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Boarding, Connections & Delays — The Phrases You Need

10 min
A2

Free

At check-in

"I'd like to check in for the 14:30 to London, please."
Je voudrais m'enregistrer pour le vol de 14h30 vers Londres.
→ Time + destination. They'll ask for your passport and booking reference.
"Could I get an aisle seat, please?" / "A window seat if possible."
Pourrais-je avoir un siège côté couloir / côté hublot ?
Ask early — seats fill up. "Aisle" is pronounced "isle" (silent a).

At the gate

"Excuse me, has boarding started for flight BA247?"
Pardon, l'embarquement a-t-il commencé pour le vol BA247 ?
"Is this the right gate for the London flight?"
C'est bien la porte d'embarquement pour Londres ?
Gates change. Always confirm before sitting down.

Connections

"I have a connecting flight to Berlin. Where do I go?"
J'ai une correspondance pour Berlin. Où dois-je aller ?
"Connecting flight" not "correspondence" — that's a French false friend.
"My first flight was delayed. Will I make my connection?"
Mon premier vol a été retardé. Est-ce que j'aurai ma correspondance ?

Delays & cancellations

"How long is the delay expected to last?"
Combien de temps le retard devrait-il durer ?
"Is there an alternative flight I could be rebooked on?"
Y a-t-il un vol alternatif sur lequel je pourrais être reprogrammé ?
"Rebooked" — key word. Don't say "changed to another flight."

Common mistakes

"I have a correspondence to Berlin" — false friend. Say "connecting flight" or "connection." Also: "The flight has retard" — say "The flight is delayed." And the word "aisle" is pronounced like "isle" — the "a" is completely silent.