get 'into' the plane

[sitifan]

The crowd cheered the soldiers as they got into the plane.
The above sentence is quoted from an English dictionary.
Why not say onto the plane?

[5jj]

Because, though onto (on to or on) is more common, into is possible.

According to COCA, 'on' is far and away the most commonly used preposition.

[Tdol]

I would use into for a military plane if they enter the cockpit from the top rather than the side, though this may not be the case here as it mentions soldiers.

[Barb_D]

I would use into for a military plane if they enter the cockpit from the top rather than the side, though this may not be the case here as it mentions soldiers.

I was thinking the exact same thing!

But many soliders (not pilots, airmen, etc.) and one plane... I'd use "onto." Actually, "as they boarded the plane" avoids that issue entirely.

[sitifan]

The sentence is quoted from Longman Advanced American Dictionary (page 227) under the entry "cheer."

[SoothingDave]

I was thinking of those military planes where the back end opens up like a ramp for loading equipment on. I can see if soldiers were entering the plane like that, that one might say they were getting into the plane.

[5jj]

The sentence is quoted from Longman Advanced Amercian Dictionary (page 227) under the entry "cheer."

The dictionary happens to have selected what most of us native speakers think is a not very common prepositional usage, but nobody has claimed it's incorrect. The lexicographers were concentrating on a good example sentence to illustrate a context for 'cheer', and found one. They almost certainly took it from a corpus; it is, after all used.

[Tdol]

I was thinking of those military planes where the back end opens up like a ramp for loading equipment on. I can see if soldiers were entering the plane like that, that one might say they were getting into the plane.

I didn't think of that last night, but I agree.

[5jj]

I think the question has been answered, but as a one-time RAF(VR) [failed!] pilot, I'll add my thoughts. When we were taking our position in the driving seat in the 1960s, we got into the (two-seater) plane. As a civilian passenger I have always got on to (or 'onto') the plane.