On board

‘There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror.’

Orson Welles

1. You are on the plane. You may have the following conversation:

Conversation A

Flight attendant: Good morning, ma’am. What’s your seat number?

You: Uh, 34D.

Flight attendant: That’s on the right side of the airplane. It’s by the aisle.

You: Thank you.

Conversation B

You are near your seat.

You: Excuse me. You’re in my seat.

Man: Sorry?

You: That’s my seat 34D.

Man: This is 35D.

You: No, it isn’t.

Man: Well, where is 35D?

You: That’s 35D here.

Man: Oh, yes. It is. Sorry.

Conversation C

You are near your seat.

You: Excuse me. You’re in my seat.

Man: I don’t think so.

You: That’s my seat 34D.

Man: This is 33D. Look here!

You: Oh, yes. It is. Sorry.

Man: No problem.

Now practise role-playing the same dialogues.

Below there are two announcements you can hear while you are on the plane. Study them and fill in the missing words from the boxes.

delay time crew height taking off speed

Pilot: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Captain Andrew and his _________, welcome on board this British Airways Boeing 737. I apologize for the ____________, but we will be ____________ very shortly. Some information about the flight: our flight __________ to London will be two hours and twenty-five minutes. We will be flying at the _____________ of 30,000 feet, and our _________ will be 500 miles per hour. We hope you have a pleasant flight.

Flight attendant: Fasten your seatbelts, please. The pilot is preparing for take off. Once we are in the air, we will be serving a light snack and something to drink.

fastened landing folded upright

Flight attendant: In a moment we will be __________ at London Heathrow where the weather is fine and sunny. Please make sure that your seatbelt is ___________, your seat is in the ________________ position and your table is ______________ away.

The following is a list of signs you can see in an airplane. Match the SIGNS with their Russian equivalents and remember them.

SIGN	meaning
FASTEN SEATBELTS RETURN TO YOUR SEAT FLOTATION DEVICE UNDER YOUR SEAT LAVATORY OCCUPIED LAVATORY VACANT HOT COLD FLUSH TRASH EMERGENCY EXIT OUT OF ORDER	мусор не работает пристегните ремни туалет свободен горячая вода спасательный жилет под вашим сиденьем холодная вода спустите воду туалет занят запасной выход вернитесь на свое место

IN-FLIGHT MEALS

4. Here’s a conversation you might have on the plane:

Flight attendant: Fish, chicken or vegetarian?

You: What’s the fish?

Flight attendant: It’s tuna.

You: Chicken, please.

Flight attendant: Anything to drink?

You: Yes. Water, please.

Flight attendant: Still or sparkling?

You: Still, please.

Flight attendant: Here you go. Enjoy your meal.

You: Thanks.