Airline Employment Glossary

A&P Airframe and powerplant. A&P technicians keep aircraft in safe flying condition
and are licensed by the FAA.

A-scale Pay scales for those hired before deregulation. Pay scales are higher than
those hired after deregulation.

Aft The rear of an aircraft.

Air traffic control The government employees directing takeoffs, landings, and flight
plans for all aircraft.
B-scale Pay scales for those hired after deregulation. Pay scales start at a lower rate
than A-scale and increase with seniority.

Bank A group of aircraft waiting to land at the same airport at the same time.

Base The airport from which flight crews are assigned.

Beltloader The machine used to load and unload luggage from an aircraft.

Bidding The process of requesting a flight schedule for flight attendants. Requests are
filled according to seniority.

Blackout The seasonal period when special fares or employee discounts are not
honored for travel on airlines.

Boarding pass The coupon containing passenger and flight information which a
passenger must present in order to board a flight.

Block hours The time period from when an aircraft leaves the gate to its arrival to the
destination gate.

Buddy pass A discounted travel ticket for the friend of an employee.

C

Cabin The interior of an aircraft where the passengers sit.

Cattle call A group interview process primarily used for hiring flight attendants.

Charter A flight that has been contracted to fly from one city to another.
 Chocks A block of wood or rubber to stabilize the wheels when parking an aircraft.

Cockpit The forward section of the airplane where the pilots sit during a flight.
D

Deadhead A crew member flying as a passenger to reach an assignment in another

location.

De-icing The process of spraying a glycol solution on the wings of an aircraft to

prevent the formation of ice during inclement weather conditions.

Deregulation The 1978 lifting of government regulation of fares and route

assignments.

Direct flight A flight from one destination to another with stops between but no
change of aircraft.

Domicile The city where flight crews are based.

F

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration is the government agency that regulates the
airline industry.

Flight coupon The part of an airline ticket that serves as the boarding pass.

Flight hours Same as block hours.

Fuselage The main body of an aircraft.

G-H

Gate The area where passengers board and deplane an aircraft.

Hub A city that serves as a major intersection for connections to other destinations.
I-J

Inbound A flight coming into the airport.

Interline The use of more than one airline for an itinerary.

J-line A painted line to direct aircraft from the runway to the gates.

Jetway The mobile walkway that connects the plane and the terminal used to transport
passengers.
L-M

Layover An overnight stay for a flight crew member in a city other than the home
base city.

Marshalling The process of using hand signals to direct an aircraft to park.

Maximum take-off weight The maximum weight allowed for an aircraft to take off
safely.
N-O

Nonstop A flight from one destination to another without any stops between.

Offload The process of unloading cargo and luggage from an aircraft.

Outbound A flight going out of an airport.

P

Per diem A regulated daily allowance for crew members for time spent away from the
home base.

Plucker The person that collects tickets at the gate.

Power back When the plane backs up under its own power.

Pushback When the plane is pushed backwards by a ramp agent in a push tug vehicle.
R

Ramp stand The portable stairs positioned at the door of the airplane for exiting and
entering of passengers.

Recruiter The facilitator in a group interview session.

Reserve Flight crew members who do not have regularly scheduled shifts, but are still
working on an on-call basis.

Runway The strip on the airfield where airplanes takeoff and land.
S

Scheduled Flights that are regularly scheduled and available to the general public.

Standby A passenger who does not have a confirmation on a flight and is allowed to
board only after the confirmed passengers have been seated.
T

Taxi When an aircraft moves under its own power on the ground.

Tow bar The equipment used to push an aircraft away from the gate.

Tug The vehicle used to pull carts of luggage and cargo.

Turn time The amount of time an aircraft has on the ground before it must depart.

Turnaround A flight that leaves and returns to the original city in the same day.
W

Wide body An aircraft which has dual aisles.

Wing walker The term for a ramp agent who walks beside the aircraft to watch for
traffic.

Senior Mama
An affectionate term used to describe veteran flight attendants. As a newbie, I had heard
horror stories about flying with the Senior Mamas. When I discovered I’d be flying with
Blanche, the no-nonsense veteran who never smiled, I was scared. But I listened and asked
questions. By the end of the trip, I knew not only how to perfect my drink cart, but also how
to cook rice in the coffee pot. “Here,” she handed me the strange utensil at the end of our last
flight, “you’ll never need another piece of silverware in the air again.” And I haven’t. I’ve
used my spork: a half spoon, half fork combo on every flight.

