What Is a Jet Bridge?
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A jet bridge is the enclosed, movable walkway that extends from an airport terminal gate to the door of an aircraft, letting passengers board and deplane directly without going outside onto the tarmac. It is also commonly called a jetway or passenger boarding bridge.
A jet bridge is that connecting tunnel you walk through to board a plane, but there is more to it than meets the eye. Here is what a jet bridge is, how it works, why some flights do not use one, and the various names it goes by.
What is a jet bridge?
A jet bridge is the enclosed, elevated, movable walkway that connects an airport terminal's gate to the door of a parked aircraft, allowing passengers to board and exit the plane directly from the terminal without stepping outside. It bridges the gap between the building and the plane, keeping travelers sheltered from weather and away from the busy aircraft parking area below. Jet bridges are a standard feature at most medium and large airports, attached to the gates along the terminal concourses. When you walk down a slightly sloping corridor from the waiting area straight onto the plane, you are using a jet bridge. It is a piece of ground equipment designed to make boarding safe, weatherproof, and convenient.
How does a jet bridge work?
A jet bridge works as a telescoping, maneuverable tunnel that can extend, retract, raise, lower, and pivot to align precisely with an aircraft's door, since planes vary in size and door height. After a plane parks at the gate, an operator drives or controls the jet bridge to move its cabin end up to the aircraft door, where it docks securely against the fuselage. The bridge is enclosed and often climate-controlled, protecting passengers from rain, cold, and heat as they walk between the terminal and the plane. Once boarding or deplaning is complete, the bridge is pulled back from the aircraft so the plane can push back and depart. This adjustability lets one jet bridge serve many different aircraft types.
Why do some flights not use a jet bridge?
Some flights do not use a jet bridge for a few reasons. Smaller airports and regional facilities may not have jet bridges at every gate, or any at all, so passengers board using mobile airstairs and walk across the apron to the plane, sometimes carried there by a shuttle bus from the terminal. Smaller regional aircraft may be too low or otherwise not suited to a standard jet bridge and use stairs instead. Additionally, some low-cost carriers deliberately avoid jet bridges to save on the fees airports charge for them, having passengers board via stairs on the tarmac to keep costs down. Remote parking stands, where aircraft park away from the terminal, also require bus transfers and stairs rather than a bridge.
What are jet bridges called?
Jet bridges go by several names, which can cause confusion. The term jetway is very commonly used, though it originated as a brand name that became a generic term for these structures. Other names include air bridge, aerobridge, passenger boarding bridge, which is the technical term, jet way, and simply the bridge or gangway in casual use. Different regions and airlines may favor different terms, but they all refer to the same thing, the movable connector between gate and aircraft. So if you hear jetway, air bridge, or passenger boarding bridge, they all mean the jet bridge. Knowing the various names helps you understand announcements and signs at airports around the world, since the equipment and its purpose are the same everywhere.
A jet bridge is the enclosed, movable walkway connecting the airport gate to the aircraft door, letting you board and deplane without going outside. It telescopes and pivots to fit different planes. Some flights instead use stairs and the tarmac, at smaller airports, remote stands, or budget carriers. It is also known as a jetway, air bridge, or passenger boarding bridge.
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