English for Cabin Crew_ Teacher's Guide ( PDFDrive )

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English for 
Cabin Crew
Trainer’s Guide
Mike Sayer
English for Cabin Crew Trainer’s Guide 
Mike Sayer
Publisher: Nick Sheard
Development Editor: Darina Richter
Marketing & Communications Manager: 
Michelle Cresswell
Content Project Editor: Amy Smith
Text Designer: Oxford Designers & Illustrators
Compositor: MPS Limited, a Macmillan Company
© 2012 Heinle, Cengage Learning
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Contents
Introduction 4
Unit 1 The pre-fl ight briefi ng
 Meeting colleagues 5
 Finding out about the fl ight 6
 Case study 7
Unit 2 Welcome on board
 Welcoming passengers 8
 Settling passengers in their seats 9
 Demonstrating safety procedure and checking before take-off 10
 Case study 11
Unit 3 After take-off and into the fl ight
 Making the fi rst announcements 12
 Getting started 13
 Helping to settle passengers 14
 Case study 15
Unit 4 Food and drinks
 Giving a choice 16
 Serving drinks 17
 Duty-free sales 18
 Case study 19
Unit 5 Minor passenger problems
 Identifying passenger problems 20
 Dealing with problems 21
 Saying sorry 22
 Case study 23
Unit 6 Is there a doctor on board?
 Dealing with an on-board accident 24
 Dealing with a serious medical incident 25
 Reporting a medical incident 26
 Case study 27
Unit 7 In-fl ight emergencies
 Taking charge in an emergency 28
 Preparing for an emergency evacuation 29
 Reporting and evacuation 30
 Case study 31
Unit 8 Complaints and disruptive passengers
 Responding to passenger complaints 33
 Dealing with complaints about other passengers 34
 Managing disruptive passengers 35
 Case study 36
Unit 9 Preparing for landing
 Making fi nal announcements and checks 38
 Giving information about delayed landings 39
 Getting through the fi nal ten minutes 40
 Case study 41
Unit 10 Saying goodbye
 Arriving at the gate and disembarking the passengers 43
 Taking part in the crew debriefi ng 44
 Case study 45
3
4
Introduction
English for Cabin Crew is for people working in the aviation industry who want to improve their 
communication skills, vocabulary, pronunciation and grammatical accuracy.
The Student’s Book is designed so that your students can use it on their own. The Trainer’s Guide facilitates 
use of the Student’s Book in class.
WHAT’S IN ENGLISH FOR CABIN CREW STUDENT’S BOOK?
English for Cabin Crew is the perfect companion to the cabin crew training manual. It follows the real-time 
working routines of fl ight attendants, from pre-fl ight briefi ngs to disembarkation, from ‘gate to gate’. It 
follows the operational procedures of the cabin crew and their progress through the different stages of both 
long-haul and short-haul fl ights, facing the challenges of boarding, safety demonstrations, serving meals, 
diffi cult passengers, possible medical incidents and emergency situations, pre-landing stress, and eventually 
of reviewing a job well done.
English for Cabin Crew is full of key expressions, of the right thing to say in English on the right occasion. 
More than this, it presents real job situations and typical passenger and cabin crew exchanges in which the 
language used is correct, authentic and actual.
• The Listening section invites you to listen to a real dialogue, and answer questions on it to make sure you 
fully understand what is happening.
• The Language Focus explores how to use key expressions in English. 
• The Speaking section provides practice to make you confi dent of using the key expressions correctly.
• The Reading and Vocabulary sections help to consolidate and build on the language you learn.
Each unit presents a different part of the routine on board. Throughout the book there are plenty of 
examples of real situations, plenty of vocabulary, plenty of opportunities for students to apply what they 
have learned to their own job – all the time speaking and listening to English.
By the time students reach the end of the Student’s Book, they should be confi dent about using clear and 
uncomplicated English to …
• perform all normal duties on board
• address passengers’ problems
• handle diffi cult situations.
WHAT’S IN ENGLISH FOR CABIN CREW TRAINER’S GUIDE?
The Trainer’s Guide contains information on how to use and exploit the Student’s Book content in class. 
The ideas for exploiting the exercises focus on making the classroom experience as interactive as possible. 
Additional activities and methodological notes focus on personalization, role play and whole-class activities, 
and dealing with common errors.
Extra features
• Lead in – suggestions for warm-up activities
• Pre-teaching vocabulary – lists of key words with defi nitions
• Vocabulary in context – additional vocabulary tasks using reading texts from the Student’s Book
• Pronunciations notes – suggestions for teaching and dealing with stress and intonation diffi culties
• Language notes – additional grammar references and teaching suggestions
• Round up – additional pair and group work activities to review each lesson
5
U
N
IT 1 The pre-fl ight briefi ng
INTRODUCTIONS Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
Which phrases are more formal? (Pleased to meet you, Could you tell me 
your name, please? and This is my colleague are more formal.)
EXERCISE 4 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
It is important to use a wide intonation pattern in English when 
introducing yourself in order to sound friendly and polite. Make sure 
students attempt a wide intonation pattern.
➚➘
Pleased to meet you.
➚➘➚ ➚➘ ➚
Excuse me, could you tell me your name, please?
➘ ➚
Fine thanks. And you?
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
A good way of organizing this is to ask students to sit with a colleague 
they have never met or don’t know very well, and tell them to introduce 
themselves. Then ask each pair to join with a new pair. They must 
now introduce their colleague to the other pair. If the cabin crew in 
your group all know each other, tell them to pretend. As students 
are practising, walk round, listen, and prompt students to use good 
pronunciation. At the end, praise any good examples of language use and 
correct any errors you heard.
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Check the vocabulary by asking students to label the items in the 
pictures. Ask students to work in small groups to discuss which items 
they take. Get feedback in open class.
ROUND UP
Write NAME, NATIONALITY, AIRLINE on the board. Then tell 
students to invent a false identity (for example, I’m William, 
I’m Scottish, and I work for BA). Tell the students to stand up, 
walk round, and introduce themselves to each other. Tell them 
they have to meet everybody andremember as many names as 
they can. At the end, ask two or three students to introduce fi ve 
people to the class, using the imaginary names and nationalities. 
This extends exercise 5 and provides further practice of the 
language of the unit.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students, Which people attend a pre-fl ight briefi ng? Where 
does it usually take place? What information do you fi nd out? Tell 
students to imagine they are about to have a pre-fl ight briefi ng. 
Ask them to work in pairs to think of questions to ask to fi nd out 
information at the briefi ng. Elicit questions from the pairs and 
write them on the board. Decide as a class which are the most 
useful questions. 
Meeting colleagues
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: briefi ng (short meeting at which you get 
information); shuttle (train that goes from one terminal to another at 
an airport); roster (timetable that says when you are working); turbulent 
(when winds make the plane move up and down); off sick (not working 
because you are ill); long-haul (long distance).
EXERCISE 1 Listening
Give students time to read through the situation and questions and 
discuss them in pairs before playing the recording. You could ask 
students if they can guess what Paola, Tom and Jenny say in answer 
to questions 2, 3 and 4. Play the recording. Students listen and then 
discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 Boston 2 ‘My name’s Paola, by the way.’ 3 ‘Hi, Paola. I’m Tom. It’s nice 
to meet you.’ 4 ‘Sorry, what’s your name?’ 5 They are not sure. Possibly. 
6 in ten minutes’ time
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read through the situation and questions. Ask 
students to discuss the questions in pairs before playing the recording. 
Play the recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in 
pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 F – they greet each other by name. 
2 F – ‘We’ve met before.’ 
3 T 
4 F – she wants to do some shopping there. 
5 T 
6 F – it was Jenny who spilled the drinks. 
7 F – Katrin isn’t.
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read through the situation and questions. Ask 
students to discuss the questions in pairs before playing the recording. 
Play the recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in 
pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 Ted 2 in Business 3 in Economy 4 It’s her fi rst long-haul fl ight. 
5 Leila and Hemal 6 at Door 4 Left
U
N
IT
6
1 The pre-fl ight briefi ng
Language notes
Note that with an indirect question, the word order after the question 
word does not invert. So, Can I check what the fl ight time is? NOT Can I 
check what is the fl ight time?
EXERCISE 4 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
When checking and clarifying, speakers use a rising intonation to 
suggest being tentative and unsure. Make sure students attempt a rising 
intonation pattern.
➚
Can I clarify something?
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
A good way of organizing this is to ask students to work in pairs to 
prepare questions to ask. Walk round and make sure they are forming 
questions correctly. Then mix pairs. Students ask and answer with their 
new partner. Walk round, listen, and prompt students to use good 
pronunciation. At the end, praise any good examples of language use and 
correct any errors you heard.
EXERCISE 6, 7 and 8 Speaking
These activities get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Choose whether to discuss all or just one or two of these questions. 
Decide whether to do them in groups of four with one student leading 
the discussion, or to do them as an open class discussion.
EXERCISE 9 Speaking
Do this as a pyramid discussion. Ask students in pairs to make a list. 
Then put each pair with another pair to compare lists and refi ne their 
own lists. Then build up a list on the board. Correct errors and add any 
words students need but don’t know.
Note that the reading text in the Case study that follows this lesson 
describes pre-boarding procedures, so this activity could work as a 
lead in to that text.
ROUND UP
To extend exercise 6, you could brainstorm and teach weather 
words. Elicit and check the following words connected with severe 
weather conditions: turbulent; storms; stormy; rain; strong winds; 
windy; gales; hurricanes; blizzard; fog; foggy; frost; frosty; snow; 
ice; icy; thunder; lightning; cloudy.
LEAD IN Speaking 
Ask students, Why is the pre-departure meeting important? Elicit 
students' ideas and suggestions. Ask, What is your role at a pre-
departure meeting? Can you describe a time when you were given 
unusual information just before a fl ight?
Finding out about the flight
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: coordination of duties (the organisation of 
what everybody has to do on the plane); en route (during the journey).
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Give students time to read the reasons individually and think about the 
order. Ask students to discuss in pairs. Get feedback in open class and 
agree on a ‘correct’ order. Encourage students to express reasons why 
some things are more important, or to add other reasons to the list.
Answers
Possible order: 4, 2, 3, 5, 6, 1
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: turbulence (movement due to strong 
winds); warning (advance notice of a possible problem); strapped in 
(wearing a seatbelt for safety).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read through the situation and questions and 
discuss them in pairs before playing the recording. You could ask 
students if they can guess what any answers might be. Play the 
recording. Students listen then discuss their answers in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 his fi rst offi cer, Rick Schultz 2 that they have a quick fl ight time to 
Boston 3 the weather during the fl ight 4 turbulence expected after 3½ 
hours 5 the main cabin service 6 fi nish the meal and drinks service early 
7 that the crew know the cockpit procedures
EXERCISE 3 Vocabulary
Give students time to write the missing words and discuss them in pairs. 
Then read out the answers and check the meaning.
Answers
1 moderate 2 strong 3 over 4 strapped 5 cockpit
CHECKING AND CLARIFYING Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Check the 
meaning of check and confi rm (to make sure that the information I have 
is correct) and clarify (to make sure that the information I have is clear 
and not confused).
7
U
N
IT 1 Case study
CD1 Track 1.7
1 What do you remember about your fi rst pre-fl ight briefi ng?
S: My fi rst fl ight was a mixture of emotions. I was partly terrifi ed and very 
excited. I was terrifi ed because the training we'd been given over the six 
weeks was quite intense and I knew that arriving at the briefi ng room I 
would be asked a series of questions and I had to get those answers right 
to show that my training profi ciency was up to standard so that was very 
nerve-wracking, but I was also really, really excited – I was, you know, part 
of this team that was going to be taking a fl ight with, you know, a 100 or so 
passengers from one country to another and that was just unbelievable.
2 Were these briefi ngs always the same?
S: The actual content of the briefi ng was always the same. However, depending 
on the human factor with different people you're working with, some people, 
those in charge, would help create a friendlier environment so you could relax 
a little more and others would put the fear of God into you because, you know, 
their sternness, their facial expressions, etcetera, so it was always very tense 
going into those pre-briefi ngs and you never quite knew what the atmosphere 
would be, but on the whole it was, it was the same in content.
3 What was the common theme?
S: Having worked for a number of different airlines, both charter work andscheduled international and short-haul, there was a common theme with the 
pre-briefi ngs throughout the industry and that was primarily safety and, of 
course, passenger information. Those briefi ngs were used as an opportunity to 
inform and advise the crew of what type of passengers they were having on 
board; the service that day, but predominantly it was safety related. One of 
the things I really enjoyed about the pre-fl ight briefi ngs was the opportunity 
to meet the crew that you would be working with that day or that week and 
getting to know about the fl ight and, you know, the particular idiosyncrasies 
that would occur. For example, on some fl ights we may have VIPs and that 
was always exciting to know that you're carrying someone, you know, of a 
celebrity status or it may be that you're carrying, you know, a passenger who 
has, you know, got to travel through sad reasons. Perhaps her daughter living 
out in New Zealand has just had a serious accident and she’s travelling to New 
Zealand to, to visit her sick daughter. All of those opportunities to fi nd out 
about the fl ight – some were more poignant than others, but it was always 
very interesting and exciting. A really, really nice opportunity to get to know 
about the day ahead.
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Divide the class into pairs or small groups to discuss the questions. 
Get open class feedback, and encourage students with interesting 
experiences to share with the class.
ROUND UP
Revise vocabulary from the unit by asking students to write 
words and phrases connected with the industry under the 
following headings:
People / Duties / Parts of the plane / Weather
Ask students to work in pairs to write all the words and phrases 
they know, or to search the unit to fi nd words and phrases to 
write.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write Getting ready for work on the board. Ask students to think 
of three things they always do before going to work. Then tell 
them to discuss their ideas with a partner. Have an open class 
discussion and fi nd out if anyone has an unusual routine.
Lead in to the reading by asking students to make their own 
list of things a fl ight attendant has to check before passengers 
board. Then, when students read, ask them for similarities and 
differences between the list in the text and their lists.
