Travel & Airport English Vocabulary: 215 Key English Terms

A journey by plane; also a particular plane service that leaves at a fixed time and has its own flight number.

A company that operates passenger and cargo flights on regular routes and sells tickets for them.

To arrange and usually pay in advance for a ticket, seat, room or service so that it is kept for you.

A paper or electronic document showing that you have paid to travel on a plane, train, bus or boat, or to enter a place.

A ticket that covers the journey to a place and the journey back, bought together and sometimes cheaper than two one-way tickets.

A ticket that covers the journey to a place but not the journey back, so the return has to be bought separately.

A flight that takes you to your destination without changing planes; strictly speaking it may still stop on the way, unlike a non-stop flight.

A ticket stored in the airline's or transport company's computer system instead of on paper; the confirmation and ticket number arrive by email.

A short code of letters and numbers, usually six characters, that identifies your booking with an airline, travel agent or hotel.

The amount of money you pay to travel on a plane, train, bus, taxi or boat.

A detailed plan of a journey that lists the flights, dates, times and places in order, and often the hotels and activities too.

The cheapest and most common class of seats on a plane or train, with less space and fewer services than business or first class.

A move to a better class, seat, room or car than the one you booked, sometimes free and sometimes for an extra payment.

An arrangement allowing airlines to accept or handle travel involving each other's services.

An arrangement in which one airline sells seats under its own flight code on another airline's service.

The airline that actually provides a flight, which may differ from the airline selling the ticket.

A code identifying an airline fare and the conditions attached to that fare.

A category of airline seat inventory used to manage fare availability within a cabin.

An airline ticket obtained by redeeming loyalty points or miles rather than paying the usual cash fare.

The deadline by which a reserved flight itinerary must be ticketed to keep the booking.

A change that fixes an error in a passenger's recorded name without substituting a different traveller.

To replace an existing airline ticket with a new ticket reflecting a permitted change.

Updating an existing ticket for an eligible flight change without issuing a replacement ticket.

The part of an airline ticket, usually electronic, that represents entitlement to one flight sector.

A fare quoted for a complete journey through intermediate points rather than separately for each sector.

A large building at an airport, or at a bus, train or ferry station, where passengers check in, wait, depart and arrive.

The part of an airport or station for people who are leaving, and the signs and screens that list flights about to leave.

The part of an airport or station where passengers come out after their journey and where people wait to meet them.

The large waiting area after security where passengers wait, shop and eat before going to their gate.

Sold to international travellers without some of the usual taxes, usually in airport shops after passport control; also used for the shops themselves.

A large screen at an airport or station that lists the next departures with their times, destinations, gates or platforms and status.

A counter at an airport, station or large building where staff answer questions and help visitors find their way.

Changing money from one currency into another, or the office, booth or counter where you can do this.

A place, office or service where items that people have left behind are kept until their owners collect them.

On the public side of an airport, outside the controlled passenger areas.

A powered belt-like surface that carries people along a passage in a terminal or similar building.

A separate airport passenger building with gates, linked to the main terminal by a transport route.

A designated airport area where travelling pets or assistance animals can relieve themselves.

An airport service in which a staff member meets a traveller and helps them through agreed procedures.

A designated viewing area from which visitors can watch aircraft and airport activity.

A vehicle with a lifting cabin used to transfer passengers to an aircraft door at height.

An inclined walkway used to reach an aircraft door without climbing steps.

A system that transmits sound to compatible hearing devices, helping users hear speech more clearly.

To show your ticket and passport and hand over your bags at the airport before a flight, or to register when you arrive at a hotel.

A card or mobile document you get after check-in that shows your name, flight, gate, seat and boarding time and lets you get on the plane.

The counter at an airport where airline staff check your documents, take your bags and give you a boarding pass.

Checking in for a flight on the airline's website or app before you reach the airport; it usually opens a day or two before departure.

A desk or machine at the airport where passengers who have already checked in online hand over their checked bags.

A frame or container used to check whether a bag fits an airline's permitted cabin dimensions.

A diagram showing the arrangement of seats in an aircraft or other passenger vehicle.

A passenger whose mobility-related needs require assistance in using air transport.

The place and process at an airport where staff screen passengers and their cabin bags for dangerous or banned items before they reach the gates.

