Open Access

Adina-Lucia Nistor

• The present study aims at analyzing the names of international airlines from the point of view of their origin, being based on both Hengi’s list (2012), which consists of 340 names, and the Wikipedia.de list, which is made up of 833 proper names. The names of airlines could be considered nominal groups, consisting of an appellative nucleus, which describes the activity, and onomastic determiners, which particularize the activity of the company. The particularizing function of the names of international airlines does not consist in the meaning of the name, but in its noteworthiness, in the types of associations it triggers in the mind of the perceiver. Thusly, depending on the origin of names of international airlines, four types of constructions can be distinguished: 1. Airlines named after the people or the companies which own them (Antonov Airlines, NIKI Luftfahrt, Widerøe, TUIfly), 2. Airlines that have toponyms included in their names (Air France, Carpatair, Air Caraibes, Alaska Airlines, Air Pacific), 3. Symbol – names (Lion Air, Blue Air, Edelweiß Air, Pegasus Airlines, Silkair, Mandarin Airlines), 4. Conceptual names (ANA, Luxair, IndiGo, W!ZZ, Hello, WOWair). By suggesting either positive or at least neutral traits through their names, such as seriousness, trust, transparency, safety, expressiveness, creativity, attractiveness, originality, modernity, internationality, airlines manage to faultlessly accomplish their marketing and advertising functions.