customs
/ˈkʌstəmz/The place at a border or airport where officers check what goods you are bringing in.
Example: We walked through customs with nothing to declare.
B220 words · Upper-intermediate
Air Travel vocabulary — B2
Airport vocabulary for a long-haul journey, including hand luggage, a stopover and priority boarding, plus turbulence and cabin pressure once you are flying.
20 questions
Words in this set
20hand luggage
The small bag you are allowed to keep with you in the plane cabin, not put in the hold.
Example:
My guitar counts as hand luggage on this airline, luckily.
baggage reclaim
The hall at an airport where travellers collect their cases after a flight.
Example:
Meet me at baggage reclaim once you have landed.
immigration
/ˌɪməˈɡreɪʃən/The official process of checking travellers' documents when they enter a country.
Example:
The queue for immigration stretched across the whole hall.
standby
/ˈstændˈbaɪ/Waiting for a free seat on a flight that is already fully booked.
Example:
We flew standby after missing our original flight.
priority boarding
The chance to get on a plane before most other passengers.
Example:
Business class passengers get priority boarding at the gate.
stopover
/ˈstɑˌpoʊvər/A short stay in a city or airport between two parts of a journey.
Example:
We had a two-day stopover in Singapore.
security check
The point where staff check your bags and body for dangerous items.
Example:
We went through the security check before boarding.
excess baggage
Luggage that weighs more than the free amount you are allowed to bring.
Example:
She had to pay extra for her excess baggage.
duty-free allowance
The amount of goods you may bring into a country without paying tax.
Example:
He stayed within his duty-free allowance for cigarettes.
layover
/ˈleɪˌoʊvər/A short stop between two flights while waiting to change planes.
Example:
We had a two-hour layover in Dubai before the next flight.
boarding pass
The card or phone code that shows your seat and lets you get onto a plane.
Example:
Have your boarding pass ready before you reach the gate.
aisle
/aɪl/The narrow space you walk along between the rows of seats on a plane.
Example:
I always book an aisle seat so I can stretch.
turbulence
/ˈtɜrbjələns/Sudden rough movement of a plane caused by changes in the air around it.
Example:
Please stay seated because we expect some turbulence soon.
cabin pressure
The air force inside a plane, controlled to be safe at high altitude.
Example:
A sudden loss of cabin pressure triggers the oxygen masks.
long-haul
Involving travel over a very long distance, especially by plane.
Example:
A long-haul flight to Australia can take over twenty hours.
short-haul
Involving travel that covers only a modest distance, especially by plane.
Example:
It's just a short-haul hop to the next country.
descent
/dɪˈsɛnt/The act of coming down from a higher place.
Example:
The captain announced the start of our descent.
cockpit
/ˈkɑkˌpɪt/The part of a plane where the pilot sits and controls it.
Example:
Visitors are rarely allowed inside the cockpit.
no-show
/ˈnoʊˌʃoʊ/A passenger who does not arrive for a flight they have booked.
Example:
The airline resold the seat of a no-show.
