All industry have their internal codes, but airlines and airports go to extremes – with many terms making no sense in actual English. “Nonstop” flights stop once, at their destination; “short-shipped” baggage isn’t shipped at all, but left behind at its point of origin.
These terms look designed to baffle passengers. But knowledge is power …
AAA: the three-letter airport code for Anaa airport in French Polynesia, as awarded by Iata (see below). These codes continue up to and including ZZV – Zanesville Municipal airport in Ohio (ZZZ is applied where there is no official airport code). The theoretical maximum number of codes is 17,576, and you don’t need to be an airport to get one; London Paddington station is QQP, because of its status as one end of the Heathrow Express. Some metropolitan areas are also given codes – LON for London, NYC for New York, TYO for Tokyo … – which makes it easier to search for flights to a particular city. The airports in, for example, Tokyo are Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT).
A/C: aircraft
Ad-hoc charter: hiring an A/C to cover a gap in a fleet – for example, caused by problems with Rolls-Royce Trent engines fitted to Boeing 787s.
Wamos and Hi-Fly are among the long-haul providers of ad-hoc planes. ASL Aviation Holdings has a range of brands. Titan Airways is a well-respected UK provider that operates regular charter flights for a range of tour operators, as well as providing extra capacity for airlines.
See also damp/dry/wet leasing.
Aisle lice: passengers who stand up as soon as the seat-belt light goes off (or sometimes before), and try to push towards the door – even though it is still closed.
AOG: Aircraft On Ground. The A/C is broken and won’t be going anywhere in a hurry.
APD: Air Passenger Duty, the tax of at least £7 payable by anyone aged two or above on a flight from a UK airport. Most passengers pay £13 for domestic and European flights in economy class.
Long-haul flights in economy covering between 2,001 and 5,500 miles cost £88 in APD, with £92 for 5,501 and over. These will increase by £2 in April 2025.
At the same time the long-haul rate for passengers in anything other than economy class rises from £194 to £216; and the ultra-long-haul rate from £202 to £224.
Arrival time: according to the EU, the time at which the flight reaches the…
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