pre-authorization

Is a temporary hold placed on a guest’s payment card to secure funds for an upcoming transaction, without actually completing the charge at the moment of booking or check-in. In the travel and hospitality ecosystem, this mechanism functions as a safeguard for hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, and tour operators, ensuring that payment capacity…

travel policy

is a structured set of rules, guidelines, and parameters that govern how travel is planned, approved, purchased, and undertaken within an organization. In the context of travel operations and distribution, it functions as a blueprint that aligns the practical realities of booking trips—flights, hotels, ground transport, and ancillary services—with a company’s financial controls, duty of…

cancellation

Is the formal termination of a travel booking or service before it is due to commence, resulting in the release of reserved inventory such as flights, hotel rooms, tours, or other travel components. Within travel operations and distribution, it is a pivotal mechanism that manages the fragile balance between guest flexibility and supplier revenue protection.…

Travel insurance

Travel insurance is a specialised financial safeguard that travellers purchase to mitigate the costs and inconveniences arising from unforeseen events during an air‐related journey. In the context of the tourism and aviation industries, it functions as a contractual agreement between the policyholder and an insurer, providing coverage for trip cancellations or interruptions, medical emergencies abroad,…