Drinks, creams, gels, sprays and pastes, which many airports allow in cabin bags only in small containers inside a clear plastic bag.

A frame you walk through at security, or a hand-held device, that beeps if you are carrying metal objects such as keys, coins or a belt.

A plastic box at airport security in which you put your bag, coat, belt and other items so they can go through the x-ray machine.

A machine at airport security that you stand in with your arms raised while it checks for hidden objects under your clothes.

Things passengers may not carry on a plane, or not in the cabin, such as weapons, sharp objects, large amounts of liquid or dangerous goods.

A security search in which an officer moves their hands over the outside of your clothes to check for hidden items.

A space after security screening where passengers collect and reorganize their belongings.

A screening method that tests a small collected sample for traces of explosive material.

An additional security examination carried out after an initial screening step.

Questions asked by security staff to assess a traveller and the circumstances of their journey or baggage.

The numbered area in an airport terminal where passengers wait and then walk or take a bus to board their plane.

To get on a plane, ship, train or bus at the start of a journey; at airports it also describes the time when passengers are let on.

A seat next to the passage that runs between the rows on a plane, train or bus, so you can get up without disturbing others.

Of a plane: to leave the ground and start flying at the beginning of a flight.

Of a plane or its passengers: to arrive on the ground at the end of a flight.

A strap fixed to a seat that you fasten across your body to keep you safe in a plane, car or bus.

A member of the cabin crew who looks after passengers' safety and comfort on a plane, serves food and drinks and helps in emergencies.

The closed storage space above the seats in a plane where passengers put their cabin bags and coats.

The time when passengers start getting on the plane, often 30 to 45 minutes before departure and printed on the boarding pass.

The last announcement asking passengers for a flight to go to the gate immediately because boarding is about to end.

A service that lets some passengers get on the plane before the others, for example business class travellers, frequent flyers or people who paid extra.

Sudden, uneven movements of the air that make a plane shake or bump during a flight.

Tiredness and sleep problems after a long flight across several time zones, because your body clock still follows the time at home.

An aircraft seat immediately behind a partition separating cabin areas.

The distance between the same reference point on seats in consecutive rows.

The backward movement or resting angle of a seat back in a passenger vehicle.

A small basket-like bed for an infant, provided on some aircraft.

A young child booked to travel with an accompanying adult without a separate passenger seat.

A narrow wheeled chair used to move a passenger along an aircraft aisle.

An additional belt section that lengthens a passenger's aircraft seat belt.

A disposable bag supplied for a passenger who may vomit during a flight.

A flight-operating practice that limits cockpit activity and communication to essential duties during specified phases.

An aircraft seat that converts into a flat surface for sleeping.

Describing food and drinks offered for purchase during a flight.

A situation in which a flight, train or other service leaves or arrives later than planned; as a verb it means to make something late.

To decide or announce that a planned flight, booking or event will not happen; travellers also cancel their own reservations.

The second or later flight you take to reach your destination when there is no direct flight, after changing planes at another airport.

The time you spend at an airport between two flights when you change planes on the way to your destination.

A situation in which a flight is moved to a different departure gate from the one first shown on the boarding pass or screens.

A situation in which you arrive too late for your connecting flight or train, usually because the first part of the journey was delayed.

To book again, especially to move a passenger to a different flight, train or date after a cancellation, delay or missed connection.

Money or something else of value given to a passenger because of a problem such as a long delay, a cancellation, denied boarding or damaged bags.

Describes a flight or hotel that has sold more seats or rooms than it actually has, expecting that some customers will not show up.

Passing through an airport or country on the way to somewhere else, without staying or formally entering that country.

Short for estimated time of arrival: the time a plane, train, taxi or person is expected to arrive.

A planned break in a long journey, usually of a day or more, when you stay in a city before continuing to your final destination.

A connection between separate bookings whose transfer arrangements the traveller manages personally.

The shortest published transfer interval used to plan an acceptable connection between flights.

A delay in which the estimated departure time is repeatedly moved later.

An additional or replacement flight arranged to carry passengers affected by a disruption.

A situation in which a crew has reached a duty-time limit and cannot continue working as planned.