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Ask students to read the text and fi nd answers to the questions. Let 
students discuss the answers in pairs before discussing in open class.
Answers
1 the emergency equipment, the safety instruction card, the number of 
meals on board, the usual drinks trolley and duty-free goods, and that 
the toilets are all stocked with the necessary hand towels and tissues
2 security and the aircraft’s safety features
Vocabulary in context
You could get students to fi nd and revise words in the text that are 
connected with their job. Ask students in pairs to fi nd words for each of 
the categories below:
People on a plane: crew, purser, passengers, staff, captain
Things on a plane: carry-on bag, uniform, emergency equipment, exits, 
seat pocket, safety instruction card, drinks trolley, duty free goods, toilets 
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the situation and questions and 
think of responses. Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small 
groups. After a few minutes, get one student from each pair or group to 
briefl y summarize the main points of their discussion.
EXERCISE 3 Speaking
Give students time to read through the things and check any diffi cult 
words. Then ask students to discuss them in pairs before ending with a 
brief open class discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
You could pre-teach some of the key adjectives used in the interview. 
Write the following on the board and check the meaning and 
pronunciation: terrifying; intense (not relaxed); nerve-wracking (very 
worried); exciting; relaxing, stern (strict, severe); tense (not relaxed); 
informative; enjoyable; interesting; serious; poignant (sad). Ask students 
which of these words best describe a briefi ng meeting.
EXERCISE 4 and 5 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 4. Play 
the recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. 
Get feedback in open class at the end.
Follow the same procedure for exercise 5.
Answers
1 She was partly terrifi ed and very excited.
2 The actual content was always the same; the atmosphere could be 
different – sometimes friendly, sometimes tense.
3 VIPs / celebrities, passengers who are travelling for sad reasons, such 
as to visit someone who is sick or has had an accident.
U
N
IT 2 Welcome on board
6 She asks the passenger to remain in the aisle seat until she has 
checked the passenger list.
EXERCISE 7 Vocabulary
Ask students to work in pairs to label the boarding pass. Get feedback in 
open class at the end and discuss the follow-up question. 
Answers
1 airline 2 boarding time 3 fl ight number 4 family name 5 fi rst name 
6 date 7 seat number 8 gate number
EXERCISE 8 Vocabulary
Ask students to work individually to complete the text. Then let them 
check their answers in pairs before getting feedback in open class. 
Answers
1 check-in 2 hand-baggage 3 boarding pass 4 seat number
5 Seating arrangements 6 window seats 7 in advance 8 hand-baggage 
9 overhead lockers
POLITE REQUESTS Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
Which modal verbs are more formal and polite? (Would and could are more 
formal than can.)
Language notes
Note the form: Can/Could I + infi nitive without to; Would you + infi nitive 
without to; Would you mind + -ing
Note the use: Could is slightly more tentative and polite than Can. We 
use Would you rather than Can/Could you when asking a passenger to do 
something because we want to be very tentative and polite.
EXERCISE 9 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
Remind students that it is important to use a wide intonation pattern in 
English to sound friendly and polite. Make sure students attempt a rising 
intonation pattern with polite requests.
➚➘ ➚➘ ➚
Good evening. Could I see your boarding pass, please?
EXERCISE 10 Speaking
If you have the fl exibility to move furniture in your classroom, a good 
way of organizing this is to divide students into groups of fi ve and tell 
them to arrange their chairs into two rows of two chairs. Everybody 
stands up. One person plays the fl ight attendant and must welcome 
each passenger on board and help them to their seats. Students then 
keep changing roles until everybody has been the fl ight attendant once. 
Monitor, prompt for good intonation, and feedback on good examples of 
language use and errors you heard at the end.
ROUND UP
Ask students in pairs to sit back to back so that student A can 
see the board, and student B can’t. Write the words in bold below 
on the board:
boarding pass window seat overhead locker aisle seat 
immigration form hand baggage seat number 
seating arrangements mobile phone
Student A says the words in bold. Student B must complete the 
compound by saying the second word, or must say pass. Find out 
which pair can get all the compounds the quickest.
LEAD IN Speaking 
Ask students, What jobs do you have to do just before passengers 
board the plane? Which are the most important jobs?
Ask questions to elicit key vocabulary that is useful for this 
lesson. Ask, What equipment do you need to check on the plane? 
(blankets; safety instruction cards; overhead lockers; seatbelt) 
What do passengers need to have and to do on the plane? 
(passport; boarding card; hand luggage; wear seatbelts; stow 
luggage; sit down) 
Welcoming passengers
EXERCISE 1 and 2 Speaking
Give students time to read through the sentences. Check any unknownwords. Then ask students to discuss the questions in pairs. You could 
extend exercise 2 by asking pairs to order their top fi ve most important 
duties, then putting each pair with another pair to discuss their list.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: colleague (person you work with); cabin 
(part of the plane where passengers sit).
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and question. Ask, What do 
you think Jenny will say? What do you usually say? Play the recording. 
Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in 
open class at the end.
Answers
She greets three passengers, although the second woman is travelling 
with someone else.
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to read through the sentences. See if they can 
remember the missing words. Play the recording again. Students listen 
and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class.
Answers
1 Good 2 Can 3 how 4 May
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: assured (certain to happen); full (no free 
seats).
EXERCISE 5 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and question. Ask, What do you 
think the problem could be? Play the recording. Students listen and then 
discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
The problem is that the passenger asked for a window seat, but has not 
got one.
EXERCISE 6 Listening
Give students time to read through the questions. Play the recording 
again. Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the end and discuss the follow-up question.
Answers
1 False. There are some empty seats.
2 17D
3 because she doesn’t want an aisle seat
4 at check-in
5 She will move her as soon as she has checked the passenger list.
8
9
U
N
IT 2 Welcome on board
3 a bit nervous, especially about the baby waking up during take-off
4 on her mother’s lap
5 with a special baby belt
SHOWING HOW SOMETHING WORKS Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. 
Language notes
Note that you can give instructions in two ways. You can use the 
imperative: First of all, attach the bassinet to the clips. Or, when talking 
directly to people, you can use you: First of all, you attach the bassinet to 
the clips.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Set up this activity by asking students to look at the pictures and tell 
you which verbs and nouns they need to describe the processes. Elicit 
the following: press, pull, push, lift, lever, button. Put students in pairs 
to take turns to describe each process. Ask some pairs to describe a 
process to the class.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: delayed (to be late); expecting you 
(knowing you were coming).
EXERCISE 6 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and statements. Play the 
recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 T
2 F – he says he was delayed getting to the airport from the city.
3 F – Sylvie says ‘No problem.’
4 T
5 F – Sylvie says ‘Everyone is on board.’
EXERCISE 7 Listening
Give students time to read through the sentences. See if they can 
remember the missing words. Play the recording again. Students listen 
and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at 
the end.
Answers
1 see 2 sorry 3 getting 4 airport 5 expecting 6 cross 7 that’s it 
8 secure
ROUND UP
Ask students to work in pairs to prepare instructions for how 
something on a plane works. Tell them they can choose to 
describe any process they can think of and don’t have to describe 
the processes in exercise 5. When they are ready, each pair must 
describe their process without saying what it is. The rest of the 
class must guess which process is being described.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the letters of the alphabet in a list on the board and ask 
students to give you a word that describes something on a plane 
for each letter of the alphabet, beginning with A. For example, 
Armrest; Boarding card; Cabin; Door; Exit; etc. Write the words up 
on the board.
You could turn the above activity into a game. Divide the class 
into two teams. Team A must give a word beginning with A, Team 
B give a word beginning with B, Team A then do C, etc, until you 
reach the end of the alphabet. If a team can’t think of a word 
they say pass. At the end see which team got most words.
Settling passengers in their seats
EXERCISE 1 Vocabulary
Ask students to match the words to the pictures and then check in pairs. 
In the open class feedback at the end, you could ask students to listen 
to and repeat the words.
Pronunciation notes
Point out the strong stress in some of the words (shown here in bold): 
arm-rest; head-rest; locker; handset; control; seatbelt
Answers
1 head-rest 2 seatbelt 3 arm-rest 4 overhead locker 5 TV handset 
control 6 table 7 safety instruction card 8 call button 9 light button
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: remaining (that are left); a couple (two).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions. Ask, What do you 
think Jenny will do? What do you usually do in this situation? Play the 
recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class and discuss the follow-up question.
Answers
1 the passenger list
2 move the passenger to 15A
3 help her with her bags
4 her fi rst name
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: bassinet cot (small bed for a baby on a 
plane); lap (when sitting, your thighs become your lap).
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and question. Play the 
recording. Students listen and then check their answer in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
She has an 11-month-old baby with her.
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions. Ask, What do you 
usually do when you have a small baby on a plane? Play the recording. 
Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in 
open class and discuss the follow-up question.
Answers
1 after take-off
2 ‘How old is your baby?’; ‘Has she fl own before?’
U
N
IT 2 Welcome on board
Pronunciation notes
Reading out aloud well requires good preparation. So, if being able to 
do this task well is important for your students, it is worth getting them 
to prepare it carefully. Write up the following analysis on the board, 
showing strong stress and pausing:
Ladies and gentlemen // even if you are a frequent traveller // it 
is important // that you listen carefully // to the following safety 
instructions
Get students to analyze the rest (or part) of the text, marking stress and 
pausing, before reading it out.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: exit row (line of seats next to the exit 
door); upright (not leaning back).
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Ask students to discuss the pictures in pairs for three or four minutes. 
Then elicit what the people might be saying in open class.
EXERCISE 5 Listening
Give students time to read the task. Play the recording. Students listen 
and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at 
the end and discuss the follow-up question.
Answers
a 5 b 1 c 2 d 6 e 3 f 4 g 7 h 8
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Lead in by asking students to tell you what phrases they could use from 
exercise 5 to do this task. Ask students to work in pairs to take turns 
making fi nal requests. Monitor and prompt. In feedback, praise good 
language use and correct errors.
ROUND UP
Revise the lesson by miming safety instructions (for example, 
pointing to the exits, showing how to infl ate a life vest) and 
asking students to say what the instruction is. You could also 
mime passengers doing things wrong (for example, using a 
mobile phone, taking off a seatbelt) and asking students to say 
what the request should be.
LEADIN Speaking
Ask students, What safety instructions are given on a plane just 
before take-off? Elicit as many ideas as possible (for example, 
how and when to fasten seatbelts, the location of exits and life 
vests).
A fun way to elicit this vocabulary is to get a confi dent student 
to the front of the class and ask him/her to mime the actions 
used by fl ight attendants during a safety demonstration. The 
other students have to give the instruction that goes with each 
mime.
Demonstrating safety procedures and checking 
before take-off
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Read through the captain’s speech bubble. Ask, What do you usually do 
when you hear this announcement? Ask students to work in pairs. Tell 
them to read the paragraphs quickly individually, then to discuss the 
order carefully with their partner. Monitor and prompt as students do 
this. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Reading notes
Jumbled readings are diffi cult to do so give students plenty of time 
and help. As you monitor, point out clues such as ordering words (First, 
When, Finally) and repeated vocabulary from one paragraph to another 
(life vest; vest).
Answers
A 1 B 4 C 8 D 5 E 9 F 6 G 11 H 12 I 10 J 2 K 7 
L 3 M 13
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Play the recording. Students listen and check their answers.
Vocabulary in context
Write the following words on the board and ask students to fi nd 
synonyms in the listening script: regular (frequent); attached (fastened); 
fi nd (locate); blow up (infl ate); get to know (familiarize); empty 
(evacuate).
You may also need to check some more specialized words: straps (thin 
pieces of material that you tie together); cord (thick string); brace (bend 
forward with your hands on your head); buckle (metal part of a belt).
EXERCISE 3 Pronunciation
Ask students to work in pairs to take turns practising reading out the 
text and performing the actions. Monitor and correct mispronunciations 
and poor intonation.
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IT 2 Case study
CD1 Track 2.9
1 Did you enjoy welcoming passengers?
S: One of the most exciting parts of the day for me at the beginning of a fl ight 
was the welcoming of passengers because it was the opportunity you’d have 
to give a really cheerful welcome to all the different types of passengers 
that you’d be carrying on that fl ight and the preparation and the team work 
between the crew in preparation of greeting passengers was always very 
exciting and when people come on board there are all sorts of emotions 
coming with that. You’ve got the business traveller who has, you know, a 
frequency of travel and therefore tends to adopt a more serious approach. 
You’ve got the holiday maker who is very excited or a little nervous – you 
know, particularly with infrequent travellers – people who’ve never fl own 
before and then you’ve got those people who are travelling to visit family 
and friends and they’ve got different emotions again and I always saw the 
welcoming part as my opportunity to really welcome people on board in a 
positive and cheerful way showing them that, you know, they were in my safe 
hands really, or our safe hands as a team, collectively.
2 Did you ever experience any problems when welcoming passengers?
S: There was one time I remember. We were leaving Toronto and an elderly 
gentleman boarded the aircraft and as he boarded I said, you know, welcome 
on board sir, and he barely could speak, he could barely walk, although he 
had no assistance and he wasn’t with anybody. I showed him to his seat, but 
it became very apparent very quickly, like within 30 seconds to a minute, that 
this gentleman wasn’t very well and I wasn’t happy to take him all the way to 
London. He looked as though he was seriously ill. I called the paramedics who 
boarded the aircraft and unfortunately they had to take this gentleman off 
which I know he didn’t thank me for because he just wanted to get home, but 
it turned out that he had a serious medical condition that would have been 
life-threatening and it would have meant the fl ight being diverted at great 
cost to the airline and at great time and expense to the rest of the passengers 
on board. As the senior crew member on board that day, which I was, it was 
between myself and the paramedics and I was guided really on that decision by 
the paramedics – I mean I had really laid out, you know, the point that I was 
unhappy to take the passenger if he was sick and it was when the paramedics 
looked at him without any investigation they recognized that he was seriously 
ill, so the decision was between the two of us, but ultimately the paramedics.
