airline

American  

[air-lahyn] / ˈɛərˌlaɪn /

noun

• airlines
  plural

1. Aeronautics.

   1. a system furnishing air transport, usually scheduled, between specified points.

   2. the airplanes, airports, etc., of such a system.

   3. Often airlines a company that owns or operates such a system.

2. a direct line; beeline.

3. an airhose used to pipe air to a deep-sea diver, pneumatic drill, etc.

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adjective

1. of or on an airline.

airline British  

/ ˈɛəˌlaɪn /

noun

1. 1. a system or organization that provides scheduled flights for passengers or cargo

   2. ( as modifier )

      an airline pilot

2. a hose or tube carrying air under pressure

3. a beeline

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• airlines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of airline

First recorded in 1910–15; air ¹ + line ¹

Explanation

An airline is a company that owns and operates a fleet of planes. You might pick an airline for your trip to Hawaii based on who sells the least expensive tickets. The airline is the business that maintains airplanes for commercial and business travel. Some people have a strong preference for one airline over another — you may enjoy flying with the airline that provides homemade cookies to its passengers, for example. Baggage handlers, flight attendants, and pilots all work for an airline. The original, 1813 meaning of airline was quite different: "a straight line between two points on the earth's surface."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

airline airlines

SYDNEY—Qantas QAN 4.12%increase; green up pointing triangle Airways warned that the financial hit of elevated fuel prices will extend into its current fiscal year, as Australia’s largest airline reported a 14% drop in annual profit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Despite the rising cost of flying, the airline said "resilient" travel demand would boost revenue in the months ahead as people prioritise travel.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Australia’s largest airline warned that the financial hit of elevated fuel prices will extend into its current fiscal year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The spokesperson apologised for any disruption caused and advised passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Shadow read the list of in-flight music channels available on transatlantic flights, and then he was looking at the map of the world with red lines on it that showed where the airline flew.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

The passenger growth was mostly due to budget airlines, with Ryanair carrying 13% more people.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

While large investors are placing huge bets that airlines will do well, others are betting on the opposite and the instability is making stocks jump around wildly, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The White House also bristles at Amodei's repeated warnings about the dangers of AI -- including the impact on jobs -- and his calls to regulate its deployment like airlines or banks.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Kirby has even floated megadeals with Delta and American Airlines as a way to continue expanding around the world and to better take on foreign airlines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

In the aftermath of the Kennedy crash, the management of Avianca airlines held a postmortem.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell