inbound and outbound flight

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   A flight arriving at a place (inbound) together with a flight leaving it (outbound), usually discussed as a pair.

   Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it can be singular or plural, and 'flights' is common when talking about schedules.

   Patterns

   • inbound and outbound flights
   • check inbound and outbound flights
   • compare inbound and outbound flight times

   The airline canceled all inbound and outbound flights because of the storm.

   Passengers should check inbound and outbound flight information before leaving for the airport.

   Our tour price covers both the inbound and outbound flight.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   The two directions of air travel considered separately, with inbound meaning toward a country or city and outbound meaning away from it.

   Grammar: Often split: 'the inbound flight' and 'the outbound flight' are named separately.

   Patterns

   • the inbound flight
   • the outbound flight
   • an inbound flight to somewhere
   • an outbound flight from somewhere

   Her inbound flight lands at noon, but her outbound flight is not until Friday.

   Customs checks every outbound flight as well as each inbound flight.

Common combinations

inbound and outbound traffic

The airport handles both inbound and outbound traffic on the same runway.

inbound flight schedule

The inbound flight schedule changes every winter.

outbound flight from London

He booked an outbound flight from London to Rome.

inbound flight to Chicago

The inbound flight to Chicago was delayed by fog.

Synonyms and how they differ

arrival and departure flight

This is the more technical airport wording; 'inbound and outbound' is the everyday way to say the same thing.

Word family

inbound adjective

traveling toward a place, as in an inbound train

outbound adjective

traveling away from a place, as in an outbound ship

Commonly confused: inbound and outbound flight or inboard?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “inbound and outbound flight”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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