Pink Eye
No, I’m not breaking out my medical kit to cure your conjunctivitis. If a red eye is a long
overnight flight, a pink eye is any flight just short of that. For the purposes of the airlines, a
red eye is a flight that touches the 1 a.m. hour, so a flight that goes into midnight, but
narrowly escapes the next hour could be defined as a pink eye.

Victory Lap
After a 3 or 4 day trip flying to several different cities, flight attendants will often get stuck
flying back to their base airport, but still be required to do a quick turn to a city close to home
before finishing. Sometimes called a “turn and burn” because there is no time to clean,
rearrange, or refuel the aircraft due to the short timeframe.
Lips and tips
A reference to a flight attendant’s matching fingernails and lipstick. Used as a gentle reminder
that despite 12 hours days, 5 hours of sleep, meals grabbed during 30 minute layovers and
eaten standing up, drunken passengers, medical emergencies involving bodily fluids, and
hauling around enough supplies to maneuver a small army, we flight attendants should aim to
be flawless at all times.

Flip-flop
If your flight attendant seems cranky, a flip-flop could be the culprit. And no, it doesn’t
involve the beach vacation. The term refers to a flight attendant’s schedule when she flies one
red eye arriving in the early morning hours, has the day on layover to sleep, and then must
report for the first flight out the following morning around 5 or 6 a.m. It is the equivalent of
forcing a night owl into a morning person’s schedule overnight.

Turn
“How was LA?” “How was New York?” My friends ask me often. I wouldn’t know; I only
had a turn. In other words, I high-tailed it to some fabulous city, didn’t get off the plane, and
flew right back to my base airport. It is as glamorous as it sounds!

Hot room
Otherwise known as on premise reserve, standby reserve, and “the couch,” but most
accurately described as hell. The hot room at the airport is where they stick reserve flight
attendants for a block of time so the airline can use them at will.

If you’ve got a delayed flight and your flight attendant rolls in late, chances are she was just
pulled from “the couch” five minutes prior to cover the position. And she will be prepared to
go to China or Africa with no prep time.

Deplane
As a former English teacher, hearing this made-up word is more grating than the call bell
ding. People don’t de-car or de-train, yet we are now deplaning passengers in droves. While
the term disembark is sufficient, I’ve given in and started using the current lingo. So, when
you hear deplane, it just means it’s time to remove yourself from the aircraft. Quickly, please!

Bulkhead
The two sisters sat in the front row of first class when I noticed the small, red gift bag at their
feet. “I’m sorry, ladies, but you are seated in the bulkhead and I’ll have to put that gift bag in
the overhead compartment,” I said pointing to the lack of under the seat storage. The sister at
the window willingly handed over the merchandise. “This is heavier than it looks,” I
commented. “It’s our mother,” the one in the aisle giggled, “and we are giving her the
Weekend at Bernie’s trip.” I shut the bag in the overhead as my face turned the same shade as
the bag. The moral: Not even your dearly departed gets a free ride in the bulkhead during take
off and landing.

UM
“Where are their parents?” a passenger steamed about the 6-year-old triplet boys who couldn’t
keep their hands off the call button. “Right now that would be the flight attendants,” I
explained, “they are UMs traveling alone.” Unaccompanied minors can travel as young as 4
years old. On flights with multiple UMs, you may find us bribing them with M&Ms if they
promise to nap.

Tagging
Just when we hear the landing gear come down and think we’re free for the rest of the day, we
may get hit with a tagged flight to another destination. As a new flight attendant, I once had a
turn to Dallas in January. Simple. The weather was warm so I didn’t bring a coat.
Unfortunately, I was tagged onto a trip to Omaha and then Calgary. Snowing in both locales, I
was forced to borrow a pilot’s coat just to get to my layover hotel.

