Read and decide if the sentences below are True or False:

 

https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/an-american-airlines-pilot-was-absolutely-fed-up-with-passengers-his-solution-was-a-stroke-of-genius.html

 

1. Passengers get drunk during a flight only once in a blue moon.

2. Majority of onboard disruptive incidents are unheard of.

3. The pilot requested that the passengers make sure their belongings were not in the way.

4. The pilot announced the flight crew would not put up with passengers’ rowdy behaviour.

5. If your seat is near the window, you’re entitled to two armrests.

6. Unless you’ve happened to refuse to follow cabin crew’s instructions, you might feel offended by the pilot’s message.

 

 

Key: 1F; 2T; 3T; 4T; 5F; 6F

 

Glossary

 

• to burn both ends of the candle – to work or do other things from early in the morning until late at night and so get very little rest
•  backbone – strength of character; courage
• transgression – infringement or violation of a law, command, or duty
• admonition – advice with a hint of scolding, a warning not to do something
• to stow – to put something in a place where it can be kept safely
• caveat – an explanation to prevent misinterpretation; a modifying or cautionary detail to be considered when evaluating, interpreting, or doing something
• preemptive – taken as a measure against something possible, anticipated, or feared; preventive; deterrent

 

Practice makes perfect

Use the verbs in brackets in either the Past Simple, Past Continuous or Past Perfect tense:

The case of the missing United Airlines luggage …

(…) Last month, Sandra Shuster and her daughter, Ruby, 1. …… [FLY] from Denver to Baltimore for a lacrosse tournament. On the way home, they 2. …… [CHECK] a bag containing Ruby’s goalie equipment, worth about $2,000, only to land at home and find that her luggage 3. …….. [NOT BE] there.

United Airlines customer service said their records 4. ……. [SHOW] the bag 5.  ………. never [MAKE] it onto the plane and was still in Baltimore, as Shuster told CNN. But, she 6……. [LEAVE] an Apple AirTag in the bag, which 7. …… [SHOW] it 8. ……. [SIT] somewhere at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport: (…)

They 9. ….. [SAY] they 10. …… [PUT] notes in the system and the baggage team would take care of it.

You can imagine her frustration(…)

After days, Shuster’s patience finally 11. …… [RUN] short. (…) she reportedly 12. …… [USE] 30,000 air miles to fly from Denver to Chicago, 13. …… [WALK] into the baggage claim area at Terminal 1, and 14. …… [FIND] her daughter’s bag exactly where the AirTag 15. ……. [SHOW] it would be — 600 miles west of where United 16. …… [INSIST] it was.

Then, she turned around flew home.

In order to read the whole article/check your answers, go to: https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/united-airlines-lost-a-teenage-passengers-luggage-her-moms-solution-was-a-stroke-of-genius

Key: 1. flew; 2. checked; 3. wasn’t; 4. showed; 5. had (never) made; 6. had/’d left; 7. showed; 8. was sitting; 9. said; 10. had/’d put; 11. ran; 12. used; 13. walked; 14. found; 15. showed; 16. had insisted

 

 Discuss

 

• How do you feel about flying?
• What are the best/worst things about flying?
• Can you remember the first time you flew?
• Do you think flying has got better or worse over the years?
• Do you prefer flying or taking the train?
• Do you ever think or worry about the plane crashing when you’re flying somewhere?

 

Explore more to create your own teaching-learning experience!

 

In 1996, a British Airways plane flew from New York to London in a record-breaking two hours and fifty-three minutes. Today, however, passengers flying the same route can expect to spend no less than six hours in the air — twice as long. So why, in a world where everything seems to be getting faster, have commercial flights lagged behind?

 

Watch:

 

 

 

 

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