Originally Posted by
Piltdown Man
And let's remember, we are talking about legal definitions which may not be the same as common English language usage.
Yes, but a word doesn't have a legal definition unless it's defined legally.
In other words, a court will rule that every term in a contract has its everyday meaning, by default, unless it has a more specific meaning defined in the contract preamble.
There is no such specific meaning offered for "boarding" in the Conditions of Carriage so, as previous posters have pointed out, anyone trying to claim that a passenger sitting in his/her assigned seat hasn't "boarded" will be laughed out of court.