#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
boarding pass	une carte d’embarquement
business class	classe affaire
economy (coach) class	la classe économique
first class	la première classe
middle seat	Siège du milieu
one-way ticket	un billet simple
one-way ticket	un billet simple
passport	un passeport
plane ticket	le billet d’avion
plane ticket	un billet d’avion
round trip ticket	un billet aller-retour
round trip ticket	un billet aller-retour
to buy a ticket	acheter un billet
to make a reservation	faire une réservation
visa	un visa
window seat	siège côté fenêtre

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
baggage claim	la livraison des bagages
carry-on luggage	les bagages à main
cart	un chariot
checked luggage	les bagages enregistrés/ les bagages en soute	/
hand luggage	bagage à main
Luggage	bagages

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

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

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
business class	classe affaire
economy class/ coach	la classe économique
flight stewardess	une hôtesse de l’air
middle seat	Siège du milieu
passenger	un passager
pilot	le pilote
row	ligne
steward	un steward
window seat	siège côté fenêtre/siège du côté hublot

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
airplane wings	Ailes d’avion
cockpit	Poste de pilotage
engine	Moteur
jet fuel	Carburéacteur
landing gear	Train d’atterrissage
nose of plane	Nez d’avion

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

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!