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Lesson Transcript

Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Top Words. My name is Alisha, and today, we're going to talk about 10 Words for the Airport. Let's go.
"Check in"
The first word is "check in." "Check in." So, to check in. This is a verb, a phrasal verb. To check in means to check into your flight, to essentially say, yes, I am here, I'm going to get on the plane. I am checking in. We can use the same expression for hotels, actually, to check in to your hotel, to check in to your flight. So, to check in means to confirm you are going to fly on the plane. In a sentence, "Check in for international flights is two hours before departure.
"Immigration"
The next word is "immigration." "Immigration." So, this is passport check, essentially. When you are traveling internationally, you may need to, well, you do need to show your passport to the immigration staff. So, they are checking the people who are coming and going, in and out of the country. That process, that area of the airport, that area, maybe, of border control as well, is called immigration. We call it immigration. In a sentence, "Make sure your passport is ready when you go to immigration."
"Customs"
The next word is "customs." "Customs" is the next word. So, customs is the part of the airport, or the international travel experience, where the items you have purchased or the items you are bringing into the country, maybe, the amount of cash that you have on you, or it may be any dangerous items or, any kind of like specific items that you need to declare, that you need to announce you are carrying, those things are checked. That's the place in the airport where that sort of thing is covered. So, there's usually a form that you fill out when you enter a country, and it'll say, "Do you need to declare anything?" So, to declare means to announce. There's something you are carrying or something you need to explain to the people who are in the country, to the border staff, the custom staff, in the country you are going to. So, that whole area of the airport, of the travel experience, is called customs. Customs. In a sentence, "Do you have anything to declare with Customs?"
"Departure gate"
The next expression is "departure gate." Departure gate. So, depart means to leave a place. Your departure gate is the gate, the airport gate, from which you leave the airport, your departure gate. The place your plane leaves from in the airport is called your departure gate, your departure gate. All right. In a sentence, "My departure gate is A5."
"Baggage claim"
Okay, next one. The next expression is "baggage claim." Baggage claim. So, "bag," or "baggage," meaning your luggage, your suitcase, and "claim." So, claim means you say that's mine, in other words. To claim something, to retrieve something, to pick up something. Baggage claim. Suitcase pickup is essentially what it means. Baggage claim. So, you might here "baggage claim carousel." So, carousel is that machine that goes around in a circle, and it moves bags and move suitcases. That's a baggage claim carousel in the airport. Baggage claim. In a sentence, "Pick up your luggage at baggage claim carousel number 3."
"Currency exchange"
The next expression is "currency exchange." "Currency exchange." So, currency means type of money. Currency. So, Yen is a currency. Dollar is a currency. Euro is a currency. Type of money and exchange. So, for example, if you need to change Yen to Euro, you do it at a currency exchange location, where you can change your money to a different type of money. So, if the country that you're coming from has different money than the country you're going to, which is likely the case, you may need to change your money at a currency exchange location. So, in a sentence, "I need to stop at a currency exchange desk."
"Boarding pass"
The next expression is "boarding pass." "Boarding pass." Your boarding pass is a piece of paper, or now I suppose we have them digitally on our smartphones. A boarding pass is the documentation, digital or physical, that shows the flight attendants, that shows the staff from the airline that you are allowed to get on the plane, that you have a seat, you are allowed to board the plane. So, boarding means getting on the plane, and pass means permission. So, boarding permission essentially, allowed to get on the plane paperwork is what you could think of this as. So, a boarding pass is very important, of course. In a sentence, "Do you have your boarding pass?"
"Seat assignment"
The next expression is "seat assignment." "Seat assignment." So, "seat," meaning the place where you sit, your chair, your assignment, then, is the place that the airline has chosen for you to sit. The seat the airline has chosen for you is your seat assignment or, maybe, you chose your seat assignment, but that's the place you are supposed to sit on the airplane. In a sentence, "I'd like to change my seat assignment."
"First class/business class"
So, the next expression is "first class" or "business class." So, these refer to a couple different levels of service on an airplane. The basic level of service is called "economy service," or we also call it "coach." "Coach." So, coach or economy is the basic level. After that would be business class, which usually has slightly larger seats, maybe a little bit more delicious food, maybe more drink options, for example. And then, there's first class, which is the highest level of service, and is also the most expensive level service. So, first class, business class and economy class. These are the three levels on an airplane. So, it's typically considered a nice experience to fly business class or first class than somewhere. In a sentence, "Are there any seats available in business class?"
"Layover"
The next word is "layover." Layover. A layover is a period of time between two flights, presumably, at an airport. So, if you are flying, for example, from like, I don't know, from Singapore to London, maybe, maybe you have to transfer at an airport. You fly from like Singapore to, I don't know, Los Angeles, maybe, or like Chicago, maybe, and then you have to wait there for your next flight to London, your connecting flight. That period of time between your two flights is called a layover. So, typically people want to have a short layover, a fairly short layover. So, they have time to transfer to their next flight, or, maybe, they want to take a break from being on a plane. So, a layover, typically a short layover, is good. Typically, long layovers are bad, but you might have a cheap flight, if that's the case. So, a layover is the period of time between two flights. In a sentence, "I have a long layover in Bangkok."
So, those are 10 words for the airport. I hope that was useful for you. Of course, if there are some other words or other phrases that you have heard or that you find useful, please let us know in the comments. Thank you very much for watching this episode of Top Words and I will see you again soon. Bye-bye.
In a sentence, "Pick up your luggage at baggage sell claim." Baggage sell claim. [unintelligible 00:07:26] I'm sorry. You may call it from now on, "Baggage Sell Claim 7." Oh, my god. Pick up your luggage at Baggage Claim Cares. I'm sorry.

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