die  Fluglinie

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈfluːkˌliːni̯ə/

✈️ What does "die Fluglinie" mean?

The word die Fluglinie primarily refers to a company that operates commercial air traffic, meaning it transports passengers or cargo on specific routes. It's a synonym for Fluggesellschaft or airline.

Sometimes, Fluglinie can also refer to a specific flight route that is regularly served, but this usage is less common than the meaning "airline company".

• Main meaning: Airline, airline company (Fluggesellschaft)
• Secondary meaning (less common): Flight route (Flugstrecke, Flugroute)

🚨 There's no risk of confusion due to different articles, as Fluglinie is always feminine (die).

Article rules for der, die, and das

📖 Grammar in Detail: die Fluglinie

Fluglinie is a feminine noun. The article is always die.

Declension:

Example Sentences

1. Welche Fluglinie fliegt direkt nach Lissabon?
   (Which airline flies directly to Lisbon?)
2. Die Angebote der Fluglinie waren sehr verlockend.
   (The airline's offers were very tempting.)
3. Ich habe der Fluglinie eine E-Mail geschrieben.
   (I wrote an email to the airline.)
4. Wir buchten die Fluglinie mit den besten Bewertungen.
   (We booked the airline with the best reviews.)
5. Viele Fluglinien mussten während der Pandemie Flüge streichen.
   (Many airlines had to cancel flights during the pandemic.)

🌍 How to use "die Fluglinie"?

Die Fluglinie is mainly used in the context of travel, aviation, and business. It's a common word to talk about airlines.

• Context: Planning trips, booking flight tickets, talking about airlines, news about the aviation industry.
• Typical combinations:
  • Billigfluglinie: A low-cost carrier (e.g., Ryanair, EasyJet).
  • Linienfluglinie / Netzwerk-Carrier: A traditional airline with scheduled flights and often connecting services (e.g., Lufthansa, British Airways).
  • Charterfluglinie: An airline operating flights on behalf of tour operators.
  • Nationale Fluglinie: A country's main airline (often a "flag carrier").
• Comparison: While Fluggesellschaft and Airline are very common synonyms, Fluglinie can sometimes more specifically mean the route, although this is rarer. In everyday language, however, the terms are mostly interchangeable when referring to the company.

🧠 Mnemonics for "die Fluglinie"

Article Mnemonic (die): Think of "the line" the airplane draws in the sky. Many words ending in "-linie" (line) are feminine in German (die Bahnlinie - railway line, die Grenzlinie - border line), so it's die Fluglinie.

Meaning Mnemonic (Airline): A Fluglinie (flight line) follows a specific route (a line) and is operated by a company. Imagine airplanes strung together like beads on a necklace (a line), all belonging to one company.

🔄 Synonyms and Antonyms

😄 A Little Joke

Fragt der Passagier die Stewardess: "Entschuldigen Sie, fliegt diese Fluglinie immer so unruhig?"
Antwortet die Stewardess: "Nein, nur bei schlechtem Wetter oder wenn der Pilot versucht, die Kaffeetasse auf dem Armaturenbrett zu balancieren!"

Translation:
The passenger asks the stewardess: "Excuse me, does this airline always fly so turbulently?"
The stewardess replies: "No, only in bad weather or when the pilot tries to balance his coffee cup on the dashboard!"

✍️ Poem about an Airline

Die Fluglinie, hoch und weit,
Verbindet Länder, überbrückt die Zeit.
Mit Flügeln aus Metall so blank,
Bringt sie uns sicher, Gott sei Dank!
Ob Sonne, Wolken, Windgebraus,
Sie fliegt hinaus, sie fliegt hinaus.
Ein Netzwerk über Land und Meer,
Die Reise leicht, was will man mehr?

Translation:
The airline, high and wide,
Connects countries, bridges time.
With wings of metal, shiny bright,
It brings us safely, thank God's might!
Through sun, or clouds, or windy roar,
It flies out, it flies out more.
A network over land and sea,
The journey's easy, wild and free.

❓ Riddle

Ich habe Flügel, doch bin kein Vogel allein,
Ich folge Routen, fein und rein.
Ich bin ein Geschäft, trage Menschen fort,
Von einem zum anderen Ort.
Mein Name klingt nach einer Spur,
Wer bin ich? Sag es mir nur!

Translation:
I have wings, but am not just a bird,
I follow routes, every single word (of the plan).
I am a business, carrying people away,
From one place to another, come what may.
My name sounds like a track or trace,
Who am I? Tell me my place!

Solution: Die Fluglinie (The Airline)

✨ More Information

Word Composition:

The word Fluglinie is a compound noun, composed of:

• Flug: Related to flying or aviation.
• Linie: Originally meaning line or route, used here figuratively for the company serving these lines.

Trivia:

• The world's first airline was DELAG (Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft), founded in 1909, which offered Zeppelin flights.
• IATA (International Air Transport Association) is the trade association for most of the world's international airlines.