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

I use the airline credit for bag and seat fees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

"But if you've booked everything separately, you'll need to deal with each provider independently. Your airline may refund your flight, but your accommodation provider may not if the property is unaffected."

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The airline said: "Please do not arrive earlier, as you will not be able to drop off your bags or enter the departure lounge until bag drop opens."

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

But most U.S. consumer spending goes to services—everything from housing and medical care to entertainment and airline tickets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

O’Hare had a little notebook with him, and printed in the back of it were postal rates and airline distances and the altitudes of famous mountains and other key facts about the world.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

Heathrow Airport will be allowed to charge airlines more for its services to recover money spent on the early stages of its third runway project.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Boeing, by contrast, believes that airlines are looking for an improved narrow-body 737 MAX rather than a new aircraft.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Find insight on European airlines, Indian auto parts makers and more in the latest Market Talks covering the auto and transport sector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

People's desire to travel seems limitless, with airlines able to sell more flights to more destinations.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell