PASSENGER INFORMATION

Information on passengers is usually included. The word ‘passengers’ is often abbreviated to ‘PAX’. A ‘full house’ means that the seats are all occupied. The total number of fare paying passengers is given, followed by the number of non-fare paying infants and babies (or ‘YPs’-young persons) - e.g. ‘two three five plus two on board.’ Infants are also sometimes described as ‘tenth’, e.g. ‘two tenth’ or even in decimals! - e.g. ‘two three five point two pax.’

Crew information is occasionally given, with the number of person on the flight deck followed by the number in the cabin, e.g. ‘Crew two plus four, Captain Johnson.’

Unaccompanied children (or minors), often referred to as U-Ms, are mentioned to alert the airport personnel that special care will be needed. Similarly, elderly people often require special considerations.

Wheelchairs are provided at many airports for persons who may find difficulty in managing the walk from the aircraft to the terminal. Some people, of course, need a wheelchair permanently and usually it will be carried in the hold of the aircraft.

Requests for wheelchairs are commonplace with a distinction between passengers who are unable to walk off the aircraft (‘lift-off wheelchairs’) and those who can (‘walk-off wheel-chairs’).

Passengers who may need assistance on arrival are referred to as ‘Meet and Assist’ - e. g. ‘we have two meet and assists both Russian speaking only.’