Lindsay Lalonde
, January 10, 2023

#1 Best Guide: French Vocabulary To Use At The Airport

Are you planning to fly in or out of France? Maybe you’re planning to visit one of the twenty-nine countries that speak French. Then it’s time to buckle up and learn the French vocabulary to use at the airport!

It’s quite common for French-speaking regions to not know any English or other languages for that matter. This makes being able to communicate in French and understand what is being said to you or being able to read, very important.

Today we’ll go over the most common French airport words and related phrases so you don’t feel completely lost or confused.

Ready? Let’s get started!

French Vocabulary To Use At The Airport

On this page, we’ll go through airport-related lessons starting with ticket purchase vocabulary and the names of documents you can expect to need. Then, we’ll review words for baggage and vocabulary to help you get around the airport. From there you’ll learn words to help you at check-in, on the plane, and useful phrases you may need to use or you may hear while on your travels.

Ticket And Travel Document Vocabulary

Well, the first step is buying an airplane ticket! Usually, people do this online nowadays, but you may need to use or understand these words in French during your airport journey. These are words related to airplane ticket purchases and the names of the travel documents you’ll need.

English	French	Pronunciation
aisle seat	siège côté couloir	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]siège côté couloir[/Speechword]
boarding pass	une carte d’embarquement	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]une carte d’embarquement[/Speechword]
business class	classe affaire	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]classe affaire[/Speechword]
economy (coach) class	la classe économique	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]”la classe économique[/Speechword]
first class	la première classe	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]la première classe[/Speechword]
middle seat	Siège du milieu	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Siège du milieu[/Speechword]
one-way ticket	un billet simple	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un billet simple[/Speechword]
one-way ticket	un billet simple	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un billet simple[/Speechword]
passport	un passeport	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un passeport[/Speechword]
plane ticket	le billet d’avion	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]le billet d’avion[/Speechword]
plane ticket	un billet d’avion	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un billet d’avion[/Speechword]
round trip ticket	un billet aller-retour	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un billet aller-retour[/Speechword]
round trip ticket	un billet aller-retour	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un billet aller-retour[/Speechword]
to buy a ticket	acheter un billet	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]acheter un billet[/Speechword]
to make a reservation	faire une réservation	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]faire une réservation[/Speechword]
visa	un visa	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un visa[/Speechword]
window seat	siège côté fenêtre	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]siège côté fenêtre[/Speechword]

Luggage And Baggage Vocabulary In French

Which kind of baggage will you be taking? You will have to talk about your luggage in French at the airport when you check in. Here are the French words for baggage you need to know!

English	French	Pronunciation
baggage	les bagages	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]les bagages[/Speechword]
baggage claim	la livraison des bagages	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]la livraison des bagages[/Speechword]
carry-on luggage	les bagages à main	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]les bagages à main[/Speechword]
cart	un chariot	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Meinemt[/Speechword]
checked luggage	les bagages enregistrés/ les bagages en soute	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]les bagages enregistrés[/Speechword]/[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline] les bagages en soute[/Speechword]
hand luggage	bagage à main	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]bagage à main[/Speechword]
Luggage	bagages	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]bagages[/Speechword]

French Vocabulary At The Airport

You’re at the airport or on the way! You’ll need to know directions in French to tell your driver where to drop you off. Once you’re there, you can use these words to help you to get around the airport or find your flight check-in area.

English	French	Pronunciation
airline	une compagnie aérienne	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]une compagnie aérienne[/Speechword]
airplane	un avion	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un avion[/Speechword]
airport	un aéroport	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un aéroport[/Speechword]
airport security	sécurité de l’aéroport	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]sécurité de l’aéroport[/Speechword]
Arrival hall	Le Hall d’arrivée	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Le Hall d’arrivée[/Speechword]
arrivals	les arrivées	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]les arrivées[/Speechword]
baggage claim	la livraison des bagages	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]la livraison des bagages[/Speechword]
cancelled	annulé	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]annulé[/Speechword]
cart	un chariot	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un chariot[/Speechword]
check-in	l’enregistrement	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]l’enregistrement[/Speechword]
check-in counter	un guichet d’embarquement	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un guichet d’embarquement[/Speechword]
customs	la douane	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]la douane[/Speechword]
delayed	en retard	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]en retard[/Speechword]
Departure hall	Le Hall de départ	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Le Hall de départ[/Speechword]
departures	les départs	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]les départs[/Speechword]
domestic/internal flights	vols intérieurs	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]vols intérieurs[/Speechword]
duty-free	une boutique hors taxes / un duty-free	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]une boutique hors taxes[/Speechword]/[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline] un duty-free[/Speechword]
flight	un vol	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un vol[/Speechword]
gate	une porte	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]une porte[/Speechword]
International flights	vols internationaux	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]vols internationaux[/Speechword]
on time	à l’heure	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Meinemt[/Speechword]
runway	piste	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]piste[/Speechword]
shuttle	une navette	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]une navette[/Speechword]
terminal	Un terminal	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Un terminal[/Speechword]

Vocabulary For Checking In At The Airport

Here are some words related to the process of checking in at the airport in French.

English	French	Pronunciation
to land	Atterrir	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Atterrir[/Speechword]
to disembark, to deplane	Débarquer	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Débarquer[/Speechword]
to declare	déclarer	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]déclarer[/Speechword]
to take off	Décoller	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Décoller[/Speechword]
to board, embark	Embarquer	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Embarquer[/Speechword]
to check bags	enregistrer (les bagages)	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]enregistrer les bagages[/Speechword]
landing	l’atterrissage	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]l’atterrissage[/Speechword]
boarding	l’embarquement	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]l’embarquement[/Speechword]
check-in	l’enregistrement	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]l’enregistrement[/Speechword]
immigration	l’immigration	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]l’immigration[/Speechword]
boarding pass	la carte d’embarquement	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]la carte d’embarquement[/Speechword]
customs	la douane	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]la douane[/Speechword]
security check	le contrôle de sécurité	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]le contrôle de sécurité[/Speechword]
takeoff	le décollage	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]le décollage[/Speechword]
carry-on luggage	les bagages à main	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]les bagages à main[/Speechword]
checked-in luggage	les bagages enregistrés/ un baggage en soute	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]les bagages enregistrés/ un baggage en soute[/Speechword]
flight number	numéro de vol	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]numéro de vol[/Speechword]
To recover your luggages	Récupérer les bagages	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Récupérer les bagages[/Speechword]
stopover	une escale	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]une escale[/Speechword]
gate	une porte	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]une porte[/Speechword]

French Words To Use In The Plane

Now that you’re on the plane, how do you address people? What are areas and things called on the airplane in French? Check these out.

English	French	Pronunciation
aisle seat	siège côté couloir	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]siège côté couloir[/Speechword]
business class	classe affaire	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]classe affaire[/Speechword]
economy class/ coach	la classe économique	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]la classe économique[/Speechword]
flight stewardess	une hôtesse de l’air	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]une hôtesse de l’air[/Speechword]
middle seat	Siège du milieu	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Siège du milieu[/Speechword]
passenger	un passager	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un passager[/Speechword]
pilot	le pilote	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]le pilote[/Speechword]
row	ligne	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]ligne[/Speechword]
steward	un steward	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]un steward[/Speechword]
window seat	siège côté fenêtre/siège du côté hublot	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]siège côté fenêtre[/Speechword]

The Parts Of The Airplane

Just for fun here’s a list of French vocabulary for parts of a plane. These could be fun to know if you’re traveling with kids – you can learn together!

English	French	Pronunciation
airplane body	Corps d’avion	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Corps d’avion[/Speechword]
airplane wings	Ailes d’avion	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Ailes d’avion[/Speechword]
cockpit	Poste de pilotage	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Poste de pilotage[/Speechword]
engine	Moteur	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Moteur[/Speechword]
jet fuel	Carburéacteur	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Carburéacteur[/Speechword]
landing gear	Train d’atterrissage	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Train d’atterrissage[/Speechword]
nose of plane	Nez d’avion	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Nez d’avion[/Speechword]

Useful Phrases At The Airport

Here are some useful French phrases in case you need to talk to an airport employee if you are lost or if there are any issues with your flight.

English: I am looking for terminal A.

French: Je recherche le terminal A.

English: How many pieces of luggage can I take on the plane?

French: Combien de bagages puis-je emporter dans l’avion ?

English: Why has the plane been delayed?

French: Pourquoi l’avion a-t-il été retardé ?

English: Why has the plane been canceled?

French: Pourquoi l’avion a-t-il été annulé ?

English: Are there any window seats left?

French: Reste-t-il des sièges côté fenêtre ?

English: Are there any aisle seats left?

French: Il reste des places côté couloir ?

English: I would like a window seat.

French: Je voudrais avoir un siège près de la fenêtre

English: I would like an aisle seat.

French: Je voudrais avoir un siège couloir

English: When will the flight leave?

French: Quand décollera le vol?

French Airport Phrases You May Hear

Here are some French airport phrases to keep in mind when traveling! You’ll likely be asked at least a few of these and it will make your travel process so much smoother if you recognize some of these.

English	French	Pronunciation
May I see your boarding pass?	Puis-je voir votre carte d’embarquement?	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Puis-je voir votre carte d’embarquement?[/Speechword]
Place your items in the tray.	Placez vos articles dans le bac	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Placez vos articles dans le bac[/Speechword]
Please have your passport and boarding pass ready.	Veuillez préparer votre passeport et votre carte d’embarquement	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Veuillez préparer votre passeport et votre carte d’embarquement[/Speechword]
Please place your bag on the scale.	Veuillez placer votre sac sur la balance	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Veuillez placer votre sac sur la balance[/Speechword]
Please take off your shoes.	Enlevez vos chaussures, s’il vous plait	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Enlevez vos chaussures, s’il vous plait[/Speechword]
Please take your laptop out of your bag.	Veuillez sortir votre ordinateur portable de votre sac	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Veuillez sortir votre ordinateur portable de votre sac[/Speechword]
There has been a gate change.	Il y a eu un changement de porte	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Il y a eu un changement de porte[/Speechword]
This is the final boarding call.	C’est le dernier appel d’embarquement	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]C’est le dernier appel d’embarquement[/Speechword]
Your bag is overweight.	Votre sac est en surpoids	[Speechword voice=”French Female” isinline]Meinemt[/Speechword]

Most Popular Airports In France

Which airport are you flying into or out of in France? These are the top three busiest airports in France. Typically, once you’ve landed, you’ll likely get around the country by train and even travel to other European countries via rail, but if you do choose to fly, you’ll end up at one of these great airports!