3 Do you have any tips for a new fl ight attendant?
S: Anyone who is starting out their career as a fl ight attendant – I would say do 
your job with the most professional and high standard that you could possibly 
have. And a little tip, I think, for anyone fl ying in the air is to keep drinking 
plenty of water because obviously the aircraft can be fairly dehydrating and 
always, always carry a little pot of moisturizer for your lips because your 
lips tend to suffer quite a lot up in the air, so that would be my tip. Oh, 
and defi nitely for the ladies, a new bottle of nail varnish. For the male fl ight 
attendants, again moisturizer is key and drink lots of water because unless 
you have experience of continually working in a dehydrated cabin, you have 
no idea what it’s like to dehydrate which you really will do, so lots of water, 
drink lots of that and keep a little pack of moisturizer with you.
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to discuss the solutions. 
Get feedback in open class and encourage students with interesting ideas 
to share with the class.
ROUND UP
Revise vocabulary from the unit by asking students to write 
words and phrases connected with the industry under the 
following headings:
What's on a boarding pass / Objects in a cabin / Safety instructions
Ask students to work in pairs to write all the words and phrases they 
know, or to search the unit to fi nd words and phrases to write.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write, The fi ght for the overheads on the board. Ask students 
what they think this refers to. Ask, Do you think this is a 
problem? What do you do to help?
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Ask students to read the text quickly and fi nd answers to the questions. 
Let students discuss the answers in pairs before discussing in open class.
Answers
1 the growing problems of storing hand-baggage in the overhead lockers 
as passengers board the aircraft
2 Yes. If there is no space for their bags in the overhead lockers or under 
the seat in front of them, their bags will be off-loaded and put in the 
hold.
EXERCISE 2 Reading
Give students time to read through the questions. Then ask them to 
read the second paragraph, fi nd answers and discuss them in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 people become angry; fl ight attendants are stressed because they can’t 
perform their proper duties
2 store small items under seats, leave space for others, free the aisles
3 safety duties: checking equipment and passengers’ behaviour/needs
Vocabulary in context
Write the following words on the board and ask students to match them 
to synonyms in the text: not relaxed (stressed); large and of an awkward 
shape (bulky); taken off the plane (off-loaded); place where cargo is 
carried (hold); putting away (stowing); moving on the runway (taxiing).
EXERCISE 3 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the questions and think of responses. 
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few 
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize 
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key adjectives: cheerful (happy and friendly); 
life-threatening (may result in death); diverted (when the destination is 
changed during the fl ight); tip (piece of advice).
EXERCISE 4 and5 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 4. Play 
the recording. Students listen, take notes, then discuss their answers in 
pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Follow the same procedure for exercise 5.
Answers
1 The business traveller who is serious, passengers going on holiday, 
maybe fl ying for the fi rst time, who are excited and nervous; 
passengers travelling to visit family and friends. All have different 
feelings.
2 He was an elderly man with an obviously serious medical condition. 
Shon had to decide whether to allow him to travel or not. He wanted 
to travel. He was taken off the plane by paramedics, and a possibly 
serious medical incident was avoided.
3 to do the job with the most professional and highest standard possible
Her tips: drink plenty of water, carry a little pot of moisturizer for 
the lips. For women, take a new bottle of nail varnish; for men, 
moisturizer
U
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IT 3 After take-off and into the fl ight
Language notes
Note that ‘You can ...’ and ‘Kindly ...’ placed before the infi nitive or 
imperative make the phrases more polite and formal. Also, the use of the 
passive (has been switched off) is formal.
EXERCISE 5 and 6 Pronunciation
Ask students to work in pairs to mark the stress. You could do the fi rst 
sentence in open class to get students started. Play the recording. Ask 
students to check their answers. Then play the recording again so that 
they can listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
Words that carry meaning are stressed. These tend to be nouns, verbs and 
adjectives. Make sure students are underlining these key words.
Answers
1 It’s great to have you on board.
2 Please don’t leave your seats unless you have to.
3 We’d like to serve you drinks and snacks as quickly as possible.
4 The seatbelt sign is off.
5 Feel free to walk around.
6 Thanks for your cooperation.
7 We shall be coming through the cabin with refreshments in a few 
moments.
8 We’d really appreciate it if you had the exact change for your 
purchases.
EXERCISE 7 Speaking
Ask students to work in groups of three to practise reading out the texts. 
Once each student has read one text out, ask them to try to make the 
same announcement without reading. Monitor, prompt students to stress 
key words correctly, and feedback on good examples of language use and 
errors you heard at the end.
ROUND UP
Here are two ways of organizing and extending exercise 7.
1 Before they read out the announcements, ask students to 
mark key stresses and pauses on one of the announcements in 
the same way as was suggested in the Pronunciation notes for 
the third lesson in unit 2 (see page 10 of this Trainer’s Guide).
2 After reading out an announcement, ask students to choose 
ten key stressed words from the announcement they read and 
write them in order on a piece of paper. Students then close 
their books and try to reproduce the announcement from the 
key words.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students, Do you usually work on long-haul or short-haul 
fl ights? What jobs do you have to do during the fl ight? In what 
ways is your job different on a long-haul rather than a short-haul 
fl ight?
Ask students to work in pairs to write a list of all the during-
fl ight jobs they have to do. Write the class list on the board. 
Making the first announcements
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Give students time to read through the questions. Check any unknown 
words. Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs. Get feedback in 
open class.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: cooperation (helpfulness); refreshments 
(drinks); change (money in the form of coins); purchases (things you 
buy).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
You may wish students to listen to the announcements with books closed 
fi rst. Set a gist task: What do the announcements have in common? Play 
the recording. Ask students to listen to and read the announcements. 
Then put them in pairs to write in the missing words. Get feedback in 
open class.
Answers
 1 board
 2 unless
 3 quickly
 4 Sorry
 5 free
 6 block
 7 ready
 8 through
 9 orders
10 exact
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs. Play the recording again if 
necessary. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 2 and 3
2 1 – there are no hot snacks.
3 3
EXERCISE 4 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs. Get feedback in open class 
at the end.
FORMAL AND INFORMAL LANGUAGE Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
Which words make the formal phrases formal? Brainstorm other 
expressions with the students.
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IT 3 After take-off and into the fl ight
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Students listen and repeat. 
Pronunciation notes
Note the rising intonation used to make offers and requests sound 
friendly and polite.
➚
Can I help you?
➚
Can you wait a moment?
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs. Ask each pair to decide who is A, and who 
is B, and to prepare what they are going to say before acting out the role 
play. Monitor, prompt students to use rising intonation correctly, and 
feedback on good examples of language use and errors you heard at the 
end. You could ask a couple of pairs to act out a dialogue in open class 
at the end.
EXERCISE 7 Speaking
Elicit ideas from the class, and open up a class discussion. Ask follow-up 
questions: What’s the most unusual request a passenger has made? What 
requests do you fi nd most annoying or diffi cult to deal with?
ROUND UP
Extend the role play in exercise 6 into a fun open class activity. 
Tell each student to imagine they are a passenger and to write 
down a need, a want and a query. Ask two students to stand up 
and walk round the class. They are the fl ight attendants and must 
respond to all the demands the rest of the class (the passengers) 
make of them. Tell the passengers to demand attention. This can 
be fun if the fl ight attendants have to deal with lots of queries. 
After a couple of minutes ask the fl ight attendants to exchange 
roles with two different students.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students to look at the two photographs and say what they 
can see. Elicit as much vocabulary as you can to describe the 
photos (cabin; seats; passengers; overhead lockers; TV screens). 
Ask, What’s the difference between the two photos?
Getting started
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Then get 
feedback in open class.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key phrases: sorry to bother you (sorry to interrupt 
you); a pretty tight connection (very little time between connections).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions. Ask, What do you 
think passengers might need or want in this situation? Play the recording. 
Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in 
open class at the end.
Answers
1 go to the toilet
2 a glass of water
3 heat her baby’s bottle
4 how long it takes to get from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the sentences and write in any words they 
think they know. Play the recording. Students listen, fi ll in the gaps and 
then check their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 sit 2 problem 3 course 4 help 5 with 6 soon 7 do 8 worry 9 get
EXERCISE 4 Speaking
Ask students to discuss this question in small groups. Then discuss in 
open class and encourage students to express their personal views.
DEALING WITH PASSENGER NEEDS Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow.
Language notes
Note the use of I’ll to make a promise.
U
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IT 3 After take-off and into the fl ight
recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the endand ask, Have you ever been in any of 
these situations? What did you do?
Answers
Conversation 1
1 how long the fl ight will be 2 11 hours
Conversation 2
3 at 10.45/in 45 minutes’ time 4 They are hungry.
Conversation 3
5 headphones for her girls/children 6 channel 2
Conversation 4
7 a blanket 8 to remind herself about the blanket
‘COMFORT’ EXPRESSIONS Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
Which words make these phrases ‘comforting’?
Language notes
Can I ... and Let me + infi nitive sound ‘comforting’ because they ask 
permission to take responsibility and do something for someone.
 I’ll, similarly, offers or promises to do something for someone.
EXERCISE 6 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat each phrase. You 
could ask them to take turns reading out the phrases in pairs.
Pronunciation notes
It is important to use a wide intonation pattern in English when trying 
to be comforting and friendly. 
➚ ➘ ➚
Can I get you anything else?
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check elderly (old – over 75 years old) and special needs (having a 
physical or mental disability).
EXERCISE 7 Speaking
Discuss the fi rst of these situations in open class to get students started. 
Then ask them to work in pairs to discuss the rest of the situations. 
Monitor, prompt, and note good ideas which you could get students to 
share in open class in the feedback that follows. At the end, ask, Which of 
these situations are most common? Which are most diffi cult to deal with?
EXERCISE 8 Speaking
Ask students to improvise role plays based on the situations and using 
the words. Monitor, prompt, and note errors and good examples of 
language use which you can comment on in the feedback.
ROUND UP
Extra activity 1
You could extend exercise 8 by asking each pair to prepare a 
short written dialogue involving a fl ight attendant and one of the 
people in exercise 7. When ready, ask a few pairs to act out their 
dialogue in open class.
Extra activity 2
Revise the vocabulary in exercise 1 by asking students to tell you 
opposites (shy/confi dent; nervous/relaxed; unpleasant/nice or 
friendly; noisy/quiet; arrogant/modest; demanding/easy-going) 
or give you words with similar meanings (reserved; anxious; 
unfriendly; loud; rude; diffi cult; horrible).
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students, Have you ever had to deal with a diffi cult 
passenger? Who was the most diffi cult passenger you have had 
and why? How do you deal with diffi cult passengers?
Helping to settle passengers
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class at the end and elicit other adjectives students 
could use to describe diffi cult passengers.
Speaking notes
A good way of managing an extended discussion like this is to make one 
student in each group of four the ‘chairperson’ – it is their job to ask the 
questions, nominate people to speak in their group, and to summarize 
what was said in the feedback.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: my pleasure (you’re welcome); poor (not 
good); blanket (thick woollen cover).
EXERCISE 2 and 3 Listening
Play the recording. Students listen and note the problems. Let them 
check answers in pairs before discussing in open class.
Answers 2
Passenger 1: She can’t get her bag down from the overhead locker.
Passenger 2: He needs a blanket.
Passenger 3: He wants his meal.
Passenger 4: She wants to change seats.
Play the recording so that students can write the questions in exercise 3. 
Check in pairs. In feedback, write up the questions on the board so 
students can check they have formed them correctly.
Answers 3
Passenger 1: Are you feeling better now?
Passenger 2: Can I help you, sir?
Passenger 3: Did you call, sir?
Passenger 4: Is everything all right?
EXERCISE 4 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students, Which words did they stress? and How 
did they sound caring? Then ask students to listen to each phrase again 
and to repeat it. Ask students to work in pairs to take turns practising 
reading out the sentences in a caring way. 
Pronunciation notes
Note the strong stress (in bold) and the intonation pattern:
➚
Are you feeling better now?
➚
Did you call, sir?
➚
I do apologize.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: starving (very hungry); shortly (very 
soon); remind (help me remember).
EXERCISE 5 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions. Ask if they can 
predict the topic of any of the conversations from the questions. Play the 
14
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IT 3 Case study
and the preparation will take about 10 to 15 minutes. In between all of that 
you're dealing with passenger queries. You know, somebody will be ringing the 
bell because as soon as they're airborne and the seatbelt signs go off, they 
want their questions answered, or they might feel cold or they might have a 
connection problem that they want to know about, so just after that take-off 
it can be quite intense for the cabin crew, setting the trolleys up and dealing 
with general passenger queries.
2 Is there a big difference after take-off on short-haul and long-haul fl ights?
S: The only difference between short-haul and long-haul fl ights in terms of the 
duties that fl ight attendants have is the speed I think because on a short-haul 
fl ight speed is of the essence so fl ight attendants have to work very, very fast 
to get those drinks trolleys or whichever service they are starting with, out, 
whereas on a long-haul fl ight there is not that time that you are racing against, 
so I think speed is probably the only thing that I can think of that is a real 
difference between short-haul and long-haul. I preferred the long-haul fl ights. 
It was always exciting anyway to know that you were going to Kuala Lumpur or 
Tokyo, but on top of that the long-haul fl ights for me were great because you 
had a chance to really interact with the passengers on board. You weren’t just 
having them for 30 minutes, which was the short-haul option and throughout 
a 12- or 14-hour fl ight you could really get to know some people well and do a 
really great job looking after them, so I particularly like the long-haul.
3 Did you have any strange experiences after take-off?
S: I remember once when I fi rst started fl ying, I was only about 20 and I was 
on a charter fl ight out of Birmingham and as we rumbled down the runway a 
lovely old couple sat in front of me at the door exit and as we took off this 
man sitting opposite me suddenly grabbed my foot and he held onto it for 
at least fi ve minutes and I couldn’t move and I was nudging and poking my 
colleague and we were giggling quietly and only when the aircraft levelled out 
I was able to shake my foot at the passenger who was still holding it and he 
looked, he was so embarrassed, and he hadn’t realized how frightened he was 
and had grabbed my foot, and I couldn’t move, I couldn’t get up to help set 
up the drinks trolleys or do anything because he was holding onto my foot. 
