Airline facts for kids

An airline is a company that helps people and things travel by air. They use special airplanes called airliners. Some airlines might have just one airplane, while others have a huge fleet of hundreds! Most airlines offer regular flights, connecting many different airports around the world.

What Do Airlines Do?

Airlines are all about moving things from one place to another using airplanes. They mostly carry:

• Passengers: This is what most people think of. Airlines fly people for holidays, business trips, or to visit family.
• Cargo: Airlines also transport goods, mail, and packages. This can include anything from fresh flowers to important medical supplies.

Airlines have set schedules and routes. This means they fly between specific airports at certain times, making it easy for people to plan their journeys.

How Airlines Work

When you fly with an airline, many things happen behind the scenes to make your trip possible:

• Booking a Flight: You choose where and when you want to fly. You buy a ticket, which is your agreement with the airline.
• Routes and Hubs: Airlines plan their routes carefully. Many use a "hub-and-spoke" system. A "hub" is a big airport where many flights connect. "Spokes" are the routes from the hub to smaller airports.
• The Crew: Every flight needs a team!
  • Pilots fly the plane.
  • Flight attendants help passengers and make sure everyone is safe and comfortable.
  • Ground crew work at the airport, handling luggage, fueling planes, and guiding aircraft.
• Maintenance: Airplanes need regular checks and repairs to stay safe. Airlines have teams of engineers and mechanics who do this important work.

Types of Airlines

Not all airlines are the same! Here are a few types you might hear about:

• Full-Service Airlines: These are often larger airlines that offer many services. This can include meals, entertainment, and checked baggage, all included in your ticket price. Examples might be British Airways or KLM.
• Low-Cost Airlines: These airlines focus on offering cheaper tickets. They often charge extra for things like choosing your seat, checked bags, or food on the plane. This helps keep the basic ticket price low.
• Cargo Airlines: Some airlines specialize only in carrying goods, not people. They use large cargo planes to move items around the world quickly.

A Brief History of Airlines

Air travel has changed a lot over the years!

• Early Days: The first airlines started over 100 years ago, soon after the invention of the airplane. In the beginning, flying was mostly for mail or very wealthy people.
• Growing Popularity: After World War II, airplanes became safer and more common. More people started flying for holidays and business.
• Jet Age: The introduction of jet engines in the 1950s made planes much faster and able to fly longer distances. This truly changed air travel.
• Modern Travel: Today, millions of people fly every day. Airlines connect almost every major city in the world, making global travel much easier and faster than ever before.

Related pages

• Air travel
• List of airlines

Images for kids

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  1930s German poster advertising a weekly airmail service from Deutsche Lufthansa, Syndicato Condor and Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei

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  A 1919 advertisement for the Dutch airline KLM, founded on 7 October 1919, the oldest running airline still operating under its original name

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  The Handley Page W.8b was used by Handley Page Transport, an early British airline established in 1919.

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  Junkers F.13 D-190 of Junkers Luftverkehr

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  The Imperial Airways Empire Terminal, Victoria, London. Trains ran from here to flying boats in Southampton, and to Croydon Airport.

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  TWA Douglas DC-3 in 1940. The DC-3, often regarded as one of the most influential aircraft in the history of commercial aviation, revolutionized air travel.

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  Boeing 377 of American Export Airlines, the first airline to offer landplane flights across the North Atlantic in October 1945.

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  Pan Am Boeing 747 Clipper Neptune's Car in 1985. The deregulation of the American airline industry increased the financial troubles of the airline which ultimately filed for bankruptcy in December 1991.

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  1935 Timetable of Tata Airlines, founded in 1932

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  Latam Airlines is the largest airline in Latin America in terms of number of annual passengers flown.

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  Union Jack tails of British Airways, UK's flag carrier

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  International Civil Aviation Organization headquarters in Montreal

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  An Airbus A340-600 of Virgin Atlantic. In October 2008, Virgin Atlantic offered to combine its operations with BMI in an effort to reduce operating costs.

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  Diagram of an airline Global Distribution System

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  The 'Golden Lounge' of Malaysia Airlines at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

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  MODIS tracking of contrails generated by air traffic over the southeastern United States on 29 January 2004.

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  The aircrew of a Jetstar Airways Boeing 787

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  Map of scheduled airline traffic in 2009

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  Aircraft of various airlines parked side by side at Tokyo Narita Airport, Japan

See also

In Spanish: Aerolínea para niños