Airline Vocabulary Flashcards
Airline Dispatcher
the person responsible for an aircraft before departure and after arrival; liaises with all ground and aircraft service partners to ensure on time departure ~ Turnaround Co-ordinator, Turnaround Manager
Aircraft Stand
area of the Ramp or Apron where aircraft is parked
Airside
Departure or arrival area in a terminal building either after security or before customs and immigration. A designated area within the airfield where access is restricted.
Alliance
A union or combination by treaty or agreement. Two or more entities joined in league for co-operation in a common purpose.
Apron
an area of tarmac, concrete etc. outside a hanger or terminal building for parking aircraft ~ ramp
Baggage Belt
conveyor system which transports checked baggage from the check-in area to the loading area
Bar Trolley
Trolley containing alcoholic beverages or duty free items for sale
Bassinet
Cot carried on board certain aircraft for the comfort and safety of infants
Boarding Pass
a pass issued at check-in which allows the holder to board the aircraft ~ boarding card
Booking Reference
system generated reference number to identify a passenger’s booking ~ locator, PNR
Brand
the name attached to a product which differentiates it from other similar products and to which a customer attaches greater value.
Buggy
electronic ‘golf cart’ type machine used to transport passengers who are unable to walk long distances.
Bulkhead
partition wall inside the aircraft.
C209
document used to record the contents of a bar trolley for HM Customs & Excise
Carrier
airline or other form of transport responsible for the carriage of passengers or goods
Checked baggage
Passenger baggage checked-in to be carried in the hold of the aircraft
code-share
an arrangement where one airline adopts the airline prefix of another to the benefit of the passenger transferring between two points
chocks
wedges placed on the ground, under the aircraft wheels to prevent the aircraft moving
chocks off
actual time the chocks are removed from the aircraft wheels allowing the aircraft to move.
chocks on
actual time the chocks are placed under the aircraft wheels after the aircraft has come to a complete halt.
chock-to-chock
actual time from when an aircraft begins to taxi away from the gate at one airport (chocks off) to when it comes to a complete halt at the gate of the next airport (chocks off)
connection
the process of catching another aircraft to arrive at another destination ~ transfer
Cupsidor
bag used during the flight for sickness
Dangerous articles
items which cannot be carried as baggage or items which are permitted under certain conditions
Deportee
passenger who has either been illegally admitted into a country or has entered a country illegally and is being ordered by the authorities to be removed from the country
Domestic
any destination within the parameters of a country where customs and immigration control are not involved; referring or belonging to inside a country
Down route
destination away from base
Dry stores
items such as tea bags, coffee, sugar etc which are stowed on the aircraft
Duty Free Bar
bar trolley containing duty free items for sale to customers on board the aircraft
E-Ticket
electronic ticket that replaces the need for a traditional paper ticket
Endorsement
transfer of travel rights and money to another carrier
Excess Baggage
baggage over the entitled “free baggage allowance” for which there is a charge
Executive Club
British Airways’ worldwide customer loyalty programme
Fast Track
security and passport check for premium class passengers and Executive Club Cardholders at London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports
Feeder
the ‘feeding’ of passengers to a certain area, e.g. Europe is a feeder to the long haul network
Flight Deck
place where the flight crew sit while flying the aircraft
Flight Deck Crew
the Captain and First Officer
Flight Technical Crew
the Captain and First Officer
Franchise
commercial concession by which a retailer is granted, by a company, the exclusive right of retailing its goods in a specific area
Free Baggage Allowance
amount of baggage a passenger may carry on the aircraft, in the hold or in the cabin with no charge
Fuselage
the central body of a plane, to which the wings and tail assembly are attached and which accommodates the crew, passengers and cargo
Galley
aircraft kitchen
Gate
door or gate where all passenger documentation is checked prior to boarding the aircraft.
Ground Operations
sections and areas responsible for handling all British Airways flights on the ground from arrival to departure.
High-Yield
term used to describe passenger revenue which provides maximum value to British Airways.
Holding
racetrack shaped flight pattern with two parallel sides and two turns, flown usually while an aircraft is waiting for clearance to land.
Hub
centre of operation whereby an airline can bring, or feed, passengers from many different origins and transfer them through a central point, the hub, to other destinations.
Inadmissable
passenger who is refused admission to a country by the authorities of that country.
Inbound
flights arriving into a specific airport
Inflight
period of journey between take-off and landing on the aircraft.