So, that was quite funny and I’ve never forgotten it.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs or groups of three/four to discuss the 
questions. Get feedback in open class and encourage students with 
interesting ideas to share with the class.
ROUND UP
Revise useful phrases from the unit by writing the following 
situations on the board and asking students to recall phrases 
that could be used in each situation:
Tell passengers ...
... you’re busy.
... they can stand up.
... you’re coming with the food trolley.
... you’re there to help.
... there is nothing to worry about.
Ask students to work in pairs to write all the words and phrases 
they know, or to search the unit to fi nd words and phrases to 
write.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write, Flying with children on the board. Ask students what they 
think this refers to. Ask, What are the good things and bad things 
abouthaving kids on board? What do you do to deal with any 
problems?
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read the questions and check harsh (too strict or 
severe). Then ask students to read the text and make notes. Let students 
discuss the answers in pairs before discussing in open class.
Answers
1 children kicking the backs of seats; families talking loudly and passing 
things backwards and forwards; babies crying loudly
2 Some passengers want parents to control children more, some suggest 
‘family-only’ zones on board. Cabin crew can ask parents to control 
children. Airlines sometimes provide cards / colouring books on the 
aircraft, and tables / chairs / toys at the departure gate.
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to match 
them to synonyms in the text: say they are at fault (blame); prepared 
to allow bad behaviour (permissive); small with little space to move 
(cramped); crazy (insane); out of control (unruly).
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the questions and think of responses. 
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few 
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize 
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key phrases: fl urry of activity (a lot of things 
happening at once); dealing with queries (answering questions); speed 
is of the essence (it is important to be quick); interact with passengers 
(meet and talk to passengers); nudging and poking (getting someone’s 
attention by putting your elbow or fi nger into their side); giggling 
(laughing like a small child).
EXERCISE 3 and 4 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 3. Play 
the recording. Students listen, take notes, then discuss their answers in 
pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Follow the same procedure for exercise 4.
Answers
1 getting the drinks trolleys ready for the fi rst service; dealing with 
passengers’ queries
2 The biggest difference is the need for speed on short-haul fl ights. 
Shon preferred long-haul because of the exotic destinations and, 
above all, the chance to interact with passengers.
3 During take-off an elderly man held on to her foot without realizing it. 
(Students’ own ideas for what else she could have done)
CD1 Track 3.9
1 After take-off what were your main duties?
S: Once the aircraft is in the air and the seatbelt signs go off, fl ight attendants 
are usually very, very busy. We are jumping out of our seats and getting the 
drinks trolleys ready for that fi rst service and there’s quite a fl urry of activity 
there because obviously the galleys are quite small and trolleys are coming out 
U
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IT 4 Food and drinks
Answers
1 T
2 F – he chooses red wine.
3 F – it is South African.
4 True, but this is not on the menu.
5 T – she asks ‘Is the chicken very spicy?’ and she says ‘Good.’ when told 
it is ‘just mildly spiced’.
6 F – she asks for a special children’s meal.
7 T – she hasn’t pre-ordered a children’s menu.
8 F – she chooses still water for herself and 7up for her children.
9 T
OFFERING A CHOICE Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
Which phrase is more informal?
Language notes
Note that would like is followed by the infi nitive with to. What can I get 
you? is more informal. What will you have? is also possible here.
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation 
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and notice the intonation 
pattern. Then play the recording again so that students can listen and 
repeat.
Pronunciation notes
The intonation rises on both choices.
➚ ➚
Coffee or tea?
The intonation rises because the speaker is being tentative (he/she 
doesn’t know what the answer will be) and polite (it’s a formal situation).
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to take turns asking and ordering. 
Alternatively, ask pairs to prepare and write a dialogue and then practise 
it together. Monitor, prompt students to use intonation correctly, and 
feedback on good examples of language use and errors you heard at 
the end.
ROUND UP
Here are two ways of organizing and extending exercise 6.
1 Write the following adjectives on the board: quiet; confi dent; 
rude; nervous; confused; troublesome; angry. When students 
are ready to act out the asking and ordering task, tell the 
‘passenger’ to choose one of the ‘personalities’ on the board 
and play their part as that character. Students could act out 
different dialogues as different characters.
2 Ask students to work in pairs to design their own menu card. 
Mix pairs and ask them to act out dialogues using the new 
home-made menu cards.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students, What was on the menu on the last fl ight you made? 
What snacks and beverages do you mostly serve or sell? What type 
of food do you normally serve on short-haul/long-haul fl ights? 
How does the food and drink differ in economy class from business 
class?
Ask students to work in pairs to write a list of all the food that is 
currently on their airline’s menu card. Write the class list of food 
and drinks on the board.
Giving a choice
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read through the questions. Check any unknown 
words. Then ask students to work in pairs to search the menu and fi nd 
the answers. They don’t need to read every word and should be able to 
do this task in less than a minute. Get feedback in open class.
Answers
1 breakfast and lunch 2 three 3 three 4 probably in the morning, as 
breakfast is served fi rst
EXERCISE 2 Reading
Ask students to work in pairs to fi nd food words and put them in the 
correct category. Get feedback in open class.
Answers
Fruit: orange, strawberries
Meat/Fish: seafood, chicken, beef tenderloin
Vegetables/Herbs: seasonal salad, tomatoes, caulifl ower, onions, beans, 
peas, chives, potatoes, red pepper, green salad
Dairy food: yoghurt, butter, Parmesan (cheese), cheese sauce, cream
Vocabulary in context
Check the following more diffi cult words: assorted (various); crunchy 
(hard to bite into – like carrots); topped (placed on top); shredded 
(broken into tiny pieces); accompanied (with); tender (soft to bite into); 
marinated (left in oil and herbs to get fl avour); garnished (placed there 
to look attractive rather than be eaten); chopped (cut into small pieces 
with a sharp knife); roasted (cooked in an oven).
Chives are long, thin, green herbs which taste a bit like onion.
A mousse is a soft pudding.
EXERCISE 3 Vocabulary
Ask students to label the objects, then check with a partner. In the 
feedback, ask students to repeat the words after your model to practise 
their pronunciation.
Answers
1 dessert 2 fi rst course/salad 3 cup 4 fork 5 knife 6 roll 
7 main course 8 spoon 9 butter 10 napkin/serviette
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following words: option (choice); spicy (hot, strong fl avour); 
mild (not strong); prior (before); spare (extra).
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and the questions. Check spicy 
(has a strong hot fl avour). Play the recording. Ask students to listen and 
write T or F. Then ask them to check their answers in pairs. Get feedback 
in open class.
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EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to read the questions. Play the recording. Let 
students check their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at 
the end.
Answers
1 No, she doesn’t.
2 four
3 He wants tea, but will have to wait because only cold drinks are 
being served.
4 two
5 ‘Here we are. Enjoy.’
6 Yes, he says the meal is great.
7 because the bar is shut
8 a soft drink
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Give students time to read through the situation and the lists. Play the 
recording. Students listen and repeat. 
Pronunciation notes
Note theintonation pattern in lists, particularly the falling intonation on 
the last word.
➚ ➚ ➚ ➘
Apple, orange, pineapple or tomato.
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to practise making orders. One student lists 
a choice of wines and beers. The other student responds by saying, for 
example, a glass of sauvignon blanc, please. They then change roles and 
categories. Monitor, prompt students to use intonation correctly, and 
feedback on good examples of language use and errors you heard at the 
end. You could ask a couple of pairs to act out a dialogue in open class 
at the end.
EXERCISE 7 Speaking
Give students time to add to the list. Then ask them to discuss the 
problems in pairs or small groups and decide which ones are the worst. 
In feedback, ask, How do you deal with each of these problems?
ROUND UP
Ask students, What drinks are most commonly served on your 
airline? Which are the most popular? Which drinks do you like?
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the letters of the alphabet in a list down the left side of 
the board: A, B, C, D, etc. Ask students to give you the names 
of drinks beginning with the letters: apple juice/ale; bourbon/
brandy; cointreau/coke; etc. 
You could divide the class into two teams. Team A must think of 
a drink beginning with the letter a, team B think of one with b. 
Team A then have to think of one with c, etc. Each team gets a 
point if they know a drink. At the end, see which team has most 
points.
Serving drinks
EXERCISE 1 Listening
Give students time to look through the list. Then play the recording. 
Students listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
Note the strong stress in the English pronunciation of the following 
words: chocolate; cappuccino; lemonade; champagne; tomato; espresso.
EXERCISE 2 Vocabulary
Ask students to work in pairs to put the words in the correct columns. 
Ask fast fi nishers to add extra words, and make a list of extra words in 
feedback.
Answers
Wines and beers Spirits Soft drinks Hot drinks
Sauvignon Blanc
Merlot
Bloody Mary
Martini
Kronenberg
port
Carlsberg
Bordeaux
champagne
Johnny Walker
cognac
vodka
Bacardi rum
bourbon
soda
Perrier
apple juice
diet Coke
lemonade
bottled still 
water
tomato juice
tonic water
ginger ale
fruit tea
hot chocolate
cappuccino
Earl Grey tea
English Breakfast 
tea
espresso
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following word: local (from the city or country the plane has 
left or is fl ying to).
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and types of drinks. Play the 
recording. Students listen and put the drinks in order. Let them check 
their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class.
Answers
a 7 b 4 c 3 d 1 e 6 f 2 g 9 h 5 i 8
Pronunciation notes
You may wish to point out the common weak /@/ sound in some of these 
phrases:
/@/ /@/
a cup of tea
/@/ /@/
a gin and tonic 
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MONEY EXPRESSIONS Language focus
Give students time to read through the ways of talking about money in 
the box. You could check understanding by writing a couple of sums on 
the board and asking students to say them (for example, 31 + 18 = 49; 
16 x 3 = 48).
Language notes
Note that plus and and and makes, comes to and equals have the same 
meaning. 
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat each phrase. You 
could ask them to take turns reading out the phrases in pairs.
Pronunciation notes
Note the pronunciation of the following: equals /"i;kw@ls/; minus 
/"maIn@s/; receipt /rI"si;t/.
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Do the fi rst of the sums in open class to get students started, then put 
them in pairs to write the other totals. Ask students to practise saying 
the sums.
Language notes
Note the different ways we can express sums of money:
$19.50 = nineteen (dollars) fi fty; nineteen dollars and fi fty cents
£12.80 = twelve (pounds) eighty; twelve pounds and eighty pence
Answers
1 $46.50 2 $8.25 3 €56.75 4 €13.50 5 £22.90 6 $40.59
EXERCISE 7 and 8 Speaking
Discuss these tasks in open class. Find out how much students know.
Answers
Spain: euro China: renminbi Australia: Australian dollar Brazil: real 
Singapore: Singapore dollar Saudi Arabia: Saudi riyal Russia: rouble 
UAE: dirham Nigeria: naira Pakistan: rupee
EXERCISE 9 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to act out the mini-dialogues. Monitor, 
prompt, and correct involving the pronunciation of sums of money. 
Feedback on good examples of language use and errors at the end.
EXERCISE 10 Speaking
Ask students to talk about their personal knowledge and experiences in 
small groups. 
ROUND UP
Play a competitive game to practise saying sums of money. Write 
fi ve or six items from the list in exercise 3 on the board and ask 
students to give you realistic prices for each. Write the prices 
next to each item. Then ask students to work in pairs and tell 
them you are going to order some duty-free and the fi rst pair to 
shout out the correct price gets a point. Say, for example, I’d like 
two scarves and a bottle of whisky. Award a point to the fi rst pair 
with an answer, then move on to a second order. Make fi ve or six 
orders before praising the pair with most points.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to think of as many duty-free items 
as they can in one minute. Find out which pair thought up the 
most. In feedback, check students' knowledge of prices on their 
fl ights by asking, How much is a bottle of whisky/a bottle of 
perfume/a box of chocolates/etc?
Duty-free sales
EXERCISE 1 Listening
Give students time to quickly read through the text and see if they can 
guess the missing words. Then play the recording. Students listen and 
fi ll in the gaps. Let them check their answers in pairs before getting 
feedback in open class.
Answers
1 begin 2 list 3 pocket 4 using 5 accept 6 win 7 excellent
EXERCISE 2 Vocabulary
Ask students to work in pairs to match the words. In feedback, point 
out aspects of grammar (for example, shortly often comes at the end of 
a sentence) and pronunciation (purchases = /"p3;tS@sIz/) involving these 
words. You could also explain the difference between money (general 
word), currency (used to describe money from different countries) and 
cash (notes and coins).
Answers
1 shortly 2 purchases 3 prepare 4 frequent fl yers 5 bargains 
6 designed
EXERCISE 3 Vocabulary
Put students into pairs to categorize the words. Monitor and help. In 
feedback, check any words the students are unsure of, and point out any 
diffi cult pronunciations (USB /ju: es bi:/; mascara /m&"ska;r@/; bracelet 
/"breIsl@t/). Ask students what other words they thought of.
Answers
Perfumes and jewellery: a brooch, perfume spray, earrings, eau de 
toilette, a crystal pendant, a bracelet
Electric and electronic items: a USB key, a travel plug adaptor, 
a travel razor, headphones
Alcohol and tobacco: whisky, cognac, cigars, vodka, champagne, 
cigarettes
Cosmetics: face cream, aftershave, lipstick, mascara
Gifts: a soft toy, chocolates, a watch, a model aircraft, a scarf, a pen
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following words: a bargain (at a good value price); a classic 
(used to describe a book that has been successful for a long time); 
recommend (say which is the best choice).
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions. Play the 
recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the end and ask, Have you ever been in this 
situation? In what way was it different?