A period during which specified aircraft operations at an airport are restricted, often at night.

A list of passengers waiting for a seat that has not yet been confirmed on a flight.

A wait aboard an aircraft on the ground during which passengers cannot leave the aircraft.

An official document issued by your country that proves who you are and what nationality you have, and lets you travel abroad.

The point at a border, airport or port where officers check passengers' passports and visas before they enter or leave a country.

The government service that checks goods people bring into a country and collects taxes on them; also the airport area where this happens.

Official permission from a country, usually a sticker in your passport or an electronic record, to enter, stay in or pass through it for a set purpose and time.

At an airport or border, the checkpoint where officers decide whether visitors may enter the country; in general, moving to live in another country.

To tell customs officers officially that you are bringing goods, cash or food into a country that may be taxed or controlled.

A short form some countries ask arriving visitors to fill in with their passport details, flight, address and reason for the visit.

The sign over the customs exit, usually green, for passengers who are not bringing in goods above the tax-free limits or any restricted items.

A short-stay visa for the Schengen Area, a group of European countries without regular border checks between them, valid for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

The date after which a passport, visa, ticket or card is no longer valid.

A system in which destination-country border checks are completed at an airport before departure.

An examination of belongings for items that could introduce pests or diseases across a border.

A record listing the passengers carried on a particular flight or other transport service.

A visa obtained at an authorized entry point after reaching the destination country.

The suitcases and bags you take with you when you travel, together with the things inside them.

A small bag or suitcase you are allowed to take into the cabin of a plane with you, within the airline's size and weight limits.

Bags you hand over at check-in or bag drop; they travel in the hold of the plane and you collect them at baggage claim after landing.

The area of an airport, after passport control, where checked bags come out on moving belts and passengers collect them.

The amount of luggage, in number of bags and weight, that your ticket lets you take on a flight without paying extra.

Luggage that is heavier, bigger or more than your ticket allows; also the extra fee charged for it.

Bags that did not arrive with you at the end of a flight, or that the airline cannot find; many turn up later and are delivered to you.

A suitcase or bag that is broken, torn or dented when you collect it after a flight, for example with a missing wheel or handle.

A label attached to a bag: either the airline's printed tag with a barcode and destination code, or your own tag with your name and contact details.

To check baggage only as far as an intermediate point rather than the final destination.

A baggage tag recording a condition affecting acceptance, such as existing damage or inadequate packing.

The process of matching baggage records with passengers and flights before or during handling.

A mishandled bag being forwarded to reunite it with a passenger from whom it became separated.

Baggage transported separately from its owner, either under a shipping arrangement or because they travel on different flights.

In baggage rules, the total obtained by adding a bag's length, width and height.

A pet carried in the passenger cabin with its traveller under the airline's pet arrangements.

Baggage handled separately because its size or shape does not suit the normal baggage system.

Baggage handed over near the aircraft and returned near its door after the flight under a specific airline service.

Combining the baggage allowances of passengers travelling together where an airline permits it.

An arrangement to keep a hotel room, table, seat or car for you on a certain date; also the record of that arrangement.

To leave a hotel at the end of your stay, returning the key and paying any extra charges at the desk or online.

A message or document, usually an email, that proves your booking has been made and shows its details and reference number.

The counter near a hotel entrance where guests check in and out, pay, collect keys and ask for help; also the staff who work there.

A plastic card used instead of a metal key to open a hotel room door; in many rooms it also switches on the electricity.

Permission to leave your hotel room later than the normal check-out time, sometimes free and sometimes for a fee.

A hotel within an airport's controlled transit area serving passengers between flights.

A stated period when accommodation guests are expected to avoid noise that disturbs others.

Instructions that tell you how to get to a place, such as which way to go, where to turn and how far it is.

Buses, trains, trams, metros and ferries that run on fixed routes and timetables and that anyone can use by paying a fare.

A place, often outside a station or airport, where taxis wait in line for passengers.

A bus that runs back and forth on a short, fixed route, for example between airport terminals, car parks, hotels and the city.

A service that lets you hire a car for a short period, usually by the day, from a company at the airport or in town.

The raised area beside the track in a railway or metro station where passengers wait for trains and get on and off.

A list or table showing the times when buses, trains, ferries or planes leave and arrive.

