Basic Terminology Flashcards
Airborne
Aircraft no longer touching the ground; in flight
Aisle
A passageway between rows of seats.
Airspeed
The speed of an aircraft relative to the air.
Airport
A permanent facility that provides space for aircraft to take off and land with a control tower, hangars, and
accommodations for passengers and cargo.
Airsickness
Nausea resulting from flight in an aircraft.
Alert Bulletin
A document used to deliver important or time sensitive
information that supplements the InFlight Emergency
Manual.
Altimeter
A flightdeck instrument for measuring in feet the height
above sea level
Altitude
The vertical distance from a given level (sea level) to an
aircraft in flight.
Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
A device used to treat passengers who experience sudden cardiac arrest. The AED analyzes the rhythm and advised if a shockable heart rhythm is detected.
Auxiliary Power Unit (APU)
A self-contained generator that produces power for ground operations and for starting the engines.
Bag Tag
A printed or computerized tag showing the journey and
destination of a checked article/bag
Boarding Bridge
A semi-stationary bridge used to connect the terminal with the aircraft for boarding/deplaning (e.g. Jetway). Also known as a jetbridge.
Cabin Service Director
Is the “A” flight attendant on Transatlantic/Transoceanic
flights and is responsible for the pre-planning, direction and coordination of all duties with the other flight attendants.
Captain
The captain is in control of all aspects of the aircraft while
in flight, and always sits in the left seat of the flightdeck.
Captains’ uniforms have four stripes.
Charter Flight
A plane “rented” by a group for operation into a specified
(online or offline) city as long as the destination has FAA-approved facilities.
Choice Seat
Mostly window and aisle seats located near the front of the cabin that provide Zone 2 boarding priority and are
available for purchase.
Main Cabin Class
Standard service offered on domestic and international
flights.
Code Sharing
An agreement between two carriers to display or “share”
their airline code in availability/schedules.
Co-mail or COMAT (Company Material)
Interoffice correspondence, aircraft parts, reports, or
accountable forms circulated throughout the company.
Concourse
An airline terminal usually consists of the main terminal
and several finger-like extensions, which are commonly referred to as concourses.
Connection
A combination of two or more flights used to transport the customer from an origin city to a destination city.
Control Tower
Monitors incoming/outgoing aircraft (i.e.: Air Traffic
Control).
Crew
Refers to pilots and flight attendants onboard an aircraft in uniform and ready to perform all service and safety related duties.
Deadhead
Crewmember, not on active duty, being moved into position for active duty elsewhere, or being returned to base once assignment is completed.
Denied Boarding
A situation that occurs when a customer is stopped from
boarding his/her scheduled flight.
Deplane
To disembark from an aircraft.
Destination
The city to which a customer is flying. The ticketed point of arrival.
Direct Flight
A flight involving one or more intermediate stops enroute
between origin and destination with no change of plane
(customers will often say “direct flight” but mean “nonstop flight”).
Dividend Miles Program
Our frequent traveler mileage reward program.
Duty Free
A program offered on select international routes where
products such as jewelry, perfumes, liquor can be purchased onboard at tax free prices.
Main Cabin Class
Standard Main Cabin service on Transatlantic flights.
Electronic Ticketing (E-Ticket)
A computerized service, which allows a customer to
purchase transportation for travel without acquiring a paper, ticket. Also called “ticketless travel.”
Enhanced Emergency Medical Kit (EEMK)
A medical kit that contains lifesaving equipment and
medications that can be used by licensed medical
professionals in the event of an inflight medical emergency.
Emergency Exit Row
The row(s) of seats at which the emergency window exits are located on an aircraft.
ETOPS
(Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance
Standards) is an acronym for an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rule permitting newer twin-engine commercial air transports to fly routes that, at some points, are further than a distance of 60 minutes flying time from an emergency or diversion airport.
Business Class
A US Airways’ brand for our premium service offered on
Transatlantic flights
Evacuation
Emergency egress from an aircraft using all available exits and assistive devices (i.e.: ropes, wings, slides)