7 Non-English Phrases Flight Attendants Like To Know

Always useful!


Photo: British Airways

Flight attendants working for international airlines are always on the go; they might visit five different countries in one month. Of course, they all have their favorite destinations and often become regular visitors. It's always helpful to have a few words in another language on hand for visiting a country and especially during the flight.

1 Greetings

Flight attendants are quite formal and like to greet their guests accordingly. So knowing 'good morning,' 'good day,' and 'good evening' in the local language is useful for politeness. Even a 'hello' shows goodwill. A 'Bonjour' in Paris or 'Marhaba' in Dubai will be appreciated by most.

2 Essentials

A 'please' and a 'thank you' are very important to cabin crew and really makes our day. We also like to know the phrases in other languages so we can be respectful to others. A 'Spaciba' in Moscow or 'Parakalo' in Athens is nice to know. Of course, 'yes' and 'no' can be very helpful, not only when visiting, but also on the aircraft when assisting passengers.

3 Goodbyes

When disembarking the passengers, we like to use the local language for returning passengers where possible. At the end of a long flight, a 'Sayonara' in Tokyo or 'Auf Wiedersehen' in Munich will be much appreciated and can be used down-route too.

4 Chicken or beef

A good one to know onboard the aircraft when trying to explain the meal selection for the flight. Of course, chicken and beef are the most popular options. Usually, one person on each flight needs help understanding, so it can be useful. However, if all else fails, we can ask another passenger to translate or resort to making animal noises or actions. Some passengers enjoy the humor.

5 Vegetarian

Again for the meal service, it's a useful term to know as many passengers may not be able to eat meat but fail to order special meals. Sometimes airlines use green foil on vegetarian meals, which might suggest that it does not include meat. Meals containing red meat sometimes have red foil. Also, there may be a sticker with a code saying 'VLML,' which would be a vegetarian meal and 'VGML' or VVML' for vegan meals.

6 Beverages

On a layover, crew often like to meet up for drinks and a meal at some point. Most crew would be happy for a 'cafe con leche' in Barcelona. In the evening in Vienna, 'das bier' might be appropriate, or in Lisbon, 'um vinho.'

7 The bill

It doesn't matter where you are in the world with which crew, but the universal 'signature sign' is well known everywhere. Just do an imaginary signature in the air, and the waiter will know you would like the bill.

8 How to?

Anyone can learn a few words of a language other than their own. It shows a bit of effort and respect. Most international flights have 'language of destination speakers' as part of the crew onboard. They can be a mine of information about valuable words and phrases and cultural etiquette, which crew can practice on their layover.