To leave a bus, train, plane, tram, bike or boat at the end of your ride or at a stop.

Close enough to reach comfortably on foot, usually in a few minutes or up to about half an hour.

A simple sleeping bunk in a shared compartment on an overnight train.

A stop where a passenger service calls only when someone indicates that they want to board or leave.

A bus service provided instead of a train that cannot run on part or all of its route.

One ticket covering a journey across more than one passenger service or journey section.

Using separate tickets for consecutive parts of a rail journey, sometimes without changing trains.

An additional fare charged under a transport system's rules for travelling without an appropriate valid ticket.

To register the start of a public-transport journey by presenting a card or device to a reader.

A system that limits the total charged for eligible journeys within a specified period.

A travel arrangement in which people park at an outer site and continue by public transport.

To signal to a passing vehicle so that its driver stops for you.

A card or digital entitlement that gives an eligible holder discounted rail fares under stated conditions.

Boarding a vehicle where the platform and entrance floor are at approximately the same height.

A plate placed or extended across the gap between a platform and a vehicle doorway.

A designated area in a passenger vehicle for someone travelling in their wheelchair.

A seat designated for people who particularly need to sit, such as passengers with mobility difficulties.

A special fare offered to a person travelling with another eligible passenger.

A dog trained to perform tasks that assist a disabled person.

A fixed communication unit through which passengers can contact transport staff for help.

The space between a railway platform edge and the train at a boarding doorway.

A ticket product allowing rail travel within specified geographical and time limits.

A rail ticket category bought before travel for specified services under advance-booking conditions.

A ticket valid on services or at times outside specified busy travel periods.

A rail fare category allowing travel without time-of-day restrictions, subject to its other conditions.

An interruption of a ticketed journey during which a traveller leaves an intermediate station and continues later.

A route on which a particular travel ticket is valid.

An additional rail fare paid to alter or extend the validity of a ticket already held.

An extra charge for reserving a place in addition to the underlying ticket or travel pass.

A requirement to reserve a seat or other place before using a passenger service.

A combined travel product linking a rail journey with a ferry crossing.

A railway coach transferred between trains so its passengers can continue without changing coach.

Operating passenger trains that join or divide so different portions serve different routes.

Describing a stop at which passengers may leave a service but may not board it.

A bus arrangement allowing boarding or alighting at suitable places along a section without fixed stops.

A passenger service whose route or timing responds to bookings or requests from users.

A passenger service that calls at selected stops rather than every stop along its route.

A geographical area used by a transport system to calculate ticket prices.

Deliberately avoiding payment of the required fare for a passenger journey.

A person authorized to drive a hired vehicle in addition to the main renter.

A rental provision limiting the renter's financial responsibility for specified damage to the hired vehicle.

A rental option in which the customer pays in advance for fuel supplied with the vehicle.

A fee charged for driving within a designated urban area to manage traffic congestion.

An area where vehicle access is restricted or charged according to emissions criteria.

A road for which drivers pay a charge to use it.

A ferry passenger who travels without taking a vehicle aboard.

The deck or enclosed area of a ferry where vehicles are carried.

A ship passenger travelling without reserved sleeping accommodation in a cabin.

Nausea and related discomfort caused by a vessel's motion during travel at sea.

A sea journey during which waves cause considerable movement of the vessel.

A short phone number you call to get the police, an ambulance or the fire service in an emergency, such as 112 in Europe.

The official office of one country's government in the capital city of another country, led by an ambassador.

An office of a country's government in a foreign city that helps its own citizens there and often handles visas; it is smaller than an embassy.

Insurance that pays for problems on a trip, such as medical treatment abroad, cancelled trips or lost and stolen belongings, depending on the policy.

An official written record made by the police after you report a crime, such as a theft, or an accident.

A thief who steals money, phones or wallets from people's pockets or bags without them noticing, often in crowded places.

A shop where trained pharmacists sell medicines, with and without a prescription, and give basic health information.

An arranged return to a person's home country because of medical needs following illness or injury abroad.

Medical documentation stating an assessment of a person's suitability to travel by air.

Official information about risks or conditions that may affect travel to a destination.

A flight organized to bring people back to their home country, often during a major disruption or crisis.