Complete the letter about an unpleasant flight using the words from vocabulary.
Dear Tom,
I’ve just arrived 1____ Rome but I’m still recovering from a really terrible flight.We 2________ two hours late because of bad weather, and then over the channel we hit more bad weather. The 3________ announced that we had to 4_______ our seat belts, who was a bit worrying, and for half an hour we 5________ through a terrible storm. It was still raining and very windy when we 6_________ Rome and was really glad to 7________ the plane and get into the airport building.
Fortunately things have improved since then but I really hope the return 8________ is a lot better.
8. a) Match the words on the left (1-6) with those on the right (a-f) to make six more compound nouns for items which are found on a plane.
| 1. flight 2. seat 3. window 4. aisle 5. overhead 6. emergency | a) belt b) locker c) attendant d) seat e) exit f) seat |
b) Now match these verbs (1-12) and nouns (a-d) to make collocations. Many collocations are possible.
1.
|
2. miss
3. get off
4. board
5. get on
6. pass through
7. book
8. swap
9. cancel
10. reschedule
11. go through
12. reserve
c) Use as many collocations as you can to write a short story about a plane journey.
Facing Problems
SPEAKING
1.Would you like to travel on business?
What do you think are the worst things about business travel?
Work in small groups. Make a list of problems you can face while travelling by plane. How is it possible to avoid or solve these problems? Prepare a poster and present your ideas to the class.
Combine one word from each section to make at least ten sentences. Start by making collocations from columns 3 and 4. Add your own ideas, if you like. Then tell the other students what you like and dislike most about travelling.
| I I | don’t like can’t stand hate like look forward to enjoy love | late getting losing the endless flight meeting tight missing finding out strange language jet getting away from traffic being away visiting | interesting people problems jams lag my luggage food queues schedules nights lost my family the office about different cultures foreign places new experiences delays |
4. a) Read the introduction to an article on avoiding a travel problem. What do you think the strategies are? Do you use any of them?
THE MIDDLE SEAT
It happens to everyone – even the most experienced business traveller and frequent flier. A last-minute trip, no seat assignment on the aeroplane and the only seat left on a packed flight? You’ve guessed it – the middle seat. It can make your seat miserable. Here are some strategies to help you avoid the worst seat.
b) Match the parts. Make as many logical combinations as possible.
| if you book months in advance if you sit at the front if you check in late if you’re polite to the check- in desk attendant if you pretend to be ill or pregnant if you trust your instincts if you dominate the armrests if you use your laptop if you drink too much if you get up during the flight | you’ll get on and off the plane faster you’ll be too early for a seat assignment you’ll have to go to the toilet a lot you’ll be able to stretch your legs you’ll sometimes be able to change your seat you’ll get more personal space you’ll pay for it with an uncomfortable seat you’ll choose better seatmates you’ll feel claustrophobic you’ll feel guilty the entire flight |
READING
1. a) Look at the headline from a newspaper article. What word do you think is missing?
_________________ PASSENGERS GROUNDED
b)Imagine you are checking in at the Heathrow airport and check-in clerk informs you that you don’t have a seat at your flight because of overbooking. Naturally you are upset, but be careful what you say. If you are rude to the ground staff, you will not be allowed to board your flight. Not if you’re flying with British Airways, that is.
The company introduced new rules prohibiting customers from boarding flights if the use ‘threatening, abusive or insulting words to ground staff or crew’. The airline claims that last year their staff dealt with over 200 cases of air rage, including minor disagreements over smoking on board, but also more serious incidents involving violent or drunken behaviour. However, check-in staff believe they can prevent these problems if they deal with difficult passengers before they actually get on the plane.
Owen Highley, a BA lawyer who helped to draw up the new rules, told The Times newspaper in London: ‘If we think someone is going to be a disruptive passenger, the most obvious think to do is to deny them boarding. But there has to be common sense. We are not going to ban from flight everybody who gets a bit stroppy’.
A spokeswoman for BA said: ‘Some people are understandably angry when they check in if they have missed a connecting flight because of a delay or some other problem. It is only if we fear they could become a danger that we will act’. However, BA will not offer a refund to passengers who are banned from the boarding their planes unless they have a fully flexible fare, and those involved in the most serious incidents will get a lifetime ban. You have been warned!
2. Sometimes air travel can be very frustrating. Things can go wrong and you people get angry. Do you think the BA rules are fair? Do you ever get ‘a bit stroppy’? Have you dealt with disruptive and nervous passengers?