Episode description
Episode description
Get your fluency book here: https://www.tofluency.com/book (it's FREE to download!)Here's the lesson on GET:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E8JqV4D3Os
Here's the lesson on future tenses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UISiuiPd_FY
Here are some of the key phrases from this lesson:
(to get the audio flashcards, go here: https://www.tofluency.com/tfp/ )
- Look up flights
- Direct or with stops
- Flight times
- Red-eye flights
- Price
- Checked bags, assigned seats, and cancelation policy
- Which airport you fly out of and to
- Buy tickets
- We’re traveling to California in August
- We’re planning on traveling to California in August
- We’re going to travel to California in August
- We bought tickets for California in August
- Pack your bags and remember your passport and other important documents
- I prefer to pack light - means not take more than you need to
- If I can get away with having just a carry-on bag, I’ll do it
- Get to the airport (get is a power word in English - see my lesson on that) - it means to go or arrive somewhere
- In the past, I have taken taxis, trains, and buses
- In the U.S., most people drive or get dropped off by someone
- Park at the airport - maybe you need to get a shuttle bus - then, enter the airport - bigger airports have different terminals
- This is where the fun starts!
- Stressed
- Rushing
- Get there in good time
- Check- in - check your passport and your tickets
- Weigh your carry-on bag
- Give you your boarding passes
- The tough bit - going through security
- It used to be much easier (used to)
- Now, there are long queues/lines and it can be quite stressful
- You have to empty your pockets, take out your electronics, take off your shoes, and take off your belt
- Then, you go through a scanner
- Most people don’t like this part. However, waiting on the other side can be great
- You go airside
- This is where the shops, restaurants, bars, duty-free stores, and boarding gates are
- Mose people feel much more relaxed here
- We normally have a walk around, go to a few shops, go the restroom - bathroom - and then, find our gate
- On the ticket, there’s information with the gate number, flight time, seat number, boarding time, and zone
- The zone means when you are going to board the plane - business and first-class go first - economy goes last
- Although things seem great here, there can be a few things that happen
- First, a flight might be delayed or even canceled due to a number of reasons
- No one like this - especially, if you have a connecting flight - which is another flight from the airport you’re flying to
- Another issue could be overbooking. This is where the airline has issued more tickets than seats available. This is common practice as statistically, there are people who don’t show up for their booked flight. At first, people volunteer to take a flight the day after.
- If they don’t get enough volunteers, passengers are bumped - which means, they’re chosen to fly at a later date
- When it’s time to board, you show your passport and boarding ticket to go through. Here, you through the tunnel and in most cases, board the plane there. In other cases, you might have to take a shuttle bus to the plane.
- Boarding tends to close 15-20 minutes before departure - if anyone hasn’t boarded and the gates are closing soon, they will announce their name over the speaker system
- After going through the tunnel and arrive at the plane door, you show your boarding pass again, go to your seats, put any carry-on luggage in the compartment above your seat, and then get comfy
- Once on the plane, you’ll usually receive a blanket and a pillow for longer flights - you’ll also have a mini-tv
- In economy class, there isn’t much legroom - and your seat doesn’t recline that much
- On most flights, I read a book or watch something. Sometimes, I’ll have a nap
- When taking off, you put on your seatbelt and listen to the safety announcement
- Now… airplane food. To be honest, I don’t normally eat any of it. It’s never that appealing. I don’t tend to drink alcohol either.
- When landing, you’ll need to put on your seatbelt, and put up your food tray and your seat
- When the plane arrives at the gate, people are quick to take off their seatbelt and get their bags out of the overhead compartment
- From here, people get off the plan, walk through the airport to the baggage area and wait for any checked baggage to come on the luggage belts
- Then, if you have traveled internationally, you go through customs. Depending on the airport and country, this can be quick or can sometimes, take hours
- Once you have done that, you are free to leave the airport and get to wherever you’re going