English: Travel & the Airport

Level: B1. An airport is a sequence of steps in a fixed order: check in, drop your bags, pass security, wait at the gate, board, fly, and collect your luggage at the other end. Each step has its own vocabulary and a few key phrases. Learn them once and you can travel in English with far less stress, even when something goes wrong.

By the end of this page you can…

…check in and choose a seat, understand security and gate announcements, ask about delays and gates, board a flight, and find your luggage and the exit after you land.

The journey in order

It helps to see the whole route first. At the airport you move through these stages:

1. Check-in — show your passport, drop your bags, get your boarding pass.
2. Security — bags and body are scanned; liquids and laptops come out.
3. Departures / the gate — wait in the departure lounge, then go to your gate.
4. Boarding — they call your flight; you board the plane.
5. The flight — take off, fly, land.
6. Arrivals — passport control, baggage claim, and out through customs.

Checking in and bags

You check in for your flight (verb), usually online or at the check-in desk (noun). You either have hand luggage / carry-on only, or you check a bag — it goes in the plane’s hold and you pick it up at the end.

• I’d like to check in for the flight to Lisbon.
• I have one bag to check and one carry-on.
• Could I have a window seat, please? (or an aisle seat)
• Is the flight on time?

Security

At security, you put bags, liquids, laptops and your jacket in a tray on the belt to be scanned. You walk through a metal detector. Liquids usually must be in small containers in a clear bag.

• Do I need to take my laptop out?
• Can I keep my shoes on?
• Is this liquid allowed?

At the gate and boarding

You wait in the departure lounge and watch the departures board for your gate number. When it is time, staff call your flight and boarding begins, often by group or by row.

• Which gate is the flight to Rome?
• Has the flight to Rome started boarding?
• Is this the right gate for flight BA216?
• Final call for passengers on flight… (announcement: board now)

When things go wrong

Flights don’t always run to plan. Learn these words so an announcement doesn’t panic you:

• delayed — late (the new time is shown on the board).
• cancelled — not happening at all; you need a new flight.
• boarding / final call — go to the gate now.
• a connection / connecting flight — a second flight you catch after the first.
• to miss / catch a flight — be too late for it / get on it in time.

Useful questions when there is a problem:

• My flight’s been delayed — what’s the new departure time?
• I’ve missed my connection. What are my options?
• The flight’s been cancelled. Can you rebook me?

Arrivals

After you land, you follow signs to passport control (show your passport), then baggage claim (British: baggage reclaim) to collect checked bags from the carousel, and finally through customs to the arrivals hall and the exit.

• Where’s the baggage claim?
• My suitcase hasn’t come out. (it is lost or delayed)
• Where do I catch a taxi?
• Is there a train to the city centre?

Example sentences

Press play and copy the rhythm. Say each line out loud as if you were really travelling.

1. I'd like to check in for the flight to Lisbon.
   Starting check-in at the desk.
2. I have one bag to check and one carry-on.
   One bag goes in the hold, one stays with you.
3. Could I have a window seat, please?
   Choosing your seat at check-in.
4. Here's my passport and boarding pass.
   The two documents staff ask for.
5. Is the flight on time?
   Checking the flight isn't delayed.
6. How much is the excess baggage?
   Asking the fee for an overweight bag.
7. Do I need to take my laptop out?
   A common security question.
8. Can I keep my shoes on?
   Checking the security rules.
9. Which gate is the flight to Rome?
   Finding your gate number.
10. Has the flight to Rome started boarding?
    Asking if it's time to board.
11. Is this the right gate for flight BA216?
    Checking you're in the right place.
12. My flight's been delayed by two hours.
    Delayed means late, not cancelled.
13. The flight has been cancelled.
    Cancelled means it isn't happening.
14. I've missed my connection.
    You were too late for the next flight.
15. Can you rebook me on the next flight?
    Asking for a new flight after a problem.
16. Where's the baggage claim?
    Finding where to collect your luggage.
17. My suitcase hasn't come out yet.
    Your bag is delayed or lost.
18. I have nothing to declare.
    A common phrase at customs.
19. Where do I catch a taxi?
    Finding transport after you land.
20. Is there a train to the city centre?
    Asking about transport into town.

Quick recap before you practise.

A short conversation

Agent: Good morning. Where are you flying to today? Lena: To Rome. I’d like to check in, please. Here’s my passport. Agent: Thank you. Any bags to check? Lena: Just one, and this carry-on. Could I have an aisle seat? Agent: Of course. You’re at gate 22, boarding at 10:40. Have a good flight.