Answers
1 perfume 2 $41 3 a scarf 4 by credit card 5 because he wants his 
frequent fl yer points 6 a receipt
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excited, or, or if they wanted to be left alone and you could really gauge that 
quite well during that fi rst part of the meals or drinks service, and you could 
get to know people a little as well. You know, you’d get to know that little 
old lady who was very nervous about fl ying to Australia for the fi rst time and 
you’d also get to, you know, speak to a widerange of people for, you know, a 
duration, which was, which was good. During the food and drinks service quite 
often, particularly on international fl ights you’d have a lot of people on board 
who wouldn’t be able to speak the language, but there was never any problem 
with the food and drink. People all over the world seem to know what a coke 
is or whether they are having beef or chicken, so food and drink was never an 
issue with foreign language, which was always useful.
2 How much do cabin crew know about the meals in advance?
S: During the pre-fl ight briefi ng that all airlines carry out, the crew get to know 
about the meals in advance. We would know how many passengers we have on 
board – we would know any special meal requirements that are needed and any 
dietary problems and we would know of any special requests that a passenger 
may have given prior to their fl ight, so we have all that information and by 
the time we get on board we check the catering to make sure those passenger 
requirements are actually on board. 
3 Do you remember one special incident during the meals service?
S: During the meals service it can be horrifi c because although I’ve said that 
it’s a really great time to engage with customers, it’s also quite a frenetic 
time because passengers are also worried to know whether the meal they've 
requested is on board. One particular occasion I remember was a lady 
travelling from London to Hong Kong and she had three children and had 
requested three special children’s meals. Unfortunately, my stewardess had 
actually given the three children meals to the row in front of her, who just 
happened to have three children in the row in front, so of course the fi rst I 
heard of it was when the call bell rang and this very irate lady was so cross – I 
mean she was shouting and screaming at the stewardess at how stupid the 
stewardess had been and why should these other people get her children’s 
meals that she had requested. It was a diffi cult situation but I managed to 
calm her down by listening to her and sorting out the children with food from 
Business class and First class which was very fortunate because this particular 
fl ight we had a lot of children and a lot of children’s meals and there weren’t 
any spare, so the only way I was able to appease this lady was to go and make 
up a dinner from the First class menu and fortunately managed to do that. But 
yes, it was an occasion I remember well.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class and encourage students with interesting ideas 
to share with the class. 
ROUND UP
Revise vocabulary from the unit by asking students to write 
words and phrases connected with food and drinks under the 
following headings:
Breakfast / Drinks / Fruit and vegetables / Food adjectives / 
Duty-free goods
Ask students to work in pairs to write all the words and phrases 
they know, or to search the unit to fi nd words and phrases to 
write.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write, I think airline food is ... on the board. Ask students to 
work in pairs and give them time to complete the sentence with 
their own thoughts. Then get feedback and discuss in open class.
You could brainstorm positive and negative words used to 
describe food: 
+ delicious; tasty; fresh; tender; succulent
– disgusting; tasteless; bland; dreadful
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read the questions. Then ask them to read the 
text and make notes. Let students discuss the answers in pairs before 
discussing in open class.
Answers
1 Passengers = 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10
 Crew = 4,5,6
 Either = 7
2 positive: 1, 3 and 10; negative: 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9 (3 contains both 
negative and positive comments); no opinion: 4, 5 and 6
3 positive: fi ne, well prepared, look great, taste even better 
 negative: the worst, bland, not very hot, badly presented, tasteless, 
dreadful, not fi t for human consumption
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the questions and think of responses. 
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few 
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize 
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key phrases: engage with passengers (talk to them); 
gauge passengers (work out what sort of person they are); get to know 
passengers (meet and become friends with them); appease passengers 
(say things to calm them down when they are angry).
EXERCISE 3 and 4 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 3. Play 
the recording. Students listen, take notes and then discuss their answers 
in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Follow the same procedure for exercise 4.
Answers
1 because she had the chance to engage with the passengers and get to 
know them
2 during the pre-fl ight briefi ng; the number of meals and the nature of 
any special meals needed
3 The woman’s children were given food from First and Business class.
CD1 Track 4.9
1 Did you enjoy this part of the fl ight?
S: I enjoyed all parts of the in-fl ight service but the nicest part was probably 
doing the meals and the drinks because that was the chance you had to 
engage with the passengers for the fi rst time after take-off and you’d come 
through the cabin and you could really hold some good conversations with 
passengers and fi nd out, you know, how they were feeling, and you know, how 
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Pronunciation notes
Note that the intonation pattern in questions is only a tendency – some 
varieties of English tend to go up on both yes/no questions and open 
questions. A rising intonation suggests hesitance and uncertainty as to 
what the answer will be.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: transit (going from one fl ight to another); 
snack (light, cold food); high temperature (hot because you are ill); 
paracetamol (medicine for pain such as headache).
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to read through the situations fi rst. (You could do 
the lead in idea above if you didn’t do it at the start of the lesson.) Play 
the recording. Let students check their answers in pairs before getting 
feedback in open class.
Answers
1 i 2 e 3 d 4 a
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Check students understand all the words. Ask students to discuss the 
questions in pairs or small groups. You could get students to order the 
roles in order of importance. Get feedback in open class.
Answers
1 information offi cer 2 waiter(ress) 3 nanny 4 nurse
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class. Ask, Which roles best describe your job? Which are 
the most diffi cult roles? What was the most unusual role you ever had to 
play? 
ROUND UP
Ask students to remember useful expressions that they have 
learnt from the course so far and match them to the roles 
discussed in exercise 5. For example, under waiter (What would 
you like, sir?), under information offi cer (You can move around 
the cabin now), under friend (Don’t worry. It’ll be all right).
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the following adjectives on the board: cold; hungry; thirsty; 
noisy; nervous; worried; rude; troublesome; sick; angry. Tell 
students that all these adjectives can describe passengers during 
a fl ight. Ask if they can think of any other adjectives to describe 
passengers. Then ask, What problems do each of these passenger 
types have? What do they say? How do you respond? 
Note that these adjectives come up in exercise 4, so you could do 
this activity as a lead in to the listening later in the lesson.
Identifying passenger problems
EXERCISE 1 Speaking 
Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to make a list of problems. 
Get brief class feedback and build up a list on the board. Ask, Which are 
the most common problems? How do you deal withthem?
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: plugged in (connected to the electricity 
supply); volume button (controls how loud a machine is).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read through the questions fi rst. Ask if they can 
guess the problems from the questions. Play the recording. Let students 
check their answers in pairs before getting feedback in open class.
Answers
1 get the sound to work on his headphones
2 no
3 Yes. He alters the volume.
4 A fi lm (movie) – The English Patient.
5 Yes. He selects the fi lm for her.
FINDING OUT THE PROBLEM Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. 
Brainstorm any other similar expressions from students. (For example, 
Do you need any help? Do you have a problem? Do you need a hand?)
Language notes
Note that What is ...? abbreviates to What’s in spoken English. Matter 
means problem.
EXERCISE 3 Pronunciation 
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat. You can help 
show the intonation pattern with a hand movement: hold your right 
hand in front of you, horizontally, palm down, then move it up to show 
rising intonation, or down to show falling intonation. A visual gesture 
is a surprisingly useful aid to students attempting to learn intonation 
patterns.
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Language notes
I’ll uses the abbreviated form of the modal verb will and is followed by 
the base infi nitive. It is used to make offers, promises and even threats. 
Although called the future simple form, it is effectively used to make 
offers both now and/or in the future. 
Many learners revert to the present simple to make offers (I get you a 
blanket). Make sure your students are aware that they should use and 
pronounce ’ll.
Note the use of get, a word which has many meanings in English and 
here is used to mean bring or fi nd. It’s used informally in spoken English.
EXERCISE 4 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Students listen and repeat. 
Pronunciation notes
I’ll /aIl/ is diffi cult to pronounce. Students should start the sound with 
lips apart in a circle on ‘a’, close the lips a little through ‘i’, then fi nish 
the sound by touching the top palate just behind the teeth with their 
tongue to make ‘l’.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Read through the problems with the class and check students understand 
all the words. Then have a conversation in open class to get students 
started and show them how the prompts work: You say a problem, then 
you elicit a query from the class, then you explain, etc. Ask students to 
work in pairs. Tell each pair to decide who is the passenger, and who is 
the fl ight attendant, and to prepare what they are going to say before 
acting out their fi rst role play. Then ask them to change roles and act 
out a different situation. Monitor, prompt students to use I’ll correctly, 
and feedback on good examples of language use and errors you heard. 
You could ask a couple of pairs to act out a dialogue in open class at 
the end.
ROUND UP
Ask students to work in pairs to choose one of the photographs 
on page 38 and prepare a dialogue to go with the photo. When 
they are ready, ask a few pairs to act out their dialogue in open 
class. The rest of the class must guess which photograph they are 
basing their dialogue on.
LEAD IN Speaking
Revise the previous lesson by asking students to tell you what 
minor problems were discussed. Revise useful vocabulary for 
exercise 1 by asking students to look at the four photographs on 
page 38 and work with a partner to label as many objects as they 
can and to think of useful verbs (eg, seatbelt; buckle; fasten; 
blanket; get; pass; stow; handset; press; card; fi ll in; menu; order).
Dealing with problems
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to come up with ideas 
about what the fl ight attendants are saying. Then get feedback in open 
class.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: upright (not leaning back); fasten 
(connect the two parts of a seatbelt).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the questions. Ask, What do you think the 
fl ight attendant will say in each situation? Play the recording. Students 
listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class 
at the end.
Answers
1 He offers to check on their arrival time.
2 a sandwich
3 a blanket
4 no
5 She offers to try to fi nd a doctor or nurse.
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the sentences and write in any words they 
think they know. Ask, What part of speech are the missing words? 
(infi nitives of verbs). Play the recording. Students listen, fi ll in the gaps 
and then check in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 get back 2 get 3 meantime 4 see 5 ask
OFFERING TO HELP (1) Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. 
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APOLOGIZING Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
Which phrases are most apologetic? (I do apologize; I can only apologize) 
Language notes
In spoken English, when the auxiliary verb is used and expressed in full 
it is done so for emphasis: I am sorry; I do apologize.
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Ask students to read the sentences and note the strongly stressed words 
in bold. Play the recording. Ask students, Which words did they stress? 
and How did they use intonation to sound apologetic? Then ask students 
to listen to each phrase again and to repeat it.
Ask students to work in pairs to take turns practising reading out the 
sentences in an apologetic way. 
Pronunciation notes
English is a stress-timed language which has a much wider intonation 
pattern and much stronger stresses than many other languages, so 
students may fi nd it odd to master such an exaggerated way of speaking 
(to their ears).
To sound very apologetic in English, start the intonation pattern high 
and exaggerate the pattern.
Note the strong stress (in bold) and the intonation pattern:
 
I do apologize.
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Read through the problems with the class and check they understand 
all the words. Then have a conversation in open class to get students 
started and show them how the prompts work: You say a problem, then 
you elicit an apology from the class, then you refuse it, etc. Ask students 
to work in pairs. Tell each pair to decide who is the passenger, and who 
the fl ight attendant, and to prepare what they are going to say before 
acting out their fi rst role play. Then ask them to change roles and act out 
a different situation. Monitor, prompt students to use a wide intonation 
pattern correctly, and feedback on good examples of language use and 
errors you heard. You could ask a couple of pairs to act out a dialogue in 
open class at the end.
ROUND UP
Write, My most embarrassing moment on the board. If you can 
think of a good example, describe a situation in your career 
when something went wrong, you felt embarrassed, and you 
had to apologize. Then ask the class if they can think of any 
embarrassing situations they can share. If students are reluctant 
to speak, ask them to work in pairs to share and then ask pairs 
to tell the class about what they discussed.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write a few situations on the board: There are no sandwiches 
left; You bump into a passenger in the aisle; You spill coffee on a 
passenger; A passenger’s handset doesn’t work; You can’t accept 
a passenger’s credit card. Ask students, Would you apologize in 
these situations? Which situation is most serious or embarrassing? 
What would you say in each situation?
Saying sorry
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class at the end and elicit interestingpersonal 
experiences.
Speaking notes
A good way of managing an extended discussion like this is to make one 
student in each group of four the ‘chairperson’ – it is their job to ask the 
questions, nominate people to speak in their group, and to summarize 
what was said in the feedback.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: what a pity (how disappointing); same 
old story (this always happens); run out (not have any more).
EXERCISE 2 Listening 
Give students time to read the situation, then play the recording. 
Students listen and note the problems. Let them check answers in pairs 
before discussing in open class.
Answers
peppermint tea, tomato juice, cheese sandwiches
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the questions and write any answers they 
already know. Then play the recording again. Students listen and note 
the answers. Let them check answers in pairs before getting feedback in 
open class.
Answers
1 Passenger 3: ‘I don’t believe it – it’s the same old story. You always 
seem to run out.’
2 Passenger 3: ‘They’ve been very popular today.’
3 four
4 Seven, if you include ‘I’m afraid we’ve only got apple juice and orange 
juice today.’
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to complete any gaps they can, then play the 
recording extract. Let students check answers in pairs before getting 
feedback in open class.
Answers
1 get 2 sandwiches 3 run 4 popular 5 chicken 6 same 
7 seem 8 apologize 9 way 10 about
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way, most passengers are happy. So I would say in general they're not diffi cult 
to please. There’s just a minority that may have problems and they can be the 
diffi cult part of a fl ight attendant’s job. Goodness, if fl ight attendants didn’t 
have the appropriate training to handle in-fl ight situations, particularly with 
customer complaints and customer problems, I think there'd be a lot more 
unhappy customers. So the training is quite intense. There’s usually, most 
airlines will usually provide at least a week or possibly two weeks of customer 
service training whereby one week of that, or half of that training is centred 
on handling passenger complaints so they have good training to deal with 
common situations.
2 What’s the most common minor complaint?
S: You know, the most common complaint we have on board as fl ight attendants 
is the seating. A lot of people can’t pre-book their seat and they either want 
a window seat or they want an aisle seat or they want to be near the front or 
they want to be near their friends who they’ve been separated from because 
their friend was able to book their seat, etcetera, so the commonest problem 
is seating. And I think the second most common problem you’ll experience as 
a fl ight attendant is the meals, because when there are meals on board we can 
only carry, you know, a choice of two, maximum three, and we always seem to 
run out of the choice that passengers want the most of that day, so those are 
the two most common complaints.
