At the airport
• airfare (noun)
the cost of the plane ticket
• airline (noun)
the company that owns the plane
• arrival / arrivals (noun)
the time planes arrive at the airport
• baggage / luggage (noun)
bags or suitcases
• baggage claim (noun)
the place where passengers pick up
their bags after the plane lands
• board (verb)
when the passengers get on the
plane
• boarding pass (noun)
a ticket that gives you permission to
board the plane; some airlines allow
you to use a boarding pass on your
cell phone
A boarding pass usually has your
name, flight number, and departure
date and time.
• boarding time (noun)
the time that passengers are allowed
to get on the plane
• carry-on / hand luggage / cabin
baggage (noun)
bags that passengers bring on the
plane (called "carry-on" in North
America)
• customs (noun)
the place in the airport where bags
are checked before you are allowed
to enter a country
• departure time / departures (noun)
the time planes leave the airport
• e-ticket (noun)
airfare purchased on the Internet
• fragile (adjective)
something that is easily broken
(sometimes passengers pack fragile
items in their bags)
• delay (noun)
the amount of time the plane is late
for landing or takeoff (a two-hour
delay means the plane will arrive two
hours later than planned)
• domestic (adjective)
within the same country (a domestic
flight)
• gate (noun)
the place where passengers wait to
board the plane
• identification (noun)
documents that prove a person's
name and personal information
(address, birth date, phone number,
social security number, etc.)
• international (adjective)
worldwide (an international flight)
• layover / stopover (noun)
a period of waiting between flights
• overbooked (adjective)
the airline sold too many tickets;
there are more passengers than seats
• passport (noun)
an official document that proves a
person's citizenship
• runway (noun)
a strip of smooth ground where an
airplane takes off and lan
 On the plane
• aisle (noun)
the empty walkway between rows of
seats on the plane
• aisle seat (noun)
a seat by the aisle
• business class (noun / adjective)
the area where people who are
traveling for business sit; it is
sometimes the same as first-class
• cabin (noun)
interior (inside) of the airplane
• captain (noun)
the person who flies the plane and is
in charge of the plane
• cockpit (noun)
the part of the plane where the
captain and co-pilot sit to fly the
plane
• complimentary (adjective)
free; it does not cost any money
• co-pilot (noun)
the pilot who helps the captain fly
the plane
• economy class / coach
class (noun / adjective)
the lowest class of traveling;
economy tickets are the cheapest
tickets
• emergency exits (noun)
the part of the plane that opens and
passengers can exit during an
accident
• first-class (noun / adjective)
more expensive tickets with better
seating and more services; first-class
has bigger seats than economy or
coach class
• life vest (noun)
a safety device used during an
emergency landing in water
• overhead bin / overhead
compartment (noun)
a place to store carry-on bags
above the passenger seats
• oxygen mask (noun)
a safety device that gives passengers
oxygen during an accident
• pilot (noun)
the person who flies the plane
• row (noun)
a line of seats on the plane from the
aisle to the window
• seatbelt (noun)
a safety device that holds
passengers in their seats
• steward / flight attendant (noun)
a man who takes care of passengers
on the plane
• stewardess / flight attendant (noun)
a woman who takes care of
passengers on the plane
• takeoff (noun / verb)
when the plane leaves the ground
• touchdown (noun / verb)
when the plane lands on the ground
• turbulence (noun)
movement in the air that causes a
rough flight
• window seat (noun)
a seat by the window
 At the Airport
Check-in officer: Good afternoon! Where are you flying to today?
Dan: Los Angeles.
Check-in officer: May I have your passport, please?
Dan: Here you go.
Check-in officer: Are you checking any bags?
Dan: Just this one.
Check-in officer: OK, please place your bag on the scale.
Dan: I have a stopover in Chicago – do I need to pick up my luggage
there?
Check-in officer: No, it’ll go straight through to Los Angeles. Here are
your boarding passes – your flight leaves from gate 15A and it’ll begin
boarding at 3:20. Your seat number is 26E.
Dan: Thanks.

On the Plane
Flight attendant: Chicken or pasta?
Dan: Sorry?
Flight attendant: Would you like chicken or pasta?
Dan: I’ll have the chicken.
Flight attendant: Anything to drink?
Dan: What kind of soda do you have?
Flight attendant: Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Orange, and Dr. Pepper.
Dan: A Diet Coke, no ice, please.
Flight attendant: Here you go.
Dan: Thanks.