The words we use matter. Keeping them consistent helps our product resonate with travellers and creates a foundation for scaleable and reusable content design.
Flights
General language
Do |
Don’t |
---|---|
Flight Airplane Aircraft Air travel Plane |
Aeroplane
|
Journey-specific language
Do |
Don’t |
---|---|
One way (verb), one-way (compound adjective) Multi-city Direct Leg Multi-leg Stop(s) Stopover Long haul Short haul Depart Departure Outbound Return Inbound Takeoff (noun), take off (verb) |
Oneway Take-off |
Hotels
General language
Do |
Don’t |
---|---|
Hotel Property Stay Hostel Stay Bed Room Meals Lunch Dinner |
Accommodation |
Cars
General language
Do |
Don’t |
---|---|
Car hire (UK) Car rental (US) Rental (US) |
Everything else |
Car-specific language
Do |
Don’t |
---|---|
Petrol Diesel Fuel Electric Hybrid Car Vehicle Van Luxury Mini |
Pick-up truck (UK) UTE (UK) |
Pick up and drop off
To improve readability, remove punctuation from CTAs and use active language, we only hyphenate pick up and drop off when it’s a compound adjective...
Do |
Don’t |
---|---|
Pick up (verb, noun, adjective) |
Pick up (compound adjective) |
Pick-up (compound adjective and noun) |
Pick-up (verb, adjective) |
Drop off (verb, noun, adjective) |
Drop off (compound adjective) |
Drop-off (compound adjective and noun) |
Drop-off (verb, adjective) |
- Pick up your car today
- Drop off before <time>
- Pick-up location
- Drop-off date
- Pay when you pick up
We never refer to a ‘truck’ as a ‘pick-up truck’ in any market.
Travelling
Do |
Don’t |
---|---|
Journey Trip Getaway Experience Plans Travel plans Itinerary Destination Place Location One way (verb) Arrive Depart Leave Check in Check out Round trip Whole trip |
Holiday Break Travel experience Travel arrangement Booking experience Booking plans |
Check in and check out
To improve readability, remove punctuation from CTAs and use active language, we only hyphenate check in/check out when it’s a compound adjective.
Do |
Don’t |
---|---|
Check in (verb, noun, adjective) |
Check in (compound adjective) |
Check-in (compound adjective) |
Check-in (verb, noun, adjective) |
Check out (verb, noun, adjective) |
Check out (compound adjective) |
Check-out (compound adjective) |
Check-out (verb, noun, adjective) |
- Pay at check-in
- Check in before <time>
- Check-in date
- Check-in desk
- Remember to check out
- Check-out time is <time>
Don’t use ‘checkout’ as one word as this is synonymous with retail language (e.g. pay at checkout).
Fares and tickets
A fare is a price for travelling on a flight in a specific cabin class, with specific services and items (e.g. extra baggage, special seats etc).
Each fare has its conditions attached, including whether you can cancel or change, and what baggage is included. We call these "fare conditions".
Do |
Don’t |
---|---|
Tickets |
e-ticket |
A ticket can be the tangible item you get once purchased.
It can also be a specific part of a whole flight booking, e.g. 1 passenger’s flight or 1 leg of a passenger’s multi-leg journey.
A ticket number is an airline-generated number that gives someone the right to board a specific flight in a specific class with specific extra options or services. You can change or cancel a ticket, not a fare.
Bookings
As a noun, ‘booking’ is the general term that covers all aspects of a traveller’s purchase.
For example:
- Booking details
- Booking confirmation
- View your bookings
- Change your booking
The verb ‘book’ refers to the act of purchasing.
Baggage
Type |
What |
---|---|
Baggage allowance |
Allowance on a flight or in a car |
Cabin bag |
Carried onto the aircraft |
Checked bag |
Bag in the aircraft’s hold |
Oversized bag |
Bigger or heavier than a standard suitcase, e.g. golf bag |
Special baggage |
Not typically in a suitcase or need different considerations, e.g. instruments |
Additional service |
Optional service e.g. wheelchair or bassinet |
Extra bags |
Bags added on top of the fare’s allowance |
Baggage carousel |
Conveyor belt in the airport |
National and bank holidays
National days |
---|
Easter Monday Christmas Day Independence Day |
Bank holiday |
---|
bank holiday Monday May bank holiday spring bank holiday |