3 Is the passenger always right?
S: I think the passenger is always right. If they have a problem, or if they 
think they have a problem, or they think something’s wrong, I think it’s 
important that the fl ight crew acknowledge that, and show the customer or 
the passenger that they understand the problem and that they're going to deal 
with it, so, in many ways I do believe that the passenger is always right. In 
technical terms they are always right, but of course we know in reality that, 
you know, they may not be right, but I do feel that it’s important that fl ight 
crew can see that if the passenger thinks there’s a problem then we must 
accept that and deal with the problem so that the passenger feels comfortable 
and happy that their problem has been acknowledged and is being dealt with. 
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class and encourage students with interesting ideas to 
share with the class. 
ROUND UP
Revise useful words and phrases from the unit by telling students 
you are going to read out a list of prompts and they must write a 
word or phrase for each. Then read out the following:
Write down ...
A way of apologizing
A type of criminal
A passenger problem
A role that fl ight attendants play
A way of asking if passengers have a problem
A way of offering to get something
Let students discuss their answers in pairs before getting 
feedback in open class.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write, Pickpocket strikes on fl ight from Tokyo to Paris on the 
board. Point out that a pickpocket is a thief who steals personal 
belongings without the victim noticing. Ask students what they 
think this headline is about. Ask, Have you ever experienced a 
crime on a fl ight? What happened?
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read the questions, and check any unknown words. 
Then ask students to read the text and make notes. Let students discuss 
their answers in pairs before discussing in open class.
Answers
1 Thousands of pounds in cash was stolen from passengers as they slept 
on the overnight fl ight from Tokyo to Paris.
2 at least six passengers, in Business class
3 No. The airline did not comment on this particular incident, but said 
that in general passengers’ belongings in the cabin are their own 
responsibility
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to match 
them to synonyms in the text: see or notice (spot); amounts (sums); say 
who it is (identify); disappeared (vanished). You could also ask students 
to fi nd words connected with money in the text: pounds, worth, cash, 
wallets, sums, currencies, prices, pay.
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the questions and think of responses. 
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few 
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize 
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: nerve-wracking (making you feel nervous); 
courteous (very polite); intense (strongly felt); acknowledge (recognize).
EXERCISE 3 and 4 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 3. Play 
the recording. Students listen, take notes and then discuss their answers 
in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Follow the same procedure for exercise 4.
Answers
1 Usually most airlines provide a week or possibly two weeks of customer 
service training and one week, or half, of that training is centred on 
handling passenger complaints.
2 the seating and the choice of meals
3 show that you understand the passenger’s point of view, and deal with 
their problem
CD1 Track 5.9
1 In general, are passengers diffi cult to please?
S: You know, fl ying is always very tense and nerve-wracking for passengers and 
crew alike, and on the whole most passengers are easy to please, providing 
you give them what they want, when they want it, in a polite and courteous 
U
N
IT 6 Is there a doctor on board?
Pronunciation notes
Point out the pronunciation of the following vocabulary items: 
hurt /h3;t/; bleeding /"bli;di•/; dizzy /"dIzi:/
CHECK ➞ CALL ➞ CARE Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow.
Language notes
Note that, in an emergency, the imperative form (Get ...) is used to tell 
people what to do and Can you ...? is used to ask people to do things. 
We use going to + infi nitive to talk about intentions and plans which the 
speaker has already decided to do.
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Ask students to look at the questions in pairs and decide which are open 
questions with falling intonation and which are yes/no questions with 
rising intonation. Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat.
EXERCISE 6 Vocabulary
Ask students to work in pairsto label the diagram. In feedback, point 
out the stress and pronunciation of these words and ask students to 
repeat them after your model.
Answers
 1 automatic external defi brillator (AED)
 2 cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) mask
 3 aspirin
 4 antiseptic wipes
 5 gloves
 6 bandages?
 7 syringes
 8 oxygen
 9 stethoscope
10 dressings
Pronunciation notes
Note the stress in these words: stethoscope; syringes; bandages; 
oxygen; antiseptic.
Note: CPR /%si; pi; "a;(r)/; AED /eI i; di;/
Follow up by asking students for which medical emergencies they would 
use each piece of equipment in the picture. 
ROUND UP
You could extend exercise 5 into a speaking activity. Ask pairs 
to choose a medical emergency (for example, a fall in the cabin; 
somebody faints), then write a dialogue using the phrases in the 
language focus and/or exercise 5. Ask some pairs to act out their 
dialogue in open class.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students, What procedures do you follow to avoid accidents on 
planes? Use mime to elicit the vocabulary of accidents. It is easy 
to mime the following: trip up; bang your head; cut yourself; fall 
down/over; spill hot coffee; twist your ankle/knee.
Dealing with an on-board accident
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Give students time to read through the questions. Check any unknown 
words. Then ask students to discuss the questions in pairs. Get feedback 
in open class.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: suspended (stopped for a short time); 
unconscious (when you are in a condition like sleep after hitting your 
head); injury (physical damage); nasty (not nice).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Ask students to look at the picture, and ask, What do you think the 
accident in the listening might be? Give students time to read the 
situation and questions. Play the recording. Students listen and then 
discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 a female passenger in row 20
2 a head wound
3 During the turbulence a laptop fell out of the overhead locker onto her 
head.
4 to take his seat and strap in securely
5 to get the fi rst aid kit immediately
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read through the questions. Ask if they can 
predict the next part of the listening. Play the recording. Students listen 
and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at 
the end.
Answers
1 No one. She is alone.
2 a bit dizzy
3 a glass of water
4 a small cut
5 clean up the wound and put a dressing over it
6 hold a compress against her forehead; get into her seat and strap in
EXERCISE 4 Vocabulary
Ask students to work in pairs to complete the sentences. Check answers 
in feedback by reading out the sentences with the missing words in. 
You could ask students to listen and repeat. Check the meaning of the 
missing words.
Answers
1 hurt; bleeding 2 fell 3 feeling 4 bang 5 dressing 
6 dizzy 7 hold
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U
N
IT 6 Is there a doctor on board?
Pronunciation notes
The imperative form is strongly stressed in each sentence.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key word: diagnosis (doctor’s decision about what is 
wrong with a patient).
EXERCISE 6 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and the questions. Ask, What 
do you think will happen in this situation? Play the recording. Students 
listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class 
at the end.
Answers
1 that the man is going into cardiac arrest 2 yes 3 that they divert 
the plane to the nearest hospital without delay 4 The captain will 
contact ATC and arrange to land at the nearest airport.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: diversion (change of route and 
destination); cooperation (helpfulness).
EXERCISE 7 Listening
Give students time to read the announcement and guess the missing 
words. Play the recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers 
in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 important 2 divert 3 nearest 4 prepare 5 anticipate 6 remain 
7 inconvenience 8 updated
EXERCISE 8 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Students listen and repeat. Then ask students to work 
in pairs to practise reading the announcement.
Pronunciation notes
Before asking students to practise reading the announcement, you could 
get them to analyze it for pausing and stress. They should mark up the 
text as shown below:
Ladies and gentlemen, // if there is a doctor on board, // please make 
yourself known // to a member of the crew immediately // by pressing 
your call bell. // Thank you.
EXERCISE 9 Speaking
Ask students to work in groups of four. Each group must decide who 
will play the ill passenger and his/her friend, who will play the fl ight 
attendant and who the purser. Give students preparation time. The 
passengers must chat and decide what the medical problem is going to 
be and what they could say. The fl ight attendants should, meanwhile, 
look back at language in the unit and think about what they should say 
in a medical emergency.
When each group is ready, ask them to act out their role play. Then ask 
them to change roles and act out a different situation. Monitor, prompt 
students to use the imperative correctly, and feedback on good examples 
of language use and errors you heard. You could choose a good group to 
act out one of their role plays for the class at the end.
ROUND UP
Give students further practice of making emergency announcements 
by asking pairs to analyze the text in exercise 7 for stress, pausing 
and intonation. Once they have marked up the text (as shown in the 
notes above for exercise 8), ask pairs to take turns reading it out.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the following words on the board: faint; collapse; throw 
up; have a heart attack; feel dizzy; feel airsick; have an anxiety 
attack. Check the meaning of the words and then ask students 
which of these medical incidents they have experienced.
Dealing with a serious medical incident
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Check the difference between a medical incident (something that happens 
– an asthma attack, for example) and an accident (a happening that 
involves receiving injuries – a fall or a crash, for example). Ask students 
to work in pairs or small groups to discuss the questions. Get feedback in 
open class and encourage students to share their personal experiences.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: medical kit (pack with emergency medical 
supplies in); weak (not strong); shallow (not deep).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and the questions. Ask, What 
can you guess about the situation from the questions? Play the recording. 
Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in 
open class at the end.
Answers
1 T 2 F – he is travelling with his wife. 3 F – she wants to put him on 
the fl oor. 4 F 5 T 6 F – they need a doctor. 7 T – he is a diabetic 
and has injections. 8 F – he is 63. He’s been tired recently. 9 T 10 F
Cultural note
Delhi is a city in northern India. Colombo is a city in Sri Lanka.
EXERCISE 3 Vocabulary
Give students time to read the sentences and write in any words they 
think they know. Ask, What part of speech are the missing words? Play 
the recording again if students are unclear about any answers. Students 
listen, complete the remaining gaps and then check in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the end. You could ask students to practise 
saying the phrases in pairs.
Answers
1 hear 2 heart 3 breathing 4 get 5 mask 6 care 7 administered 
8 pulse
EXERCISE 4 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class at the end.
Pronunciation notes
Note the pronunciation of heart /ha:t/ and pulse /pVls/.
GIVING INSTRUCTIONS TO CREW Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. 
Language notes
Note the use of the imperative here (Get ..., Tell ..., Make ...). Note the 
structure Get (someone)to do (something) which means tell or persuade 
someone to do something.
Grab means take quickly with urgency. 
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Students listen and repeat. 
U
N
IT 6 Is there a doctor on board?
EXERCISE 3 Vocabulary
Ask students to work in pairs to make sentences. Monitor and correct 
poor pronunciations of –ed.
LINKING WORDS Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask, Which 
order do we usually use these phrases?
Language notes
At fi rst (= early on), Soon after (= later on) and In the end (= at the end 
of this period of time) place a story in the context of when events took 
place.
First, Then and Finally are sequencers used to order events.
Eventually is similar in meaning to In the end but also suggests the end 
of a process in which many things have happened.
EXERCISE 4 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to look back at the Listening on page 44 
and order the key events. Then tell them to take turns telling the story. 
Monitor, prompt, and listen for good language use and errors involving 
past forms and linkers.
EXERCISE 5 Reading
Ask students to read the text without looking at the list of missing words 
and try to remember or guess which words are missing. Then ask students 
to work in pairs to complete the text with the words in the box. Get 
feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 happened 2 cardiac 3 condition 4 comfortable 5 pulse 6 defi brillator
7 fi rst 8 administer 9 recommended 10 aware 11 services 12 until 
13 transferred 14 resumed
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to 
match them to synonyms in the text: moved from one place to another 
(transferred); give medically (administer); heart attack (cardiac arrest); 
quick (prompt); asked for (requested); not changing (stable).
ROUND UP
Activity 1
Write the following in a list on the board: At fi rst, ...; Soon after 
...; Then ...; After that ...; Eventually, ...; Finally, ...
Ask students to think of an accident or medical incident that 
they have experienced on a fl ight. Tell them it could be major or 
very minor. Ask them to think of how to describe the experience 
using fi ve of the linkers.
When students are prepared to speak, replace the linkers on 
the board with the following: Really?; Oh no ...; Then what 
happened?; Did you? I don’t believe it?; How nerve-wracking!
Pair students with someone new, and tell them to take it in turns 
to talk about their incident. The listener must use the words on 
the board to ask about and encourage the story-telling. Monitor 
and note good language use and errors.
Activity 2
Ask students to write a report of an incident they have 
experienced using past forms and linkers. This could be for 
homework.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask, What is the procedure for reporting a medical incident on a 
fl ight? Who has to report the incident and who to? Have you ever 
had to report an incident? If so, what was the incident and what 
did you say or write?
Reporting a medical incident
EXERCISE 1 Speaking 
Lead in by asking students what they remember about the incident in 
the previous lesson or by asking students to look back at the lesson to 
remind themselves. Ask students to work in pairs to do the role play. Tell 
students to take turns to play the two roles. Monitor and note how well 
students manipulate past forms.
TALKING ABOUT THE PAST Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
How do we form regular past forms (add –ed to the infi nitive); How do we 
form questions? (see below).
Language notes
We form the regular simple past by adding –ed to the infi nitive. You 
could point out the following slight exceptions:
collapse + d (because it ends with e); stop + p + ed (double the 
consonant when the verb ends consonant, vowel, consonant); 
carry – y + i + ed (change y to i).
Object questions use the auxiliary verb did: question word (object) + did 
+ subject + infi nitive + ? (What did you do?)
Subject questions: question word (subject) + past form + ? (What 
happened?)
You could provide practice of these phrases by asking students to do the 
role play again, but this time the person asking about the incident must 
ask as many questions as they can.
EXERCISE 2 Pronunciation
Ask students to work in pairs to decide which words go in which column. 
Do one or two as a class fi rst to get students started. Play the recording. 
Ask students to listen and check their answers. Play the recording again. 
Ask students to listen and repeat.
Answers
/t/: checked, stopped, asked, switched
/d/: happened, resumed, informed, arrived, closed, remained, 
administered, suffered
/Id/: reported, fainted, needed, decided, assisted, recommended
Pronunciation notes
-ed is pronounced /d/ after voiced consonant sounds and vowel sounds 
(which are always voiced).
-ed is pronounced /t/ after unvoiced consonant sounds.
-ed is only pronounced /Id/ after /t/ and /d/ (for example, chatted 
/tS&tId/). Beware of and correct students who overuse /Id/.
