On an Airplane (B2)

A. Match the words in the box to the images.

armrest tray table air vent

emergency exit overhead compartment reading lamp

1. __________ 2. __________ 3. __________

4. __________ 5. __________ 6. __________

B. Complete the dialogue using the words below

landings red-eye flight tray tables reading lamp long-haul flight

armrest take-off air vent overhead compartment emergency exit
What is the most stressful part of being a flight a endant?
Probably the _______________(1). As we begin our descent, we have to constantly remind passengers to
secure their _______________ (2) and turn off any electronic appliances. Prior to _______________(3),
they are usually much happier to do this, but especially at the end of a __________________(4) they are
much less likely to comply with flight regula'ons for the simple reason that they have been in the air so
long.
Which flights are the easiest to manage?
Well, I would say that any flight present unique challenges, but during a ________________(5) most of the
passengers are either asleep or dozing, so you have less people to manage. Certain issues crop up from
'me to 'me, such as passengers ge.ng frustrated by those who have le/ their _______________(6) on or
passengers who have put their feet on the aisle ________________(7). They’re obviously not overjoyed
when you wake them up to tell them to put their feet down, but anything that blocks the aisle is a hazard.
What is the scariest thing that has happened on a flight?
That would have to be the 'me when, for reasons unknown, a passenger managed to somehow open the
_______________________(8). Not exactly ideal when you are cruising at 34,000 feet, but thankfully the
crew were on hand to get the situa'on under control.
What are the most common things you have to do on board a flight?
Usually stuff like turning the __________________(9) on and off, which passengers find confusing. Due to
my height (I’m 6 foot 4), I’m always being asked to put things in the __________________(10).

iSLCollective.com
 C. Match the flight announcement to the stage of the flight in which it would occur.

Stage of Flight Answer Announcement

1. Pre-Boarding ______ a) ‘The weather for the flight looks good and with
Announcement some predicted tailwinds we expect to arrive in
Amsterdam slightly ahead of schedule’.
2. Final Boarding ______ b) Welcome, passengers, to Istanbul. The 'me is
Announcement currently 3:28 p.m. and the temperature outside 34
degrees Celsius. A reminder to stay in your seats
un'l the seatbelt sign is turned off.
3. Pre-Flight c) We are around 20 minutes from Manchester airport
Announcement and will shortly begin to decrease our al'tude. In
ten minutes 'me the seatbelt sign shall be turned
on.
4. Captain’s Announcement ______ d) Good morning, ladies and gentleman. In a few
minutes 'me cabin crew will be serving breakfast,
so please have your seats in an upright posi'on and
your tray tables down.
5. Cruising Announcement ______ e) Passengers Alistair and Sandra Murray must proceed
to Gate D78 immediately. The captain will be
ordering the doors of the aircra/ to be closed in five
minutes.
6. Descent Announcement ______ f) Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome onboard flight
KL755 with service from Amsterdam to Quito. We
are currently experiencing some delays wai'ng for
cargo but as soon as that is finished we will be
pushing back.
7. Taxi Announcement ______ g) Good a/ernoon passengers. This is an
announcement for flight CA5541 to Riga. We are
now invi'ng passengers with business class 'ckets
to begin boarding at this 'me.

D Each of the words in bold is in the wrong sentence. Change the words so that they are in the correct
sentence.
1. I’m not a fan of descents. Although they are more expensive, I
would much rather travel during the day.
2. Flight aFendants have to make sure that all cruising are in an
upright posi'on before take off and landing.
3. I couldn’t fit my carry on luggage in the take-off, so I had to
place it beneath my seat.
4. Schiphol is such a large airport that you can spend half an hour
as you reading lamp to your arrival gate.
5. We were tray tables at 35,000 feet when we experienced some unexpected turbulence.
6. I had to assist a passenger on a red-eye flight who was complaining about another passenger’s taxi
disturbing his sleep.
7. The flight from Manchester to London is very short. No sooner have you taken off than you start
making your red-eye flights.
8. The cabin crew carry out their final checks before overhead compartment.

iSLCollective.com
 E. Listening Task
h ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwjnEChC7x8&t=24s&ab_channel=TravelEnglishListening
Listen to the flight/boarding announcements. Decide if the statements are true or false.
1. True/False
2. True/False
3. True/False
4. True/False
5. True/False
6. True/False
_______________________________________________________________________________________

iSLCollective.com
Answers
A. 1. Overhead compartment
2. tray table
3. emergency exit
4. air vent
5. armrest
6. reading lamp
B. 1. Landings
2. tray tables
3. take-off
4. long-haul flight
5. red-eye flight
6. reading lamp
7. armrest
8. emergency exit
9. air vent
10. overhead compartment

C.
1. g)
2. e)
3. f)
4. a)
5. d)
6. c)
7. b)

D.
1. red-eye flights
2. tray tables
3. overhead compartment
4. taxi
5. cruising
6. reading lamp
7. descent
8. take-off

E.
h ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwjnEChC7x8&t=13s&ab_channel=TravelEnglishListening
1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
6. True

iSLCollective.com