Airline Vocabulary

Getting airline passengers safely and happily from one destination to another requires
teamwork. The airline industry employs many different people, from pilots and flight crew to
caterers and grounds crew. Many of these jobs require communication in English, whether
among co-workers or passengers. English is the most common second language that crew
members need to learn. Whether your job is to book passengers on their flights, assist
passengers with luggage, or fly the airplane itself, these pages can help you
learn important words and expressions to use on the job in the airline industry.

Word
part of speech

Meaning

Example sentence

airfare

cost of a plane ticket

The cost of your meal is covered in your

noun

airfare.

aisle

the long empty space that

Please keep your bags out of the aisle so

noun

you walk down

that nobody trips.

aisle seat

the seat that is next to the

I'll give you an aisle seat in case you need

noun

aisle

to walk around with the baby.

assist

help

Please wait until everyone is off the plane

verb

so that we can assist you.

baggage

the bags and suitcases that

I'm afraid your baggage got on the wrong

noun

travellers put their

airplane.

belongings in
baggage,

place where you pick up

The announcement will direct you to the

luggage claim

your baggage after arrival

correct baggage claim.

warm covering

If you feel cold I can get you a blanket.

part of the ticket that you

You must present your boarding pass at

noun
blanket
noun
boarding pass

noun

give to the crew as you step the gate.

onto the plane

bumpy, rough

up and down movement of

It might be a bumpy ride because we are

adj

the aircraft

flying through a storm.

cabin

interior of the aircraft

There is no smoking allowed inside the

noun

cabin.

call light

a button passengers can

If you need anything, just press the call

noun

press to get a crew

light.

member's attention
captain

the person who is in charge

Would the kids like to go and meet the

noun

of the plane

captain?

charter

discount airline

If you take a charter it will cost you half as

noun

much.

cockpit

the part of the plane where

We aren't doing any more tours of the

noun

the captain and his co-pilots cockpit because it's almost time to land.
sit

comfortable

feel good physically, able to

Because you have long legs you might be

adjective

relax

more comfortable in an aisle seat.

complimentary

free of charge

We offer complimentary coffee or tea, but

adjective

you have to pay for alcohol.

co-pilot

person who helps the

If the captain gets sick the co-pilot can take

noun

captain fly the plane

over.

domestic

within the same country

You should be at the airport two hours

adjective

ahead of time for domestic flights.

emergency exit

section of the plane that

Are you comfortable sitting next to the

noun

opens in the case of an

emergency exit?

accident
e-ticket

airfare purchased on the

You will need to present your identification

noun

internet

along with your e-ticket.

excess baggage

heavier/more bags than you You can either pay for your excess

noun

are allowed

baggage or leave one of your bags behind.

first-class

more expensive seating,

When you sit in first-class you get a better

noun/adj

with better services

meal to eat.

gate

place where passengers go

Gate 3B is down this hall and to your right.

noun

to wait to board a plane

headset,

device that allows

We will be coming around to sell headsets

earphones

passengers to listen to

for five dollars.

noun

music or a movie

international

worldwide

adj

For international departures, go up one

level.

jet lag

tiredness due to travelling

I'm used to travelling now. My body doesn't

noun

through different time zones suffer from jet lag anymore.

land

returning to the ground after We will be landing in Tokyo in

verb

being in the air

approximately ten minutes.

life vest, life

a blow-up device that you

Please take a moment to locate the life

jacket

put on in an emergency

vest under your seat.

noun

over water

motion sickness a bad feeling in the stomach There is a paper bag in front of you in case
noun

that passengers get during

you experience motion sickness.

a rough ride
overbooked

more passengers than

The flight is overbooked. Four of our

adj

available seats

passengers will have to wait for the next

flight.

overhead

place above the seats for

bin/compartmen storing luggage

You'll have to put your bag under your seat

because all of the overhead bins are full.

t
noun
over-sized

items that do not fit in

Infant car seats and sporting equipment can

baggage

suitcases

be picked up at the over-sized baggage

adj
oxygen mask

counter.
a device that goes over a

Put your oxygen mask on first before

noun

person's face, provides air

putting one on your child.

in case of cabin air pressure

loss
passport

document that proves a

Please have your passport out when you

noun

person's identification and

go through security.

nationality
pilot

the person who drives the

The pilot is circling over the airport until it is

noun

plane

safe to land.

refreshments

drinks and snacks

It's a short flight, so we will be serving

noun

refreshments but not a meal.

row

a number of seats beside

You are in seat B of row nine.

noun

each other

runway

the strip of land that an

The plane almost missed the runway

noun

airplane takes-off and lands

because it was such a bad storm.

on
seatbelt

device that holds

Please remain in your seats while the

noun

passengers in their seats

seatbelt light is on.

steward (male),

man or woman who

Ask one of the stewardesses for a pillow if

stewardess

provides service for

you're tired.

(female), flight

passengers during a flight

attendant, air
host
noun
stopover

touching down at more than

It's not a direct flight. We're making one

noun

one airport during a flight

stopover in Toronto.

take off

when the plane leaves the

We are next in line to take off on this

noun/verb

ground

runway.

taxi in, out

driving an airplane to the

Please remain in your seats until we taxi in

verb

correct place for taking off

to the gate.

or deboarding
touch down

when the aircraft wheels

That was a very smooth touch down.

verb, noun

land on the ground

turbulence

rough flight

noun

This turbulence should only last a few

minutes.

wheelchair

a seat for pushing elderly,

A steward will take you to the gate with a

noun

disabled, or injured people

wheelchair.

window seat

seat next to the window

If your child wants a window seat I can

noun

where passengers can look

move you back a row.

out

Reference: Farid, A. (1985). A Vocabulary Workbook: Prefixes, Roots , and Suffixes for Esl
Students. Prentice Hall College Div. UK.