At the Airport

 Lesson Plan

from http://www.hotel-tefl.com/yadayadaenglish/airport/

Traveling by air can be a lot of fun. It can also be very confusing dealing with travel agents and airline personnel. If traveling to a foreign country, a traveler has to interact with customs and immigration officials. There are several common expressions that are used when dealing with airlines, travel agencies and customs. Look at the examples below.

English Expressions

Expression                                                             Response
Would you like economy or first class tickets?         Economy class.
When would you like to depart?                               On Friday the 14th of next month.
Will that be round trip or one way?                           Round trip please.
Do you have any luggage to check in?                    I have two suit cases.
May I have your ticket please?                                 Here you go.
Do you have anything to declare?                           No, I don’t

English Dialogue

Students should work together in pairs and read the following dialogue, one student reading one part, the other student reading the other. Note the expressions used in the dialogue and the progression of the conversation. The dialogue can be used as a model to have similar conversations.

At a travel agency

Agent: May I help you?
Nancy: Yes, I need a ticket to Paris.
Agent: One way or round trip?
Nancy: Round trip.
Agent: When will you be leaving?
Nancy: Next month, the 2nd. I prefer a morning flight.
Agent: Do you want any particular airline?
Nancy: No, but I do want to go business class and have a direct flight.
Agent: When will you be returning?
Nancy: I want to return on the 15th of next month.
Agent: Let me check the computer. Yes, there is a flight available on Blue Skies Air              Ways. The tickets are $1645.
Nancy: Sounds good, book it.
Agent: Thank you. You can pick up your tickets at this office on the 28th.
Nancy: Thanks.

At the airport check-in

Nancy: Hello
Agent: Hello. May I have your ticket and passport?
Nancy: Yes, here they are.
Agent: How many pieces of luggage will you be checking in?
Nancy: Just one, I also have one carry on bag.
Agent: Your luggage is two kilos over the limit. You will have to pay an extra charge of              $100.
Nancy: No problem. Is cash OK?
Agent: Certainly.
Nancy: Here you go.
Agent: Thank you, have a nice flight.
Nancy: Thanks.

At Customs

Agent: Welcome to Paris. Do you have anything to declare?
Nancy: No.
Agent: Could you open your bag please?
Nancy: Sure, is everything OK?
Agent: Yes ma’am, enjoy you stay in Paris.
Nancy: Thanks.

After reading, close your book and tell your partner a summary of the dialogue. Then switch and have your partner tell his or her summary. Start like this: These dialogues are about people traveling. At the travel agency Nancy…This may seem silly, since you both already know what the dialogue is about, but the purpose is to practice using your English, not to give information or test your reading skills.

Conversation Activities

1. Pair Work- discussion
     Have you ever flown on a plane? Tell your partner about it using some of the ideas
     for discussion below. Your partner should ask questions to get more information.

when and where you went
how long the flight took
the quality of the service from the flight attendants
how the flight was: (smooth or turbulent, relaxing or nerve-wracking)
did you enjoy it
do you like to fly

 2. Pair work- role play
   Working with a partner, role play the situation, using the information below

The situation: At a travel agency asking for information for a flight.

The roles: A travel agent, a customer

Destination: Seoul	Destination: San Francisco
Airline: Blue Skies Skies	Airline: World Wide Airlines
Departure time: Saturday 1:30 AM	Departure time: Saturday 9:00 am
Flight length: 16 hours	Flight length: 12 hours
Layover: San Francisco , Tokyo	Layover: Direct flight
Price: Coach- $950                               Business class- $1650                First class- $1900  P	Price: Coach- $1050                         Business class- $1650                First class- $2000
Preferred seating       Aisle     Window	Preferred seating        Aisle     Window
Destination: Chicago	Destination: Moscow
Airline: National Airways	Airline:  Great Northern Airline
Departure time: Sunday 8:30 am	Departure time: Sunday 1:45 pm
Flight length: 24 hours	Flight length: 18 hours
Layover: London, New York	Layover: Paris
Price: Coach- $1150                           Business class- $1550                First class- $2400	Price: Coach- $1250                            Business class- $1450                 First class- $2500
Preferred seating        Aisle     Window	Preferred seating      Aisle     Window