain implementation details?

No. It defines public industry vocabulary and commercial concepts, while leaving private operating methods and booking mechanics out of the marketing surface.

### Why do short definitions matter?

Clear definitions help teams compare options, brief stakeholders, and ask better questions before they commit product or engineering effort.