Usage notes

• check in (verb) / check-in (noun): I checked in online vs the check-in desk. The hyphen marks the noun.
• hand luggage / carry-on / cabin bag: all mean the bag you keep with you; hand luggage is common in Britain, carry-on in America.
• baggage claim / baggage reclaim: American vs British for where you collect checked bags; the machine itself is the carousel.
• delayed vs cancelled: delayed means later than planned (you still fly); cancelled means the flight won’t go at all (you need a new one).
• board / boarding: you board the plane; the time you do so is boarding; the last announcement is the final call.
• take off / land: the plane takes off when it leaves the ground and lands when it arrives.

Practice

Practice

Airport practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Which document does staff scan to let you on the plane?

your passport your boarding pass your receipt your suitcase

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Show answer

your boarding pass — The boarding pass carries your seat, gate and a barcode; it's scanned at the gate.

2 Your flight is late but still happening. It has been ____.

Check

Hint: late, not off

Show answer

delayed — 'Delayed' means late; 'cancelled' means it isn't happening at all.

3 Choose the seat by the window: Could I have a ____ seat, please?

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Hint: next to the window

Show answer

window — The two seat choices are a window seat and an aisle seat.

4 Put the words in order to ask about your gate.

the flight to Romewhich gateis

CheckReset

Show answer

which gate is the flight to Rome — The question order is: Which gate is the flight to Rome?

5 Match each airport word to its meaning.

• check-in Match for check-in — choose — bags and body are scanneddrop bags, get boarding passwhere you board the planewhere you collect your bags
• security Match for security — choose — bags and body are scanneddrop bags, get boarding passwhere you board the planewhere you collect your bags
• gate Match for gate — choose — bags and body are scanneddrop bags, get boarding passwhere you board the planewhere you collect your bags
• baggage claim Match for baggage claim — choose — bags and body are scanneddrop bags, get boarding passwhere you board the planewhere you collect your bags

Check

Show answer

• check-in → drop bags, get boarding pass
• security → bags and body are scanned
• gate → where you board the plane
• baggage claim → where you collect your bags

These are the main stages in order through the airport.

6 Your first flight is late and you may not reach the second. You've booked a…

carousel connecting flight boarding pass departure lounge

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connecting flight — A connecting flight is a second flight you catch after the first; a delay can make you miss it.

How to say it

A few travel words trip up English learners. Copy the audio rather than spelling them out.

• luggage and baggage both end in a soft “-ij” sound: “LUG-ij”, “BAG-ij”, not “-aahj”.
• aisle (the aisle seat) sounds like “I’ll” — “eye-ul” — with a silent s.
• queue (a line of people) is just one sound, “kyoo”, like the letter Q; the last four letters are silent.
• departure stresses the middle: “di-PAR-cher”.

Quiz

Check yourself

Travel & the airport quiz

8 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/8 0 answered

1. 1Where do you get your boarding pass and drop your bags?

   A security B check-in C the gate D baggage claim
   Show answer

   check-in — Check-in is where you show your passport, drop bags and get your boarding pass.

2. 2Your flight has been 'cancelled'. This means…

   A it is a bit late B it is not happening at all C it is boarding now D it has landed
   Show answer

   it is not happening at all — Cancelled means the flight won't go; delayed means it's just late.

3. 3Where do you collect your checked bags after landing?

   A the departure lounge B security C baggage claim D the gate
   Show answer

   baggage claim — You collect checked bags at baggage claim (baggage reclaim in Britain).

4. 4Complete: Could I have an ___ seat so I can get up easily?

   A window B aisle C exit D middle
   Show answer

   aisle — An aisle seat is next to the walkway, so you can get up without disturbing others.

5. 5What is 'carry-on' / 'hand luggage'?

   A a bag that goes in the hold B a bag you keep with you on the plane C a lost bag D a shopping bag
   Show answer

   a bag you keep with you on the plane — Carry-on (hand luggage) stays with you in the cabin; checked bags go in the hold.

6. 6Choose the correct question for a late flight.

   A What's the new departure time? B Where is my dessert? C Can I split the bill? D How many eggs?
   Show answer

   What's the new departure time? — Ask staff for the new departure time when a flight is delayed.

7. 7'Check in' (two words) is…

   A the desk B a noun C the action of checking in D a type of bag
   Show answer

   the action of checking in — 'Check in' (two words) is the verb/action; 'check-in' (hyphen) is the noun or desk.

8. 8At customs you can say:

   A I have nothing to declare. B Keep the change. C A table for two. D Two cartons of milk.
   Show answer

   I have nothing to declare. — 'I have nothing to declare' means you aren't carrying goods you must report.

Recap cheat-sheet

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