ABP
Able Bodied Person: A passenger selected by the flight attendant to assist during an
emergency situation.
A/C
Aircraft
A/C Left
The left side of the aircraft, facing forward.
A/C right
The right side of the aircraft, facing forward.
AED
Automated External Defibrillator., An automated medical device that detects heart
fibrillation and may administer an electrical shock to reestablish a normal heartbeat.
Aft
Toward the tail section of the aircraft
Air Carrier
An aircraft operator who is certified by the FAA to engage in air transportation.
ASAP
Airline Safety Action Program: A coordinated program between the FAA, ALPA and Select
air carrier departments that allows certain FAA-certified Company employees to report
violations made in error in the interest of improving safety without fear of disciplinary
action.
ATC
Air Trafic Control: A division of the Federal Aviation Administration responsible for the
expeditions and safe movement of aircraft on the ground and in the airspace system.
Base Station
The domicile city where crewmembers are indefinitely assigned to work.
BEV
Abbreviation for a choice of beverage.
BLND
A passenger manifest code that identifies a passenger who is visually impaired.
BP
Boarding Pass: A card or printed paper containing seat location and boarding priority
information, which passengers present to a customer service agent in order to gain access to
an aircraft for boarding.
BP Status
A segment status code in a passenger name record indicating the passenger's boarding
priority.
BRT
Bright
Bulkhead
A dividing wall within the aircraft (usually extends from floor to ceiling)

Bulkhead Seat
An airplane seat in the row immediately behind the bulkhead.
CA (CAPT)
Captain: (see PIC)
Cabin
The interior section of an aircraft that is occupied by the passengers and cabin
crewmembers.
Cabin Crew
Refers generally to an entire cabin crew and not a specific flight attendant position.
Calendar Day
A period of elapsed time, using either Universal Coordinated or local time, which begins at
midnight and ends 24 hours later at the next midnight.
CFR
Code of Federal Regulations: The complete list of federal laws in which Federal Aviation
Regulation are found.
Checklist
A formal list used to identify, schedule , compare, or verify a group of elements or actions.
Circuit Breaker
A device used in place of a fuse, which breaks and electrical current in the event of an
overload.
CLV
Crew Life Vest
COMP
Complimentary
CONX
Connection: A Passenger who is making a connection to another flight to reach a final
destination.
CPR
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A first aid procedure in which a victim's heartbeat and
breathing are manually supported by another individual.
Crewmember
Any person who is assigned to perform duties on board an aircraft during flight time.
CRM
Crew Resource Management: A training course designed to improve communications and
coordination among flight deck and cabin crewmembers.

CRO
Complaint Resolution Officer: A person trained to resolve any disputes that arise when
accommodating passengers with disabilities.

CRS
Child-Restraint System: A government-approved child seat that is designed to protect small
children.

CSA
Customer Service Agent

CSI
Cabin Safety Inspector: A Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector who
specifically focuses on flight attendants and procedures withing the aircraft cabin.

CXLD
Cancelled

CZ
Designator Code For Compass Airlines

DEAF
A passenger manifest code that identifies a passenger who is hearing-impaired.

Deplane
To exit the aircraft under normal circumstances.

Deportee
A person who has entered a country illegally and in formally removed from that country at
a later date.

D/H
Dead Head: A crewmember who is on duty and traveling to or from an assignment on a
flight, but is not scheduled to perform any specific duties aboard that flight.

Ditch
An emergency landing into water.
DL
Designator code for Delta Airlines.

DOH
Date of Hire.

Domestic
Transportation between any two points within Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the
District of Columbia, or any state of the United States of America.

DOT
Department of Transportation: A federal agency that focuses primarily on domestic
transportation.

Duty Period
The period of elapsed time, using either Universal Coordinated or local time between a
crewmember's reporting for an assignment involving flight time and release from that
assignment by the air carrier. [121.467(a)]

EFL
Emergency Flash Light

ELS
Emergency Light Switch

Emergency
Used to describe non-routine operation in which certain procedures or actions must be taken
to protect from hazard.

EMG and EMER

Emergency.

EMK
Emergency Medical Kit - also referred to as the Expanded Medical Kit (XMK)

EMT
Emergency Medical Technician: An individual specifically trained in advanced emergency
life-support techniques and equipment.

ESCT
A passenger manifest code that identifies a prisoner under law enforcement escort.
ETA
Estimated Time of Arrival.

ETD
Estimated Time of Departure.

ETKT
Electronic Ticket (E-Ticket): A ticket that is purchased by the passenger on the internet.

EVAC
Evacuation

EXIT
A passenger manifest code that identifies a passenger who has been assigned a seat in an
emergency exit row.

EXST
A passenger manifest code that identifies a passenger of considerable size who has
purchased two adjacent seats in the same row.

