Learn Basic Flight Attendant Lingo With This Handy Glossary

If you’ve ever wondered what flight attendants mean when they say things like “prepare doors for departure” or “cross-check complete”, this glossary explains everything you need to know.

Photo by Oleg Dulin.

Over at BBC, Beth Blair, a former flight attendant, has put together a glossary of terms and phrases that flight attendants use every time they fly. Here are some standout examples:

• “Prepare doors for departure/arrival”: In order for evacuation slides to work in an emergency, flight attendants have to “arm” the doors before takeoff. Then they must be deactivated after landing so a gate agent doesn’t accidentally open an armed door and have a slide pop out.
• “Cross-check” and “cross-check complete”: It means the aircraft and doors have been double-checked by another flight attendant. You might hear, “Doors are armed and cross-check complete.”
• “Equipment”: This is the aircraft. So a phrase like, “Equipment looks good” just means the plane and all it’s components have no issues or mechanical problems. But a phrase like, “We need an equipment swap” means you’ll be switching planes.
• “Spinner”: A passenger who arrived late and doesn’t have a seat assigned, so they stand in the aisle spinning around looking for an open seat. You might hear something like, “We have a spinner mid-cabin.”

Now you’ll know what they’re talking about the next time you take to the skies. And if you tend to be a nervous flyer, having a little more knowledge about what’s going on around you can help ease your anxiety. You can find the complete glossary at the link below.

The Secret Language of Flight Attendants [BBC]