Airline Terminology

Able-bodied Person (ABP)

Passengers who are selected to assist crew during emergency

Aft

Toward the rear of an aircraft

Aft Left

Left rear section of aircraft

Aft right

Right rear section of aircraft

All - nighter - red - eye

Flight typically from west coast that departs late evening & flies eastbound all night

Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

Medical device that allows flight attendants to treat victims of cardiac arrest

Auxiliary Power Unit (APU)

Device on vehicles that provide energy for functions

Air Traffic Control (ATC)

Ground-based air traffic controllers, who direct aircraft

Base / Domicile

City / airport flight attendant is assigned to -impaled by the where trips begin & end

Beverage Cart

Heavy, wheeled cart on board that flight attendants use for beverage & meal service. Also known as “meal cart”

Bidding or Bid

Process of choosing work schedule on a seniority basis

Block - to - block

Time aircraft leaves blocks & time it is blocked back in

Briefing

Meeting cabin crew prior to departure. Discussing safety & flow of trip.

Buffet

Area aircraft for storing catering supplies

Bulkhead

A wall dividing the customer cabin into sections

Cabin

Section of aircraft, where passengers travel

Captain (CAPT)

Pilot in command

Catering

Food service company responsible for providing meals & food equipment

Check - in or Show - time

Time flight attendant reports for duty prior to an assigned trip

Charter flight

Flight that does not operate on a regular published schedule ; could be individual groups or tour operator

Coach

Largest & most basic class of service on an aircraft

Combat

Company materials that are shipped on board aircraft

Commute

Commuting by air to given domicile

Configuration

Arrange to of seats, bulkheads, compartments & exits in the interior of aircraft

Crash pad

Term used by commuters to refer to their “home away from home” usually shared by a few people

Crew complement

Number of working crew members required to work a flight ; one flight attendant per 50 seats

Crew scheduling

An office who is in charge of assigning & tracking all flight crews

Cross check

Action of having one flight attendant check actions of another flight attendant

Deadhead (DH)

Transport of an off duty crew member for positioning of working flight

Decompression

Sudden loss of cabin air pressure that results in the inside & outside air pressure to equalize

Demo

FAA mandated demonstration of equipment & emergency procedures. has to happen before take-off

Department of Transportation (DOT)

Cabinet- level agency of federal government responsible for maintaining & developing nations transportation systems

Direct flight

Flight from A to B with one stop

Ditching

Emergency landing in water

Duty time

Droid flight attendant is on duty, includes check in to debriefing

Deplane

Procedure of customers leaving aircraft

Deploy

Emergency slide is extended & inflated

Disarm

Process of taking slide out of emergency mode do it will not deploy when door is opened. Done when aircraft is parked at gate & jetway is moving toward aircraft

Domestic

Refers to flights or airlines in USA

Debrief

Period after arrival that is used to discuss flight

Enhanced Emergency Medical Kit (EEMK)

Exceeds all of the FAA guidelines for Airline Emergency Medical Kits contains FAA required contents & colored seals

Estimated Time of Departure (ETD)

Time aircraft is expected to depart

Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)

Time aircraft is expected to arrive at a certain place

Evacuation

Procedure where customers deplane in the quickest, most orderly manner for emergencies

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Governmental body of the USA that can regulate aspects of civil aviation in that nation & its surrounding waters

Federal Air Regulations (FAR)

Rules prescribed by FAA governing all aviation activities in the USA

First Aid Kit (FAK)

Supplies & equipment used for medical treatment

First officer (FO)

2nd in command to CAPT on aircraft

Flag stop

Unscheduled / unplanned stop for medical emergency

Flight deck

Cockpit

Flight time

Time from takeoff to touchdown

Forward (FWD)

Toward front of aircraft

Fwd right

Right section of front of aircraft

Fwd left

Left section of front of aircraft

Furlough

The leave of absence from airline until employees are needed again to re-hire

Fuselage

Main body of aircraft. NOT wings, tail, assembly & engines

Ferry flight

Delivery of aircraft without PAX to airport

Flaps

Hinged or pivotal portion of wing used for takeoff & landing

Galley

Part of aircraft where food is prepared & stored

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

(See Zulu)

Ground time

Time aircraft & crew spend on ground between flights. Also known as layover

Halon Fire Extinguisher (H)

Special type of fire extinguisher that contains gas that interrupts the chemical reaction when fuels burn. Used to protect valuable electrical equipment since no residue

Hangar

Building that aircraft are held

Headwind

Wind blows against aircraft slowing down flight

Hub

Airport where one or more major airlines have clearing sites for traffic

hypoxia

Lack of oxygen in blood, after decompression

inbound

arriving at station, coming in from flight

Initial Operating Experience (IOE)

Step into role of flight attendant on a flight

Inoperable (INOP)

Inoperable equipment

Inflight services

department responsible for care to PAX onboard aircraft

Jetway / jet bridge

enclosed passageway that PAX go from airport to aircraft

Jump-seat (JS)

Seat assigned to flight attendants for takeoffs & landing located near emergency exits

Junior

flight attendant ranked low on seniority list

layover (L / O)

time crew & aircraft are on ground between flights. Also known as ground time, remain overnight

leg

single flight. One takeoff, one landing

legal rest

minimum rest time required after flight

Lead or Sr. FA

flight attendant who works senior position on a flight. Coordinates all FAs on board. Also known as A, First FA, Purser

Line of flying

Monthly schedule flight attendant receives as a result of bidding process

Line holder

flight attendant with enough seniority to fly or hold regular line of flying

Mainline

refers to larger entity of airline that provides regional & larger jet service

Mechanical

Refers to problem with aircraft that must be fixed by maintenance before departure

Minimum guarantee

minimum number of hours to be paid each month regardless of hours flown

Narrow body

Aircraft with only one isle dividing PAX

Non - rev

non-paying PAX, fellow airline employee, stand-by, space available

Nation Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

Independent US government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation

On - call

Period of time where reserve FA may be assigned a trip

Origination

Station aircraft is assigned flight number

Passenger Service Unit (PSU)

Unit above each row of PAX where oxygen units, reading lights, FA call buttons, etc.

Pass

Airline ticket used by airline employee, eligible family member, or friend with no cost or low cost

Per diem

Hourly rate paid to flight attendants. Pay begins when you check in & ends when returned to base

Pressurizer

To keep nearly ground level atmospheric pressure in cabin when at high altitudes

Protective Breathing Equipment (PBE)

Portable, self-contained, personal smoke hood designed to safeguard crew from smoke, carbon dioxide, harmful gases while managing smoke / fume emergencies

Purser

Flight attendant who supervises inflight crew on international flights

Pushback

Process of moving aircraft backward, away from gate

Ramp

Area around aircraft where ground people perform duties, maintenance, baggage, catering, etc.

Remain overnight (RON)

(See layover)

Reserve

FAs on standby. Junior in seniority to hold bid line

Restraint strap

strap that holds people back at exit door

Sequence

Flight or series of flights in a line held by FA bid

sterile cockpit

period during flight where cockpit door must be locked. FAs restricted from entering / contacting cockpit. Required when aircraft is below 10,000 feet. Including taxi, takeoff & landing