Voiced means that the voicebox vibrates slightly as the sound is made, 
so /b/ and /p/, for example, are identical plosive sounds except that 
/b/ is voiced (hence robbed /rQbd/) and /p/ is unvoiced (hence stopped 
/stQpt/).
26
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U
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IT 6 Case study
we cover all sorts of things from fractures to hyperventilation, to heart attacks 
and strokes and we are taught how to deal with such a wide range of situations 
that can occur on board, you know, from giving birth on board to, you know, 
a nose bleed so there are many different aspects of nursing training that fl ight 
attendants receive and again at the pre-fl ight briefi ng that skills and knowledge 
that people have prior to their fl ight attendant role, if they’ve been a nurse in 
a previous job, then that all comes together at the pre-briefi ng so as well as 
having, you know, excellent fi rst aid training, should a situation arise on board, 
you’ve usually got one or two people who can actually use previous experience in 
addition to that.
2 Do you have a special medical crisis that you remember in particular?
S: Once I was working down in the back galley on a jumbo jet, and this 
gentleman came and sat on one of the crew seats, and at fi rst I looked at 
him and he looked a little bit grey, and I was a little bit worried because 
he, he asked for a glass of water and I noticed he was sweating profusely on 
his head, and I gave him the glass of water and carried on getting the food 
trolleys ready for the cabin crew, and as I manoeuvred a trolley around him 
he just fell on the fl oor in front of me, and I recognized immediately that he 
was going into heart attack, partly because of his grey colour, I mean he was 
so grey and the sweating, you know, it should have really alerted me to this a 
minute or two earlier but I was busy just getting the food trolleys and I just 
thought he needed a glass of water. However, when he collapsed I managed 
to get him into the recovery position and immediately went on to the inter-
phone to call one of the stewardesses who had been a nurse in her previous 
job, and she came down within seconds and we managed to get the passenger 
onto the fl oor with an oxygen bottle and she revived him. She was incredible 
– she was very calm and, you know, with the oxygen and just monitoring him, 
he – the colour returning to his face was quite spectacular. He went from grey 
to rosy red within fi ve minutes and we moved him into Business class after 
that so that we could monitor him more carefully and just checked that he 
wasn’t getting, you know, sort of claustrophobic. We don’t know what brought 
his heart attack on, but we were pleased that it was only a minor heart attack 
and he did make a full recovery. 
3 What’s your advice about medical incidents on board to flight attendants in their 
fi nal phase of training?
S: I would say to fl ight attendants in training, not to worry too much about 
in-fl ight incidents that may occur because the training that they receive as 
fl ight attendants is very, very good and on top of that the ability and the skill 
within the fl ight attendant team is usually pretty high, so there will usually 
always be somebody on board working with you who has been in a nursing 
profession prior to the role, so advice to you as a fl ight attendant just starting 
out your career is to be calm, remember your training and always remember to 
utilize the skills and ability of your fellow crew around you.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class and encourage students with interesting ideas to 
share with the class. 
ROUND UP
Revise vocabulary from the unit by asking students to write 
words and phrases connected with the industry under the 
following headings:
Types of accident / Items in a medical kit / Diagnosis and treatment
Ask students to work in pairs to write all the words and phrases they 
know, or to search the unit to fi nd words and phrases to write.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students if they have ever had to ask if there was a doctor 
on board. If so, ask, What was the problem and what happened? 
What was the attitude of the doctor?
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read the questions, and check any unknown words. 
Then ask students to read the text and make notes. Let students discuss 
the answers in pairs before discussing in open class.
Answers
1 A doctor responded to the call from the cabin crew and ended up 
treating several patients.
2 three – none of them serious medical emergencies
3 fetching equipment the doctor needed; administering oxygen
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to match 
them to synonyms in the text: natural, unthinking feeling about what to 
do (instinct); group of people watching something (audience); go down 
(sink); feeling very anxious (panicky).
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the questions and think of responses. 
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few 
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize 
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: second to none (nothing is better); 
sweating profusely (sweating – losing water from the body through the 
skin – a lot); revive (bring back to consciousness); claustrophobic (feeling 
afraid because you are in a small or crowded space).
EXERCISE 3 Listening 
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 3. Play 
the recording. Students listen, take notes and then discuss their answers 
in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Play the recording again. Students listen and complete the text. Let 
them check in pairs before open class feedback.
Answers 4
1 fractures 2 hyperventilation 3 heart attacks 4 strokes 5 giving birth 
6 nose bleed
Ask students to work in pairs to retell the story. Remind them to use 
linking words and past forms. At the end, ask a few pairs to tell parts of 
the story in open class. Discuss the follow-up question 3 in open class.
Answers 3
Two main reasons: fi rst, fl ight attendants’ medical training is excellent 
and they are taught how to deal with a wide range of situations that can 
occur on board; second, there is always someone on board (doctor/nurse 
or experienced crew member) who will know how to deal with medical 
problems.
CD2 Track 6.10
1 Were you trained to be a good nurse?
S: One of the good things about the fl ight attendant training is the fi rst aid training 
that people receive. It’s absolutely second to none and it’s so specifi c and 
intensive training, so you’re looking at, at least fi ve days of fi rst aid training and 
U
N
IT 7 In-fl ight emergencies
GIVING INSTRUCTIONS Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
Which part of speech do we use to make emergency instructions? (the 
imperative).
Language notes
Note that we use the imperative to give instructions in an emergency 
because it is short, sharp and decisive. In English, the imperative form is 
identical to the bare infi nitive form.
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
Note the strong stress on the verb in the imperative form:
Stay in your seats.
Remain calm.
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Give students time to read through the situations and phrases, and check 
any diffi cult words. Ask students to work in pairs to match the phrases to 
the situations. Monitor and help. In feedback, ask if students can think 
of any other phrases to use in each situation.
ROUND UP
You could extend exercise 6 into a role play activity. Ask students 
to work in pairs and choose one of the situations in exercise 6. 
Then ask them to prepare a dialogue based on the situation and 
to practise it. You could ask a few pairs to act out their dialogue 
in open class at the end.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to brainstorm a list of in-fl ight 
emergencies. Give students time, then elicit and write up a list 
on the board as a class. Students could compare their list to 
the list in exercise 2. Ask, What should you say and do in these 
emergencies? Have you ever experienced any of these emergencies? 
What did you say and do?
Taking charge in an emergency
EXERCISE 1 Speaking 
Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to discuss the roles. In 
feedback, ask, Which roles are most important?
EXERCISE 2 and 3 Speaking
Give students time to read through the serious on-board events, and 
check any unknown words. Then ask students to work in pairs to compare 
the events, and to discuss the questions at the end of the activity. Get 
extended feedback in open class. Discuss any disagreements about the 
seriousness of the emergencies. Then either discuss the questions in 
exercise 3 in open class or let students talk in pairs fi rst before a class 
discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following words: grab (take quickly and urgently); adjusting 
(moving it until it’s in the right position); fi tted (fi xed in position).
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to read the announcement and guess the missing 
words. Play the recording. Ask students to listen and fi ll in the gaps. Let 
them check their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 emergency 2 emergency 3 Stay 4 fastened 5 calm 6 follow 
7 down 8 down 9 over 10 mouth 11 normally 12 over 13 mouth
14 pull 15 band 16 before
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U
N
IT 7 In-fl ight emergencies
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to match 
them to words in the text: keep thinking about (bear in mind); to go 
carefully (make your way to); tear (pull apart paper or cloth).
Note: bear /be@/ and tear /te@/
INSTRUCTIONS NOT TO DO SOMETHING Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. 
Language notes
We form negative instructions by placing Do not or Don’t before the 
imperative form of the verb. Using Do not rather than Don’t emphasizes 
the fact that this is an instruction not to do something. It makes the 
instruction stronger and more of a warning.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to work in groups of three to practise reading out the 
announcement. You could support the students in doing this task by 
getting them to analyze their section of the announcement fi rst, marking 
it up for strong stresses, pausing and intonation (see pronunciation 
notes below). Remind students that theirvoice should be calm, 
reassuring but decisive when they speak.
Pronunciation notes
Note the stresses, pausing and intonation in this opening section of the 
announcement.
➚ ➘ ➚
Ladies and gentlemen, // as the captain has just told you, 
 ➘
// we shall be landing in twenty minutes. //
➚
Can you wait a moment?
ROUND UP
Write the following verbs on the board: give; remain; collect; 
fasten; point out; evacuate; return; follow; adopt. Ask students to 
work in pairs to fi nd words and phrases in the texts in the lesson 
that collocate with the verbs. Get feedback in open class at the 
end. This activity revises the lesson and does some work with 
collocations.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the following prompts on the board: Make sure ...; 
Check ...; Help ...; Tell .... Ask students, In an emergency 
situation, what is your role? What do you have to do? (Tell 
students to use the prompts to answer this question.) Ask, 
What personal qualities are important in an emergency situation? 
You could elicit some of the following: calm; clear; decisive; 
organized; supportive.
Preparing for an emergency evacuation
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read the text. Ask, What has happened? How do the 
passengers feel? Check shut down (switch off) and severe (really bad or 
strong). Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs. Get feedback in 
open class.
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the text and guess the missing words. Check 
evacuate (empty of passengers). Play the recording. Students listen 
and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at 
the end.
Answers
1 speaking 2 technical 3 20 (twenty) 4 normal 5 slides 6 prepare 
7 carefully
EXERCISE 3 Speaking
Give students time to read the suggestions and check any unknown 
words. Ask students to discuss the suggestions in pairs. Get feedback in 
open class at the end.
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Lead in by asking students what procedures they would expect to hear 
announced before an emergency landing. 
Give students time to read through the text and guess the missing words. 
Play the recording. Students listen and fi ll in the gaps. Let students 
check their answers in pairs before getting feedback in open class.
Answers
1 leaving 2 evacuation 3 exactly 4 keep 5 going 6 shows 7 bracing
8 sides 9 marked 10 pointed 11 locate 12 additional 13 belongings 
14 behind 15 remove
U
N
IT 7 In-fl ight emergencies
EXERCISE 6 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and note the weak 
pronunciation of to. Play the recording again. Ask students to listen and 
repeat.
Pronunciation notes
English is a stress-timed language. We give key words that carry meaning 
a lot of emphasis and reduce unimportant words to a sound so reduced 
that it’s hard to hear. Not the following – stresses are in bold:
The purser told the passengers not to worry.
EXERCISE 7 Speaking
A nice way to manage this activity is to divide the class into pairs of 
reporters and pairs of passengers. The reporter pairs must work together 
to prepare questions. The passenger pairs must look back at the text and 
think about how to report the instructions. When students are ready, mix 
pairs so that a reporter is with a passenger. Ask students to act out the 
role play. When they have fi nished, repeat the process, asking students 
to take on the other role in both preparation and role play. Monitor, 
prompt, and listen for good language use and errors involving question 
forming and reported instructions.
ROUND UP
Ask students to work in small groups to make up a story about 
another miraculous escape. Write the following questions on the 
board to guide the students in their preparation:
What happened?
Where and when did it happen?
What fl ight was it and who was on board?
What did the captain do?
What did the fl ight attendants do?
What happened in the end?
When students are ready, divide them into new groups of four. 
Tell the students to take turns to ask about and tell their stories.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the following words on the board: incredible; miracle; 
survivors; escape; heroes; rescue. Ask students what the words 
mean and what connects the words. Ask if they know of any 
real-life stories involving an aircraft that could be told using 
these words. If any students do know a story, ask him/her to tell 
the class.
Reporting an evacuation
EXERCISE 1 and 2 Reading
Read the introduction, then discuss the picture and the headline in open 
class. Find out how much students already know about the story. 
Answer
an aircraft fl oating on water; people standing or sitting on the wings and 
on the evacuation slides
EXERCISE 3 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in small groups. Get feedback and 
discuss in open class.
EXERCISE 4 Reading
Give students time to read through the questions. Then ask them to read 
the text and fi nd the answers. Let them check their answers in pairs 
before getting feedback in open class.
Answers
1 a bird-strike 2 on water in the River Hudson 3 none 4 the captain 
5 good training
EXERCISE 5 Vocabulary
Ask students to work in pairs to search the text and match words to 
defi nitions. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 massive 2 a strike 3 to survive 4 to ditch 5 fl oating 6 slightly 
7 submerged 8 injuries 9 fi rst-class 10 superbly
TALKING ABOUT THE PAST Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
What form do we use to report instructions? (see notes below).
Language notes
The form used here is: tell someone (not) to do something
Note the changes from imperative to reported instruction:
Prepare to ... He told them to prepare to ...
Don’t worry. He told them not to worry.
You could provide practice of forming reported instructions by asking 
students to change the sentences in the Language focus boxes in the two 
previous lessons into reported instructions. 
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the fuel tanks: They were in the wings, so the captain didn’t want the 
exit doors over the wings to be opened, although two passengers did 
open them; fortunately they did not explode.
passengers behaving selfi shly: One woman with two children jumped 
out before them, leaving them at the top of the evacuation slide; one 
man was determined to take his briefcase, blocking the escape of other 
passengers; two passengers opened the wing doors, despite instructions 
not to.
3 1 cope 2 stress 3 competent 4 calm 5 drills 6 approach
CD2 Track 7.6
1 What was the most serious emergency you experienced?
S: One of the most horrible situations I experienced was a fl ight leaving Lusaka, 
Africa, and we’d as a crew had a wonderful ten days in Africa doing safari 
and all excited about going home, you know, to show our friends all the 
wonderful photos, and on take-off at V1 just before V1 which is the point the 
aircraft must leave the ground, there was an instrument failure and the pilot 
was fl ying the aircraft and needed to have a speed of 140 knots but at V1 at 
this point where the aircraft must take off, the captain’s speed went down 
to 80 knots so they took an unprecedented decision in aborting the take-off 
at V1 and this was unplanned, no crew knew about what was happening. 
