✈️ On the Plane
It's Wob's first flight, and he can't find the "ay-zul seat". Then he finds the overhead locker, and climbs in himself.
The rule
aislesay: /aɪl/
= the walkway between the rows of seats. It sounds like "I'll": the S is silent!
- ✅ Excuse me, can I get past? I need the aisle.
aisle seat
= the seat next to the walkway
- ✅ I'd like an aisle seat, please.
window seat
= the seat next to the window
- ✅ I always book a window seat.
overhead locker
= the cupboard above the seats, for your bags
- ✅ Put your bag in the overhead locker before take-off.
The mix-up
- ❌ Where's the ay-zul seat?
- ✅ Where's the aisle seat? (sounds like "I'll seat")
Good to know
- Aisle, window seat and aisle seat are the same in British and American English.
- Aisle isn't only on planes: supermarkets, cinemas and churches have aisles too.
Quick quiz
1How do you say "aisle"?
Answer: like "I'll". The S is silent: aisle sounds like I'll.
2The seat next to the walkway is the...
Answer: aisle seat. The aisle is the walkway, so it's the aisle seat.
3Where does your carry-on bag go?
Answer: in the overhead locker. Bags go in the overhead locker (jelly blobs don't!).
Checked in
- Oxford Learner's Dictionaries: aisle, locker (sense 2: "a cupboard on a plane or ship for putting bags")