Must Know Airport Terminologies (Airport Dictionary)

Do you remember your first flight? When you were all knew to the aviation industry and a lot of jargons that made you frightened to fly? Or are you a first-time flyer searching for airport terminologies? You are at the right place.

Here’s we, making your flying experience simpler for you, by explaining few most common words used in airports and that you may most come across soon on your flights.

1. Airlines : The airline or carrier you fly with is the name of the company that owns the airplane. For example, Air India, IndiGo, Vistara Airlines, SpiceJet, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways etc.
2. One way ticket and Round Trip : If you ask for a one-way ticket, it means that you do not want to return to your destination. The opposite of a one-way ticket is a return ticket. If you want to purchase both, that’s called a round-trip ticket.
3. Board or Boarding : To board (a plane) means to go onto it.
4. Boarding pass : After you have notified the airline you are at the airport and you’ve checked your luggage in, you will be given a boarding pass that shows you where the plane will be boarding and it will also show your seat number. Once you are inside the airport, boarding pass is considered your ticket to fly.
5. Boarding time: Your boarding time is the time that people will be allowed to start entering the plane. Always remember, your boarding time is the time you need to report at the boarding gate, not the flight departure time.
6. Zone: Category of seats clubbed for easy and faster boarding process. Ex: Seat rows 21-20 Zone 1, 11-20 Zone 2 etc.
7. Carry on luggage or Hand baggage: Your carry-on luggage is the small piece of hand luggage that you are allowed to take with you onto the plane. These bags usually have to be a certain size and weigh less than 7kg.
8. Luggage : A common mistake among non-English speakers is the difference between luggage and bag. The word bagis countable, which means we can say many bags or 3 bags. Luggage is uncountable and it can mean one bag or many. If you want to make the word luggage plural, you would add the phrase ‘pieces of…’ in front of it.
9. Oversized baggage or Overweight baggage : Each passenger is only allowed to have one luggage that weighs 15kg or less. If you have a big piece that you want to send or something that is too heavy, the people at check-in will charge you more money.
10. Check-in : When you check in, you notify the airline you have arrived at the airport. They will take your luggage and give you a boarding pass. The area where you do this action is also called check-in counters or kiosk (machine operated).
11. Lounge : Designated areas within an airport where certain travellers can enjoy benefits and comforts the exceed a typical airport terminal.
12. Priority Boarding: to have a ticket that allows you to get on the plane first
13. Terminal : the airport building. Always check your terminal number in your flight ticket or boarding pass.
14. Trolley: the machine you use to transport your bags inside the airport
15. To Upgrade : to improve the quality of your seat on the airplane
16. Liquids : Liquids are anything that is not solid or gas, such as a bottle of water or perfume. All airports do not allow passengers to travel with more than 100ml of liquids. All liquids you do carry on the plane must be put in a plastic bag.
17. Departures: When you are leaving to go on a trip, you will need to go to the departures lounge where you will wait to board your flight.
18. Security Check: The place where the government security officers check, frisk and scan you/your carry on things. No prohibited items are to be carried. Your belongings go in through the scanner and you will be frisked. Post security check you are free and cleared to board the aircraft.
19. Delayed : If your flight has been delayed, it means that it’s late. Maybe it has been delayed because of bad weather, too much air traffic, or technical problems.
20. On Time : When you are traveling and you want to check the status of your flight you can look at the departures board. Here you will see all your flight information and if it says that your flight number is on timethen the plane will depart at the right time.
21. Economy class : Most people who travel by plane travel in economy class because the price is much cheaper. The basic seats offered on a passenger aircraft
22. Business class: Business class is the area where people who are traveling for business purposes sit. It’s towards the front of the plane and the tickets are more expensive than normal tickets.
23. First Class : First class is the most expensive area of the plane. There is a lot of space to move. The seats are bigger and the service is better.
24. Fragile : Sometimes we carry things that are delicate or easily broken when we travel. A way of letting the people handling our suitcases know is to mark it with a sticker saying This will show them that they need to be a little more careful with your stuff.
25. Gate : In the departures lounge there are a number of different gates (doors) that lead to different flights. It this through this gate that one enters the flight boarding process. Your gate number is often mentioned in the boarding pass but it is always advisable to cross with the displays at the airports.
26. ID : Identification : Your identification (also known as “ID”) is your official document that you need to ensure you are who you say you are. When flying, the ID you’re required to carry is your passport/Voter ID/Aadhar.
27. Last Call or Final Call: the final opportunity to board the plane
28. Aerobridge : The walkway that connects the airport terminal to the aircraft. Used for boarding and deboarding
29. Overhead bin: place above the seats for storing baggage. Please keep your luggage in the overhead bin.
30. Oxygen Mask: Provides oxygen when the airplane loses its cabin pressure at high altitude.
31. Life Vest: Also known as life jacket, help you float over the surface of water in case of an emergency landing in the water/accidents.
32. Emergency: Any cases of unforeseen incidents from mechanical/technical faults to medical cases on board to accidents are called emergencies in aviation.
33. Evacuate: The term announced by the cabin crew to inform and alert the passengers to get down the aircraft at the earliest through the emergency doors.
34. Steward (male), stewardess (female), flight attendant, air hostess: People who provide service for passengers on the aircraft
35. Lavatory: Toilet inside the aircraft
36. Tray Table: The foldable tabletop that is used to serve you food and beverages during your flight. This can also be used as working table within an aircraft, usually attached to the back side of the seat in front of you.
37. Upright: Non reclining or non-pushback position of your seat.
38. Stopover or Layover: If you are traveling on a long-haul flight, you usually have to have a short stop in another country first. This stop is called a stopoveror a
39. Connections : If you are traveling to a longer destination and do not have direct flights, in such cases you take connection flights where you fly to a city in between and change flight to your final destination
40. Change of craft : While connecting flights, you may need to deboard your first flight and board again to your next onward flight.
41. Transit/Transfers: When you choose to fly indirectly to the final destination, you select an airport through which you connect and change flights. This process is called Transits or Transfers. While you get down at connecting airport, you need not go out and redo check in process, instead you may go to the transfers/transit lounge and complete security process.
42. Arrivals : When your plane arrives at the airport, your family and friends will meet you at arrivals.
43. Baggage Claim/Conveyor belt: When your plane arrives, your bags and luggages come out on the moving conveyor belt. Another word that you might hear for this is a carouselor baggage claim. Your cabin crew will also announce this belt number after landing within the aircraft.
44. Customs: Before you’re allowed to enter the country, you must go through customs where you will be met by a customs officer. Here they will check if you’re bringing anything illegal into the country such as firearms (guns), drugs or too much money. And they will ask you if you “have anything to declare?” If you’re not carrying anything forbidden, you should answer “no.”
45. Long Haul Flights: A flight that travels a long distance in one go is a long-haul flight. For example, a long-haul flight would be flying from New York to Sydney.
46. Short Haul Flights: Short flight journeys. Ex: Kochi to Bangalore etc
47. Visa : A visa is a special document that gives you permission to enter a country. Some countries have strict laws and depending where you’re from, you may need to obtain (get) a visa.
48. Aisle : the long empty space that you walk down between the seats in the plane
    Please don’t keep your belongings in aisle so that they don’t block the way.
49. Jet lag: tiredness due to travelling through different time zones