air-hostess

The air-hostess offers a passenger a drink from a beverage cart.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A woman employed to attend to the needs of passengers on an aircraft. The term "air-hostess" specifically refers to a female flight attendant responsible for passenger comfort and safety during flights.

Usage Examples

• (A female flight attendant showing passengers how to use life vests and oxygen masks.)
• (A woman employed as a flight attendant on passenger planes.)

Advanced Usage

• "air-hostess" is often considered a dated or gender-specific term; the more modern and gender-neutral term is "flight attendant."
  • The airline now refers to all cabin crew as flight attendants instead of air-hostesses. (A shift in terminology to be inclusive.)
• "air-hostess" can be used in historical contexts or in descriptions of older aviation practices.
  • In the 1960s, the role of an air-hostess was highly glamorized in popular culture. (A reference to a specific era in aviation history.)

Variants and Related Words

• Air hostess (n, alternative spelling): Same meaning, sometimes written without a hyphen.
  • She applied for a job as an air hostess with the national airline. (A female flight attendant.)
• Flight attendant (n): A gender-neutral term for cabin crew members.
  • The flight attendant served drinks during the long flight. (A cabin crew member of any gender.)
• Stewardess (n): An older term for a female flight attendant, similar to "air-hostess."
  • The stewardess helped the elderly passenger find her seat. (A female cabin crew member.)

Synonyms

• Cabin crew member: A person who works in the passenger cabin of an aircraft.
• Flight attendant: The modern, preferred term for a person who serves passengers on a plane.

Related Idioms

• "to play the air-hostess": (informal, rare) To act in a helpful or overly attentive manner, like a flight attendant.
  • She was always playing the air-hostess, offering everyone snacks and pillows. (Acting in a caring, service-oriented way.)