An air/ground communications system used to collect data about the aircraft's technical parameters for analysis.

Association of European Airlines. The prime objective of this association, which brings together some thirty airlines is to collect, analyse and interpret information required by members in carrying out their tasks.

Control surfaces situated on the trailing (back) edge of the wings and are used to make the aircraft roll. They allow the aircraft to turn.

Means the mechanical structure of an aircraft, including the fuselage, wings, stabilizer and flight controls.

The airport ramp or apron is usually the area where aircraft are parked, loaded or unloaded, refueled or boarded.

The French General Directorate of Civil Aviation in France issues the airworthiness certificate to an aircraft meeting the airworthiness requirements. Having limited validity, this certificate is renewed after each control.

Agreement between airlines to cooperate on commercial, operational and technical aspects of their activity, including cross-participation in capital. SkyTeam brings together 11 member airlines: Air France, Aéroflot, Aeromexico, Alitalia, China Southern Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Continental, Delta, Korean, KLM and Northwest.

With this capability, pilots can control automatically the aircraft's landing, even in conditions of poor visibility.  In 1969, the crew onboard an Air Inter Caravelle were the first to land using this system at Lyon airport.

Often housed in the tail section of the aircraft, the APU is like a small engine. It is mainly used on the ground to supply electrical and pneumatic energy the aircraft needs to power its vital circuits when its main engines are shut down on the ground. If necessary, it can also be used in flight.

Available seat kilometres (ASK) measures an airline’s passenger carrying capacity. It is the seating capacity multiplied by the number of kilometres flown. It is used to compare one airline’s capacity with another.

Organization in charge of regulating aircraft flight movements in accordance with air traffic control clearances.

AEA (Association of European Airlines) figures giving the number of pieces of baggage missing at the final destination (in other words that fail to arrive at the same time as their owner yet arrive later) for every 1,000 passengers boarding throughout the airline’s network.

Baggage ticket or tag attached to the passenger's baggage at the time of check-in, used by airlines to route baggage to the passenger's final destination. Air France is developing the "intelligent" baggage tag using RFID technology, allowing to permanently track baggage.

This Official French Body in charge of carrying out technical enquiries into civil aviation accidents and incidents reports to the Ministry of Transport, Equipment, Tourism and Maritime Affairs.

Black box is an electronic device used to record data on the flight and cockpit conversations, which is subsequently analyzed to determine the causes of an incident or accident.

Pass issued to the passenger at check-in. This document indicates the date, flight time, seat number and passenger's check-in number.

One single item of hand baggage is authorized in the cabin. Overall dimensions (height x width x length) shall not exceed 115 cm. The airline has the right to request passengers with larger items check their baggage in the hold.

Airline catering which includes composing the meals, preparing them and making up the meal trays served to passengers on board the aircraft.

The Air France network is divided into six different geographic sectors: France, Europe, Africa & Middle East, Americas, Asia and Caribbean & Indian Ocean.

Desk where the customer is greeted by an agent, who prints out his boarding pass and checks in any baggage. On the majority of routes, Air France also offers customers the freedom to check in online in the comfort of their homes, by logging on to the local website.

Supervises the cabin crew on board wide-bodies. He or she is generally assisted by pursers.

Corresponds to a certain quality of services offered to the customer. This level of quality corresponds to a cabin class. Air France offers different classes of travel: Espace Première, Espace Affaires, Tempo Challenge, Tempo or Alizé.

An agency of the European Union in charge of implementing specific executive tasks in the field of aviation security. The agency also assists the European Commission with specific regulatory tasks.

Represents the European civil aviation regulatory authorities of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).

All the travel information concerning one or more passengers which, instead of being printed, is stored in an airline's computer database, once the booking and payment have been made. An electronic ticket replaces a traditional paper ticket.

The European Single Sky is a number of measures aiming to meet the future requirements of aviation safety and capacity. These measures applicable to both the civil and military sector concern regulations, economy, safety, environment, technology and institution-related issues. The goal is to change the future structure of air traffic control, which hasn't evolved since the 1960s, and which is the cause of most of considerable air traffic congestion at the current time.

The airport circuit followed by the crew before and after a rotation, i.e. after a series of legs (at least two) flown by a crew.

Aircraft designed to exclusively carry cargo. Cargo can also be transported in the hold of passenger planes.

Baggage carried in the aircraft hold, at the airline's responsibility. Hold baggage is checked and labelled. Air France is developing the "intelligent" baggage tag using RFID technology allowing to track the bag's movements.

International coding system defined by the IATA association, comprising a 3-letter code.

The fiscal calendar year adopted by many airlines, including Air France, which begins on 1 April and ends on 31 March of the following year, allowing carriers to monitor operations more easily on the basis of IATA "defined seasons" (winter and summer).

A computer that tells the aircraft where it is in relation to the Earth's surface in three dimensions, with no external radio or satellite assistance.

An agreement under which a property owner allows an operating carrier to use a means of transport during a specified period. There are two main types of lease: dry lease and wet lease.

Checked baggage is considered lost after a period of 21 days. It is extremely rare for baggage to be permanently lost.

A flight operated without any intermediate stopovers.

Costs arising from normal operating conditions in a company.

Paris-CDG base for some 18,000 Air France cabin crew members. The CDG flight crew centre also accommodates ground staff in charge of operational logistics and operations follow-up.

Supervises the cabin crew (flight attendants) on a flight.

An automatic identification system whereby information stored on tags can be transmitted by radio frequency at distance. These tags are particularly useful in sorting and tracking baggage.

The Schengen agreements, included in the Treaty of Amsterdam,  allow for the free circulation of population within a designated zone stretching over the 24 countries of the 27 countries in the European Union and four other non-EU countries that have fully implemented the agreements (Island, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein).

Quota of seats allocated for a specific flight by an airline to a travel agent or other carrier.

Fees levied on tickets to provide added security.

Kiosks installed in airport departure halls, allowing passengers to independently check in and print out their boarding passes, eliminating the need to go to the check-in desk.

Period when flight crews remain on call for the airline in the event of unforeseen incidents, sick leave or absenteeism.

In charge of supervising operating teams and monitoring activities at the airport, such as passengers, ticketing, information desks or operations.

Defined by IATA as the 7-month period running from the last Saturday in March to the last Saturday  in October.

Used by aircraft and connects from the ramp to the runway or to other airport facilities such as hangars.

A tour of duty comprises a series of flight legs (usually 2) flown by a flight crew. In Air France, long-haul tours of duty usually last for 3 days, while on medium-haul they last from 1 to 4 days.

The travel agent takes bookings on behalf of tour operators or airlines. They receive  "fees" for the services they provide or, more rarely, a commission from the airlines.

AIR FRANCE KLM turnover corresponds to all revenue generated by the AIR FRANCE KLM Group in its three core activities (passenger, cargo, maintenance) and related activities.

Aircraft equipped with two engines. There are also single-engined, triple-engined and four-engined aircraft.

Children aged between 4 and 12 years old may travel alone. Airlines take charge of the children during the flight. Air France provides this service free of charge

Preferred usage for giving times rather than GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Time zones around the world are described in UTC.

A set of aviation regulations that define the minimum weather conditions needed to fly an aircraft.

Term used in aviation to define conditions whereby pilots have sufficient visibility (refers to certain visibility minimums, cloud ceilings and clearances) to fly the aircraft according to VFR (visual flight rules), which may vary depending on the airspace.

A wet lease is a leasing arrangement whereby one airline (lessor) provides an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance, and insurance.

Defined by IATA as the 5-month period running from the first Sunday after the last Saturday in October to the Friday preceding the last Saturday in March.