Inflight Sales Trip Record
document used to record all moneys taken from the sale of duty free items.
Intercontinental
all flights leaving one continent and going to another
Interline
transfer between different aircraft belonging to different airlines
International
between countries
Itinerary
list of useful travel information passengers receive before their journey commences; usually includes details about routing, departure and arrival times, airline and terminal information. ~ ITR (Itinerary receipt), receipt
JAR
Joint Aviation Requirements
Jargon
phrases and abbreviations used at the airport and on-board to shorten messages
Jetty
section of walkway extending from the departure gate to the aircraft stand ~jet bridge, loading bridge
Landside
area in the airport either before security or departure, or after customs and immigration on arrival.
Liquor Bar
bar trolley containing alcoholic beverages for service to passengers on board
Loadsheet
form given by the Turnaround Co-ordinator (Dispatcher) to the crew containing a breakdown of the weights and distribution of mail, cargo, fuel, catering supplies and passengers on board the aircraft
Local Time
time at a specified location
Long-Haul
long distance flight, usually between continents
Low Yield
term used to describe passenger revenue which does not provide maximum value to British Airways
Mainline
base operating with own fleet of aircraft and locally based crew
Market
people to whom British Airways and other airlines direct their advertising and marketing strategies in order to attract new customers or maintain existing ones.
Miniature
double measure of spirit in a small bottle.
Minicom
communications facility which enables hearing impaired passengers to talk to contactBA directly
Minimum Connecting Time
time needed for passengers and baggage to transfer between the scheduled arrival time of one aircraft and the scheduled departure time of another
Miscellaneous Charges Order
voucher that can be used to pay for a variety of airline services
Mixer
on board; can of mineral water, cola, lemonade, tonic etc
Multi-Sector
itinerary which includes more than one journey usually on the same aircraft
Network
the routes or destinations served by an airline
Offline
route or destination not served by an airline
Online
route or destination served Multi-Sector - itinerary which includes more than one journey usually on the same aircraft
Outbound
Departing Flight
Peak Time
period of time (day, week, weekend, month etc) where passenger loads are at their highest, e.g school holidays
Pier
section of walkway extending from the terminal building which leads onto two or more departure gates
Pooled Baggage
baggage belonging to a group or family travelling together which is combined so that they receive a pooled baggage allowance
Positioning Crew
crew member on duty; flying as a passenger
Pre-assigned seat
seat that has been reserved in advance of travel
Premium Cabin
First, Club World and Club Europe cabins
Queens Messenger
passenger who is responsible for the security of Diplomatic Bags which are carried as unchecked escorted baggage
Ramp
an area of tarmac, concrete, etc. outside a hangar or terminal building for parking aircraft ~apron
Rebate
a discounted ticket
Revenue
financial income
Schedule
timetable of an aircraft’s specific movements e.g. departure and arrival times to and from specified locations
Seasonal
relating to a particular time of year where flights may or may not operates and similarly ticket may or may not be accepted.
Sector
one journey from take off to landing e.g. LHR-AMS is one sector, LHR-BAH-DOH is two sectors
Service industry
industry where customer service is the most important part of the product
Service Recovery
term used to describe when something has gone wrong and you are trying to turn the situation around so that customer leaves with a favourable impression.
Service Standards
standards which are set in order to meet and measure achievements against customer expectations
Short-haul
flight travelling over a short distance; usually within a continent or country
Single-Sector
itinerary made up of a single journey
Slip Station
describes the crew member’s time off when away from base
Subload
term used to describe a passenger whose journey is subject to space being available on the aircraft at the time of departure ~subload staff
Special Meals
meals that can be ordered in advance to cater for specific dietary requirements
Split
see mixer (on board; can of mineral water, cola, lemonade, tonic etc)
Subsidiary
company which is wholly or partly owned by another company
Tarmac Transfer
a transfer between aircraft across the ramp
Taxiing
movement of an aircraft along the ground under its own power before take-off and after landing
Traffic
term used to describe passenger loads between given areas
Transfer Traffic
term used to describe passenger loads that are transferring between given areas
Transit
scheduled aircraft stop where an aircraft lands and takes off again
Unchecked baggage
baggage that is allowed to be carried in the aircraft cabin e.g. cabin baggage
Visa
documentation issued by certain countries which allows the holder to visit the said countries for a specified period of time
Waitlist
a situation where a customer is on the waiting list for a seat which is already fully booked.
