Airbridge
A retractable, enclosed walkway connecting an airport terminal gate to the door of an aircraft, allowing passengers to board without exposure to the apron environment.
Full Definition
An airbridge (also called a jetway in North American usage, or a passenger boarding bridge/PBB in formal ICAO/IATA terminology) is a moveable corridor that extends from the terminal building to the aircraft door. It provides a weatherproof, secure connection for passenger boarding and disembarkation at contact stands. In editorial work, 'airbridge' is the preferred British English and IATA term, while 'jetway' is a registered trademark of a specific manufacturer and should be avoided in generic usage unless referring specifically to that product. 'Passenger boarding bridge' or 'PBB' is the most neutral and internationally recognised formal term.
Usage
Usage note: 'Jetway' is a proprietary trademark (JBT Corporation) and should not be used generically in regulatory or formal operational documents. Prefer 'airbridge' (British English) or 'passenger boarding bridge' (PBB) in formal texts.
In Context
- "The airbridge was not available due to maintenance, so passengers were bussed to the remote stand." — Passenger Handling Incident Report
- "Ensure that references to 'jetway' in the legacy manual are replaced with 'airbridge' throughout." — Editorial Revision Note