EXT
Extinguisher

External Customer
Any person who is not an employee of Compass Airlines with whom an employee interacts.

FA
Flight Attendant: An individual who is trained and certified in emergency, first aid, cabin
preparation and passenger safety duties.

FAA
Federal Aviation Administration: A federal agency within the Department of Transportation
that has direct oversight of aviation operations and laws.

FAIR
Flight Attendant Irregularity Report: An online document available to FAs for the purpose
of documenting and communicating any type in incident, irregularity, concern or question
to management.

FAK
First Aid Kt.
FAM
Federal Air Marshall: A federal law enforcement officer who is specifically trained to
prevent any attempt to take control of a commercial aircraft during flight.

FAM
Flight Attendant Manual.

FAR
Federal Aviation Regulations: Federal Law specific to aviation that is published by the
Federal Aviation ?Administration (see CFR)

FARF
Flight Attendant Read File: A memorandum issued to alert to flight attendants of pertinent
operational information.

FAST
Flight Attendant Service Trends Form: A form carried on the aircraft for the purposes of
documenting and communicating any discrepancies involving catering and aircraft
cleaning.

FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation: A federal law enforcement agency that focuses primarily
on national felony crimes.

Ferry Flight
An unscheduled non-revenue flight on which only crewmembers and authorized personnel
or cargo are permitted on board.

FFDO
Federal Flight Deck Officer: A certified pilot employed by an air carrier who is authorized
by federal law to carry a firearm while on duty aboard an aircraft.

FIDS
Flight Information Display System: Monitors, located in airport terminal, which are used to
display flight information to the public.

Flight Crew
Refers generally to the entire flight crew and not a specific flght crewmember position.

Flight Deck
FD: The interior section of an aircraft that is occupied by the flight crewmembers. (captain
and first officers)
FLT
Flight.

FO
First Officer (see SIC).

FOD
Foreign Object Debris/Damage/Disposal: A term used to describe either an item on the
ramp, taxiway, or runway areas that could potentially cause damage to an aircraft; damage
caused to an aircraft by foreign object debis; or a designated receptacle for disposing of
foreign object debris.

FOM
Flight Operations Manual: A procedures manual. of which the Fight Attendant Manual is an
accepted part, which is approved by the FAA for Compass Airlines flight operations.

Fuselage
The body of an aircraft, excluding the wings and empennage.

FWD
Forward: Toward the nose of the aircraft.

GEN DEC
General Declaration Form: An international document that requires flight information,
names of crewmembers on board, numbers of passengers on board and a general declaration
of health for all souls aboard.

GRND
Ground

GSC
Ground Security Coordinator: An individual trained and qualified in airport security
regulations and procedures who is responsible for an airline's security-related events at the
station.

HAL
Refers to Halon 1211 fire extinguishers.

HAZMAT
Hazardous Material: A substance of material with potentially hazardous characteristics that
may pose unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported by air.
HDQ
Headquarters: The Company facility where Operations Command And Control Center and
corporate offices are located

Headwind
Wind that is moving in the opposite direction an aircraft is traveling.

I-94 Form
A form required to be filled out by passengers traveling without a visa, who are entering the
United States, so that their arrival and departure can be recorded.

I/C
Intercom (Inter-phone): An aircraft's internal communications system through which crew
members communicate during flight.

ILV
Infant Life Vest.

Immediate Family
Includes spouse, children, stepchildren, grandchildren, parents, stepparents, grandparents,
siblings and in-laws.

INFLIGHT
The department that focuses solely on flight attendants and in-flight cabin procedures.

INFO
Information

INFT
A passenger manifest code that identifies and infant passenger.

INOP
Inoperative.

Interline
A procedure of agreement that exists between two or more air carriers.

Internal customer
Any person currently employed by Compass Airlines with whom any other compass
Airlines employee interacts.
IOE
Initial Operating Experience: On-the-job training time required by the FAA following
completion of classroom ground instruction.

IRROP
Irregular Operation.

ISC
Inflight Security Coordinator: A person trained and qualified in aircraft security regulations
and procedures who is responsible for security-related events that occur during flight
(typically the PIC).

IT
The department that is responsible for the Company's computer hardware, software, and
network systems.

Jet Blast
The engine exhaust power produced when an aircraft's engines are running.

