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Airport Lingo: What Does It All Really Mean?

kboller
Explorer A

Considering the amount of time many of us have spent in airports throughout our lives, we should all be pretty fluent in the language of ‘airport lingo’ by now. However, if you’re like me, you might only consider yourself to have a working knowledge of airport lingo, rather than fluency. Between flight decks and jet bridges; terminals and concourses; and nonstop flights and direct flights—things can get a bit tricky. Here’s a little refresher course so you can confidently help a few confused travelers on your next flight!
  • Flight deck: This is another term for the cockpit, or the area in the front of the airplane where the Pilots sit to fly the airplane.
  • Jet bridge: A jet bridge is the piece of equipment that connects the airplane to the concourse. It is the area that you walk down to board the plane and walk up to deboard the plane.
  • Captain: The Captain is the head Pilot and the legal commander of the airplane. Captains are typically the more senior of the two pilots and traditionally sit on the left-hand side of the flight deck. They can be distinguished from a first officer by the four stripes on their shirt epaulets or jacket sleeves.
  • First Officer: The First Officer is the Co-Pilot and is second-in-command of the aircraft. First Officers are traditionally seated on the right-hand side of the flight deck and have only three stripes on their shirt epaulets or jacket sleeves. However, they are fully qualified to operate the aircraft in all stages of flight, including takeoffs and landings, and do so in alternating turns with the captain.
  • Aft: This term refers to an area near the tail of an aircraft. For instance, whenever a flight attendant mentions an “aft lavatory,” she is talking about a bathroom near the back of the plane.
  • Ramp: The ramp is the area of the airport where aircraft are parked and refueled, and where luggage is loaded and unloaded from the plane.
  • Terminal: This is the part of the airport building that connects all of the different concourses. It is the area where you’ll find the check-in ticket counters, baggage claims, security checkpoints, and car rental counters. A terminal can have many concourses, and large airports often have multiple terminals.
  • Concourse: Concourses are corridors situated past the security checkpoints where all of the loading gates are located. This is the area of the airport where you can shop, eat, and recharge your electronics while waiting for your flight.
  • Customer Service Agent: Customer Service Agents (CSAs) handle all aspects of ticketing and checking in of Customers, help Customers change flight reservations, and clear standby Passengers at the gate podium.
  • Operations Agent: Operations Agents (Ops Agents) manage the weight and balance of the aircraft and assist with the boarding process by making boarding announcements, scanning boarding passes as Passengers enter the jet bridge, and monitoring the number of Passengers on the plane.
  • Nonstop Flight: This is a single flight between two airports with no stops.
  • Direct Flight: A direct flight makes at least one stop on the way to its final destination but the flight number stays the same. For instance, SWA flight #1260 might fly from Dallas to New York, but first stop in St. Louis. The Passengers who disembarked in St. Louis were on a nonstop flight, while the Passengers who remained on the flight from Dallas all the way to New York were on a direct flight.
Can you think of any other commonly misused or confusing airport lingo? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section!
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