Understanding airport vocabulary is like having a secret code that helps you navigate the exciting world of air travel! It’s like learning the language of airplanes and airports. Imagine going on a magical adventure but not knowing how to ask for a ticket or find your gate – that wouldn’t be much fun, right? Knowing words related to airport helps you talk to the friendly people who work there, like pilots, flight attendants, and check-in staff, so they can help you have the best journey ever. Plus, it makes you feel confident and in control, turning you into a travel expert! So, whether it’s ‘boarding pass’ or ‘baggage claim,’ learning these airport vocabulary is your passport to a world full of amazing adventures.
One of the most effective ways for learning English, for some reason, is to practice it in specific situations, such as a hotel, library, or restaurant. Firstly, we will definitely experience such situations in the future when we immigrate or to a country where people speak English for work. Secondly, when we learn English in this way we immediately put the new words and grammar into practice which is similar to reality. In this article, we are going to learn some practical English Vocabulary at the airport. We also have another great article about traveling phrasal verbs in English that covers the most common phrasal verbs related to traveling. We recommend that you read that article and learn about these phrasal verbs to communicate better with others.
Before traveling by airplane you should buy a ticket online or by calling a travel agent. You can do it in your own language. But once you arrive at your English-speaking location, you might need to change your flight and talk to English-speaking people.
Departure date:
When you buy a ticket you select your departure date: it is the day you expect to get on the airplane.
You might book a ticket for different kinds of flights:
Domestic flight (of airport vocabulary):
Flights within a specific country’s boundaries.
International/transatlantic flight:
Flights between two countries or continent.
Connecting/transit flight:
A kind of flight in which you reach the final destination through two or more flights (A stopover or layover is when the airplane stops in a different city before continuing to the final destination)
First-class/Business class flight:
Luxurious but very expensive ticket. When you buy this ticket you sit in a VIP place on the airplane.
Economic flight (Of airport English vocabulary ):
You are sitting in the main cabin, not first or business class.
Some airlines ask you to call a couple of days earlier to confirm your departure date. Here are some sentences you will be asked and what you will need to say:
Airport vocabulary in English (dialogue 1)
You: “I would like to confirm my flight.”
Them: “Can I get your ticket number?”
You: “The number is 45-6-43.”
Them: “You are planned to depart on June 15th at 1:00 pm. Is this correct?”
You: “Yes it is.”
Them: “Is anybody else traveling with you?”
You: “Yes, my wife.”
Them: “Can I have the other ticket number?”
You: “It is 45-6-44.”
Them: “Your tickets have been confirmed. Please arrive at the airport 3 hours before your flight departs. Thank you for calling.”
Learn more: What are the personality adjectives in English?
There are different places you need to go we you arrive at the airport:
Where you show your ticket so that you can be told where you will be sitting.
Boarding (Of English vocabulary at the airport):
When a plane begins boarding, it means that the passengers start to enter the plane.
Boarding pass (Of airport vocabulary):
A ticket that permits you to enter the airplane.
Now let’s pay attention to a conversation at the check-in desk:
Airport vocabulary in English (dialogue 2: At the airport)
Agent: Good afternoon! Where are you flying to today?
Dan: Los Angeles.
Agent: May I have your passport, please?
Dan: Here you go.
Agent: Are you checking any bags?
Dan: Just this one.
Agent: OK, please place your bag on the scale.
Dan: I have a stopover in Chicago – do I need to pick up my luggage there?
Agent: 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.
Learn more: Read the article about formal and informal words in English
Security check (English vocabulary at the airport):
The place where some people check your stuff by X-ray.
It’s time to learn what might happen at the security check:
Airport vocabulary in English (dialogue 3: the security check )
Agent: Please lay your bags flat on the conveyor belt, and use the bins for small objects.
Dan: Do I need to take my laptop out of the bag?
Agent: Yes, you do. Take off your hat and your shoes, too.
(he walks through the metal detector)
[BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP]Agent: Please step back. Do you have anything in your pockets – keys, cell phone, loose change?
Dan: I don’t think so. Let me try taking off my belt.
Agent: Okay, come on through.
A place that international passengers must go through when they try to cross international borders and bring goods into the country that may be illegal.
Baggage check-in (Of airport vocabulary):
To leave a bag or case with an official when you arrive at an airport so that you do not have to carry it onto the plane.
Airport vocabulary in English (dialogue 4: On the airplane)
Flight attendant: The people who work inside the airplane serving food and drinks are called flight attendants
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.
Learn more: What are the most common English restaurant vocabulary ?
You arrive at your destination.
After landing go to baggage claim and go through passport control.
The area in an airport where arriving passengers collect luggage that has been transported in the hold of the aircraft.
Learn more: Read the article about business English vocabulary
Learning English vocabulary is like unlocking a magical world of communication and understanding. Imagine having the power to express yourself with precision, to tell stories, share ideas, and connect with people from all around the globe! Knowing a rich array of words allows you to paint vivid pictures with your words and be a confident, effective communicator.
It’s like having a superpower that opens doors to endless adventures in books, friendships, and learning. So, every time you learn a new word, you’re adding a powerful tool to your toolkit that will serve you throughout your entire life. The POC English online English learning course covers the most common vocabulary that every English language learner should know about. Take this course and enjoy learning English!