Jetbridge
An enclosed walkway used as a loading bridge between the terminal gate and the aircraft
cabin that allows the passengers direct, protected access to an aircraft from the terminal.
Also know as a jetway.

Jumpseat
JS: An extra crewmember seat in the flight deck or cabin that authorized personnel may
occupy during a flight.

Jumpseat Authority
JSA: The PIC's authority to deny access to a flight deck jumpseat to an authorized person.

Knots
KTS: A speed measurement based on nautical miles traveled per hour.

LANG
A passenger manifest code that indicates a passenger does not speak or understand English.

LAV
Lavatory: The official term for an aircraft's restroom.

Layover Station
A city where a crew rests while waiting for the next scheduled flight.
Leading Edge
The forward edge of a wing.

LED
Light-Emitting Diode: Found on the emergency flashlight, this light gives a continuous
visual indication of the battery's readiness.

LEO
Law Enforcement Officer: A person who is authorized to carry weapons on board the
aircraft.

LH
Left Hand

LOA
Leave of Absence

Load Factor
The ratio between the number of seats on a given flight or system versus the total number of
seats in the airline inventory by the flight or system. It is expressed in percentages.

LOEP
List of Effective Pages: A list of page numbers that notes the current revision number for
each page within the manual.

Log
A flight-by-flight record of all operations of an aircraft and its engines, crew, flight time,
areas of operation, or other pertinent information.

LRBL
Least Risk Bomb Location: The location inside of an aircraft that will suffer the minimum
possible damage from the explosive forces of a bomb.

MAAS
A passenger manifest code that identifies a passenger who does not need a wheelchair but
still requires assistance.

MAINT
Maintenance: The department responsible for ensuring the aircraft fleet is properly
inspected, maintained, repaired and airworthy.
MCD
Main Cabin Door: The passenger entry door of an aircraft that is used for boarding and
deplaning.
MDT
Manual Deploy Tool: A tool that is used to gain access to various panels on the E175
aircraft.
MEL
Minimum Equipment List. A list that details which equipment must be functioning properly
in order for the aircraft to be permitted to fly and which equipment may be inoperative for a
specified period of time.
Missed Flight Assignment
Missed Flight Assignment: A scheduling code designating a flight assignment that has been
missed.
MISC
Miscellaneous
MX
A designator code assigned to flights that have been cancelled due to a maintenance
problem.
Narrpw Bpde
Classification of commercial jet aircraft thaat have one aisle and a maximum of six-across
seating.
NON-REV
Non-revenue passenger: A person who is traveling as a passenger under an airline's flight
benefits program (usually for free or at an industry discount rate.
Normal
Used to describe routine operations (without malfunctions)
NPIE
Notification, preparation, impact and evacuation. The four phoses of a planned emergency.
NRPS
Non-Revenue Positive Space: An employee who is traveling on Company business and has
a confirmed seat assignment on a flight.
NRSA
Non-Revenue Space Available (see NON-REV)
N/S
No Show. A scheduling code added to a crewmember's schedule when an MFA is
determined to be the result of a failure to report for work or call-in prior to the prescribed
time limit.
NTSB
National Transportation Safety Board: A federal agency that focuses primarily on the
causes of accidents and issues recommendations for changes in the various transportation
industries.
O2
Oxygen
OHB
Overhead bin.
OJI
On-the-Job Injury.
Operations Bulletin
A change to the manual (that will be included in a later revision) that must be read, then
recorded and inserted into the manual immediately.
OPS
Operations: The operations center at each station that monitors and disseminates all
pertinent flight information.
OT
On Time.
OVRWNG
Overwing: A term used to describe an area of the fuselage that is located directly above the
aircraft's wings.
PA
Public Address/Announcement.
PAX/PSGR
Passenger. The word "passenger", as used throughout the Code of Federal Regulations,
means any passenger regardless of age unless the in qualified by definition.
PBE
Protective Breathing Equipment: A portable smoke hood and oxygen supply used for
firefighting on board an aircraft.
PCFA
Passenger Carrying a Firearm. A passenger manifest code identifying a passenger who is a
law enforcement officer carrying a firearm.
PETC
A passenger manifest code identifying a passenger who has brought a carry-on pet in the
cabin.
PIC
Pilot in Command: The flight crewmember who is oltimately responsible for and has
ultimate command authority over the safe and efficient operation of a flight (the captain)