Definition

Noun: 1. A designated route followed by airplanes in flying from one airport to another: A skyway is an established, often high-altitude, path in the airspace that aircraft follow for navigation and safety during a flight between airports. It is part of the structured air traffic control system. 2. An elevated, enclosed pedestrian walkway connecting buildings: In an urban context, a skyway can also refer to a bridge-like structure, typically enclosed and climate-controlled, that allows people to walk between buildings without going to street level.

Usage Examples

• As a designated air route:
  • The pilot adjusted course to join the designated skyway for transatlantic flights.
  • Air traffic control cleared the aircraft to enter the northern skyway.
• As an elevated pedestrian walkway:
  • We used the downtown skyway system to get from the hotel to the convention center without going outside in the rain.
  • The new office tower will be connected to the mall via a glass-enclosed skyway.

Advanced Usage

• "The skyway system": Often used to describe a network of interconnected elevated walkways in a city center.
  • Minneapolis has an extensive skyway system spanning dozens of city blocks.
• In logistics and planning: The term can be used metaphorically to describe a major, efficient route for transport.
  • The company established a digital skyway for data transfer between its global hubs.

Variants and Related Words

• Airway (n): A more common synonym for the aeronautical route; a designated path in the air.
• Flyway (n): A route regularly used by migrating birds, sometimes used poetically or informally for aircraft routes.
• Walkway (n): A general term for a path or passage for walking, which can be at ground level or elevated.

Synonyms

• Air corridor: A specified path of airspace for aircraft.
• Flight path: The line along which an aircraft flies.
• Pedestrian bridge: A structure for walking over a road or other obstacle (for the urban meaning).

Related Phrases

• Skyway robbery: A playful, informal idiom (a pun on "highway robbery") referring to exorbitant prices, especially for in-flight purchases or airline tickets.
  • Ten dollars for a bag of peanuts? That's skyway robbery!

Noun

1. a designated route followed by airplanes in flying from one airport to another