A Better Word for “Deplaning”?

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

My name is Rebecca and I’m from Concord, North Carolina, and I’m calling about the word deplane.

You’re calling about the word deplane? Are you a flight attendant?

Exactly. And I’ve been using this word and it just creates friction in my ears when I say it because it just doesn’t seem as polished as some of the other words that we use on the plane.

And we end up using it as a catch-all for the process of exiting the aircraft. But it just seems so strange because the word deplane itself does not actually denote what we’re doing.

We’re not disembarking, we’re deplaning. It’s a strange combination of usages.

So deplane doesn’t equal disembark?

Well, I think it would, but is it in the same way that deforest? You know, when you deforest, you rid of the forest. When you deplane, you don’t rid of the plane.

Well, you kind of do, don’t you? Toss the plane away.

Rebecca, when you’re talking to the crew or to your passengers, how do you use the word deplane?

We’d say as soon as everyone deplanes, we’ll grab a cup of coffee.

Okay, so you’re talking to your colleagues then?

We would. It’s amongst ourselves. And we do use this word with the public, but with so many languages coming on board and so many backgrounds, we just use this word to encompass that process.

And it just doesn’t seem to be the most beautiful word that we could choose, but it is effective. It is efficient. It just doesn’t seem very polished.

Effective and efficient.

Yeah, I think you’ve keyed in on probably why that gets used.

So you talk about deplaning with the passengers. You say as soon as we deplane, you can do this or that.

Exactly. So it’s something like, you know, if there’s weather and all of a sudden we’re not going anywhere, well, everyone grab your belongings, we’ll deplane, and we’ll figure out another solution.

And just that process of gathering and exiting for the word deplane, but it almost sounds as if it needs to be hyphenated or used with air quotes because it just doesn’t seem like the right word for such an industry.

I know in the U.K. they use the word deboard, which is the opposite of board.

Yeah, Rebecca, that’s so interesting that you mention that because I’m thinking, well, what would the opposite of deplane mean? I mean, it’s not like you plane. You know, it’s not like you get on board the aircraft by planing or you don’t M-plane.

So where did D-plane come from?

But you do board an aircraft.

Well, you do, actually. You do.

And actually, we have some evidence that D-plane may actually come from the idea of D-training, which to get off a train. And D-train itself probably comes from D-bark.

And D-bark means to get off a boat because bark originally meant boat. And that’s what disembark means, to get yourself off of a boat.

Of course. And particularly in the military, you will find things like de-train, de-truck, de-boat, de-bike, and de-bus.

So, you know, adding that D-E to the front of the word, you know, is obviously the simpler choice. But is it, you know, the most perfect option?

Well, it does the job, maybe inelegantly, but it certainly gets right to the point and communicates the meaning. So in that regard, it does it.

And things like unplane and off plane just really don’t sound any better, do they?

No. Again, it’s that, you know, just get it out and get the point across to get them off the plane and keep going.

So it is just for efficiency, but it definitely misses that beautiful, glamorous, you know, image that you think of when one travels.

But Rebecca, that must be so weird then if you really have a thing about this word, if you’re really irritated by this word, but you have to say it again and again and again every day.

We smile through it, just like so many of my colleagues. We say that word and I just can’t help but roll my eyes a little bit and say I’m part of the problem.

I’m part of this ugly word that’s floating around and I just don’t have anything better to use. So maybe I will start using my disembark.

Or Rebecca, you could just say the word deplane and roll your eyes and think of Grant and me and thinking about language and that kind of thing.

Well, it definitely all comes to a point on an aircraft with, you know, 20 different languages, 20 different regional dialects.

Wow. And one announcement. So it definitely is fun up in the air listening to all the different words and languages and ideas that all culminate on one flight.

That sounds amazing.

Well, Rebecca, fly safely, all right?

Oh, we appreciate it. And take care of yourself.

Thanks for taking my call.

Thanks, Rebecca.

Bye-bye.

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