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merriam-webster.com:
(1a) Make certain of your flight times before you leave for the airport.

Why is "your flight times" in plural?
Using "times" seems odd to me here.
What context can (1a) have in terms of the plural "times"?
Why not "your flight time"?

my variant:
(1b) Make certain of your flight time before you leave for the airport.
What's the difference between (1a) and (1b)?

The same question about a similar sentence but where "flight" is in the possessive case:

britannica.com:
(2a) He called to give me his flights' departure/arrival times.

Why is "his flights' departure/arrival times" in plural?
Using "times" seems odd to me here.
What context can (2a) have in terms of the plural "times"?
Why not "his flight's departure/arrival time"?

my variant:
(2b) He called to give me his flight's departure/arrival time.
What's the difference between (2a) and (2b)?

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  • 3
    It could be a trip with several stopovers i.e. several legs of the trip. If you fly from the Middle East to California, you might stop in London, then NY and then get the plane to California. Commented Apr 16 at 16:19
  • He called to give me the departure/arrival times of his flights. Same idea as above. Commented Apr 16 at 16:22
  • 4
    One might want to check both the departure and arrival times. Or the flight might be an indirect flight with multiple departure times. Commented Apr 16 at 16:23
  • This is not a spoken "utterance" but more like a text-message or email note: He called to give me his flights' departure/arrival times. In speaking we'd say "and" where that text has a slash. There is more than one flight involved there, and each flight has more than one time, departure-time and arrival-time. Commented Apr 16 at 16:51
  • Note, dictionary examples are given without context. In the MW example, it could be directed to a group (plural "you") who are taking multiple flights. But perhaps more likely, it could be general advice to travelers before leaving on a trip, which will typically have an itinerary of several flights, and one should check all that data before setting out. Commented Apr 16 at 17:18

1 Answer 1

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The difference between 1a and 1b is minor, with both being idiomatic. It would be normal to refer to a singular "flight time" as the departure time of a non-stop flight. But it would also be reasonable for a singular trip to have multiple times associated with it, if for example you are referring to the departure times of multiple legs, or different times associated with single flight, like the times for check-in, boarding, departure, or arrival.

For 2a/2b, only the plural (2a) is correct, since you are explicitly referring to two different times (departure and arrival). The possessive has nothing to do with it, the correct use of the plural only depends on if you are referring to one time or several times. Since departure and arrival logically always occur at different times, and we're referring to both, we must use the plural. There is no such thing as a singular departure/arrival time.

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  • In 2a it's plural "flights'". In 2b it's singular "flight's". Commented Apr 16 at 16:29
  • @Barmar Whether it's one or more flight doesn't matter, all that matters is we are referring to two different times of departure and arrival - there is no such thing as a singular departure/arrival time at which a plane both takes off and lands. It must be multiple plural times whether it's one flight or several. Commented Apr 16 at 16:34
  • RIght, I didn't notice "departure/arrival". Commented Apr 16 at 16:36
  • Even with a single leg, you have the check-in opening time and recommended check-in time, which you need to be aware of before leaving home. Commented Apr 16 at 17:35

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