All we knew that the aircraft suddenly came into brake form and the aircraft 
started swerving violently from left to right and I can remember as a junior 
stewardess at the time looking at my senior crew member and he had veins 
popping out of his neck. He was obviously, you know, really, really scared. My 
crew were looking quite terrifi ed. As I looked down the cabin I could see into 
the Business class section and I saw fear on people’s faces and their knuckles 
were white and stretched as they were grabbing their arm-rests and all this 
time the aircraft was shaking violently from left to right; had completely lost 
control of, you know, going straight. At the time I felt the nose had liftedup because I was sitting at the doors one left which is at the front of the 
aircraft and I remember feeling the sensation of going up and then feeling 
the bang as the nose wheels came back down, but I’ve since been told that 
that couldn’t possibly happen so I would imagine that it was just braking at 
that crucial point, which was quite severe braking and that in itself created 
lots of secondary problems for us as fl ight crew. We had no communication 
from the fl ight deck during that initial, sort of, 20/30 seconds. It was a very 
frightening experience particularly because as an experienced fl ight crew you 
gauge when you are going to be taking off and I knew we’d been going along 
that runway for at least 25/30 seconds and gaining speed all the time, so 
I knew take-off was imminent and the fact that we were suddenly swerving 
and literally going violently from left to right with the wing tips, you know, 
virtually touching the ground, was very, very scary and no communication 
from the fl ight crew. So that Lusaka experience was one of the most serious 
emergency situations I’ve encountered through my fl ying career.
2 Did you ever have to evacuate passengers?
S: That emergency called for an immediate evacuation. The captain did come 
on to the announcement at that point and apologized to the passengers 
that we had had such an aborted take-off and he quickly explained that his 
instruments had failed and he had decided to abort the take-off, but there 
was no worries, no problems. We would sit and we were going to taxi back to 
the airport. But in fact what had happened through that violent braking, all 
the tyres on the aircraft had burst, bar three, so this meant that the captain 
had no steering facility which was why the aircraft was jerking so severely 
from left to right. So he brought the aircraft to a stop and made another 
announcement. He was excellent in communicating with the passengers and 
the crew immediately. I mean, you know, I commend his communication skills 
on that occasion, but the evacuation had to take place because we couldn’t 
move the aircraft and basically the heat from that braking was getting to a 
danger point near the fuel tanks, so evacuation via the slides had to take 
place. Evacuating the passengers – it was the fi rst time I’d ever had to do 
this in my fl ying career and your brain goes into automatic. All the training 
that you’ve taken in and absorbed through every year you are fl ying suddenly 
comes into play and once the aircraft had stopped and the captain had told 
us we were to evacuate, as I said, your training comes into the front and 
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the headline to the article in mixed-up form on the board. 
For example: criticized to Crew’s incident response take-off
Ask students to work in pairs to put the words in the correct 
order to make a headline (Crew's incident response to take-off 
criticized). Then ask, What do you think the article will be about?
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read through the events and the question. Then 
ask them to read the text and put the events in order. Let students check 
their answers in pairs before getting feedback in open class.
Answers
1 a 3 b 1 c 7 d 5 e 8 f 6 g 2 h 4
2 The cabin crew moved passengers to other seats and even tried to 
release oxygen masks with their ID cards.
Vocabulary in context
Check the following words from the text, all of which are connected with 
one thing coming into physical contact with another: hit, strike, bang, 
bump. Use mime to show meaning.
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the questions and think of responses. 
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few 
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize 
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following phrases: aborting the take-off (suddenly stopping 
it); swerving from side to side (moving uncontrollably); white knuckles 
(when the joints in the middle of your fi ngers go white because of fear); 
jerking from side to side (moving uncontrollably and in a bumpy, violent 
way); dart out of a seat (jump and run quickly from a seat); impeding 
passengers (blocking them and slowing them down).
EXERCISE 3 Listening 
Give students time to read the situation and the questions. Play the 
recording. Students listen, take notes, then discuss their answers in 
pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to read through the tasks. Then play the recording. 
Ask students to make notes in preparation for speaking and fi ll in the 
missing words in the third task. Let students check their answers in pairs 
before getting feedback in open class.
Answers
1 V1: There was instrument failure just before V1, which is the point at 
which an aircraft is committed to leaving the ground.
braking: This caused the aircraft to swerve violently.
senior crew member: He was so scared that she could see the veins in 
his neck.
people in the Business class section: She could see the fear in their 
faces and the knuckles on their hands were white as they held on tightly 
to their arm-rests.
communication from the fl ight deck: There wasn’t any (presumably the 
crew were too busy trying to control the aircraft).
2 announcements from the captain: The captain’s communication 
skills were excellent.
the tyres on the aircraft: All the tyres except three had burst.
32
 7 Case study
stewardesses and again unfortunately the stewardesses at the over wing were 
very inexperienced and didn’t have the authority to stop those passengers and 
I think possibly a bit of that plus their inexperience and their own personal 
need to get out maybe have forced them to allow the passengers to open the 
doors. Fortunately this story was a happy ending because the evacuation went 
well. We evacuated all the passengers within eighteen seconds and we had a 
hundred and ninety passengers on board so that was pretty good, and there 
was no danger to anyone and the aircraft although very sick, didn’t cause any 
problems to any of us, and there were no injuries for passengers either. 
3 What special qualities as a fl ight attendant do you need in emergencies?
S: I think all fl ight attendants have to be able to cope with pressure and stress. 
They have to be able to demonstrate a calmness, and they have to also be 
competent and feel confi dent about what they’re doing and what their role 
is and what their responsibility as a safety offi cer on board is, and if you 
can be calm, if you can absorb your training and know your drills as to what 
to do in any given situation, particularly emergency, then the training will 
automatically take over and your calm approach plus your training will help 
you deal with the situation in the best way possible.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class and encourage students with interesting ideas to 
share with the class. 
ROUND UP
Revise vocabulary from the unit by asking students to write down 
as many phrases as they can under the following heading:
Instructions in an emergency situation
Ask students to work in pairs to write all the words and phrases 
they know, or to search the unit to fi nd words and phrases to 
write. 
you just go into automatic so the doors were opened and the slides infl ated, 
but funny things happen when people are scared and panicking, and the 
passengers – I had been watching them as we were trying to open the doors 
and, you know, make an exit for them, just seeing those knuckles – I’ll never 
forget those people sitting poised, waiting to dart out of their seat, and one 
man, as we began shouting instructions – unfasten your seatbelt, leave your 
seat, come this way – this man, he ran to the door and the slide hadn’t fully 
infl ated – it was just unfolding and hejumped out before anyone could stop 
him. Fortunately, he didn’t hurt himself because by the time he was going 
down the slide, the bottom of the slide had actually infl ated and he was able 
to evacuate. I think he just had a few damaged, scratched knees. Also, some 
people become really, really selfi sh. There was a lady, she had two children, 
and she actually went down the slide leaving her children at the top, and 
I was stunned at that – you know, to think that she would go down before 
her children. So people behave very, very strangely in, in a scary situation 
like that. They just see an opening – they see the smoke coming round the 
fuselage of the aircraft and they just want to get out and yes, it surprised all 
of us.
 When we evacuated the aircraft, people again – some people don’t realize 
the enormity or the emergency of the situation and as people were leaving 
the cabin, particularly from Economy, one gentleman, I hear, was trying to 
take his briefcase from the overhead lockers and this was impeding other 
people’s access or stopping other people from getting forward to the doors 
that were open for them to evacuate. So that caused a big problem and the 
crew were trying to shout instructions to the passenger who took absolutely 
no notice. He was determined, he was having his briefcase and that was 
it. Also the captain had instructed that the over wing doors must not be 
opened because the fuel tanks were there, but two passengers took it into 
their own authority to push past the stewardesses and actually physically 
open those doors. Obviously, during the debrief, with the report, this was a 
serious situation. Fortunately the fuel tanks didn’t explode, but those few 
passengers that evacuated over the wing were, very, very, you know, in danger 
of, you know, losing their life, I think, and they had totally ignored the 
U
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EXERCISE 6 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
Note the strong stress on Let and the stronger stress on the main verb: 
Let me help you.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following words: disgusting, awful (really bad); frustrating (a 
feeling of anger because you have to wait or are stopped from doing or 
having something).
EXERCISE 7, 8 and 9 Listening
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and write down the complaints. 
Let students check their answers in pairs and discuss possible responses. 
Get feedback in open class.
Answers
1 dirty toilets
2 cold cabin
3 long delay and no information
4 wrong seats with crying babies nearby
5 no snacks, dirty plane, awful service
Play the recording. Students listen and see if the fl ight attendant’s 
response matched their ideas. In feedback, ask students whether they 
thought the response was an appropriate one in each case.
Ask students to work in pairs to fi ll in the gaps. Play the recording again 
if necessary. You could ask students to practise saying the sentences.
Answers
1 letting; apologize
2 frustrating
3 about
4 sorry; enjoyed
5 so; only
ROUND UP
You could give students practice in responding to complaints by 
doing a role play. Ask students to work in groups of three, with a 
student A, B and C in each group. A and B are passengers. C is a 
fl ight attendant. Ask students to look at the list of situations in 
exercise 1. Give A and B a minute to think of complaints to make 
about each situation. Ask C to revise phrases from the page that 
a fl ight attendant might use.
Ask Cs to stand up. Announce a situation. Say, the food. 
The passengers must start complaining about the food and the 
fl ight attendant must sympathize, apologize and make offers. 
After half a minute, change the situation by saying, the lack 
of information. Students must change their complaints and 
responses. Play out four or fi ve situations.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask, What sort of things do passengers complain about? Elicit a 
list to the board (you could compare it to the list in exercise 1). 
Ask, What’s the most unusual complaint you have ever had? Who 
was the most disruptive passenger you ever met?
Responding to passenger complaints
EXERCISE 1 and 2 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to discuss the list of things 
to complain about. In feedback, elicit ideas of what people might say 
when complaining about each situation.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following word: patient (prepared to wait calmly).
EXERCISE 3 and 4 Listening
Ask students to work in pairs to discuss what they would say in each 
situation. Get feedback in open class and elicit ideas. Play the recording. 
Ask students to listen and see if the fl ight attendants used the same 
expressions as they chose. Then ask students to fi ll in the gaps. Let 
students check in pairs and play the recording again if necessary. Get 
feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 apologize; busy; get
2 good; really; away
3 dear; patient; special
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Study the analysis of what the fl ight attendant says as a class, then ask 
students to work in pairs to analyze the other expressions in the same 
way. Get feedback in open class and discuss the follow-up questions.
Answers
2 Sympathize: Oh dear, that’s not good.
 Apologize: I’m really sorry.
 Find a solution: Let me take it away for you and see if I can get you a 
hot cooked meal immediately.
3 Sympathize: Oh dear.
 Apologize: I’m sorry about this.
 Find a solution: Let me just check the special meals list.
OFFERING TO HELP (2) Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
What is the form of the sentence? (See below)
Language notes
Here, Let me ... means allow or permit me to do something. It is a polite 
and friendly way of making an offer because it is effectively offering to 
do something for someone with that person’s permission.
Note the form: Let me + infi nitive without to
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IF . . . Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. 
Language notes
The fi rst conditional is used to express a condition that is seen as 
possible and its result. Here, functionally, it is used to make a promise 
or a deal where the fl ight attendant offers to do something on condition 
that something else happens fi rst.
Note the form: 
CONDITION RESULT
If + present will + infi nitive
If there is still a problem, I won’t leave you on your own.
There is a comma between the two clauses when the sentence begins 
with If, but not when if goes in the middle of the sentence.
EXERCISE 7 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Students listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
Note the rising intonation on the fi rst If clause, and falling intonation 
on the result clause that follows.
I’ll /aIl/ and won’t /w@Unt / often prove tricky for learners to pronounce 
properly.
EXERCISE 8 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Students listen and repeat.
Pronunciation and language notes
To be polite, the intonation pattern of these phrases involves starting 
with high intonation and having rising intonation at the end.
➚ ➘ ➚
Could I ask you a special favour?
Note the form: Would you mind + ing
EXERCISE 9 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs. Tell each pair to decide who is A and B, 
and to prepare what they are going to say before acting out the role 
play. Monitor, prompt students to use rising intonation correctly, and 
feedback on good examples of language use and errors you heard. You 
could ask a couple of pairs to act out a dialogue in open class at the 
end.
ROUND UP
Write, How to deal with disruptive passengers on the board. Ask 
students to work in small groups to come up with a list of fi ve 
top tips for dealing with disruption. Elicit ideas on the board and 
come up with an agreed class list of fi ve good ideas.LEAD IN Speaking
Write the following words on the board: a drunk; a moaner; 
a fl irt; an attention seeker; a bully; a hooligan. Check that 
students know what the words mean. Then ask them if they 
have experienced any of these types of people on a fl ight. Ask 
students to share their experiences with the class. Ask, Which 
types of passengers annoy you the most? Which cause most 
disruption to other passengers?
Dealing with complaints about other passengers
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Lead in by asking students to look at the picture and describe what 
they can see. Ask, How common is this type of behaviour? Ask students 
to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get feedback in open 
class.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: disturbing me (interrupting me); arms 
folded (one arm on top of another); struggling (having problems); keep 
your voices down (be quiet).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions. Play the 
recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the end and discuss the follow-up question.
Answers
1 A group of people near him are making too much noise.
2 He wants to move.
3 He suggests speaking to the group fi rst and, if that does not work, 
fi nding another seat for the passenger.
4 yes, for the moment
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the sentences and write in any words they 
think they know. Play the recording. Students listen, fi ll in the gaps, 
then check in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 disturbing 2 refuse 3 understand 4 care 5 word 6 How
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Give students time to read the questions. Then play the recording. Let 
students check their answers in pairs before open class feedback.
Answers
1 No, the plane is full.
2 talk to the noisy passengers
3 just watch the situation and come and help him if necessary
EXERCISE 5 and 6 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and the dialogue and write in 
any words they think they know. Play the recording. Students listen, fi ll 
in the gaps, and then check in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the 
end and discuss the follow-up questions.
Answers
1 enjoying 2 Great 3 favour 4 down 5 trying 6 noise 7 hear 
8 another 9 understanding
U
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EXPRESSING OBLIGATION Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask, What form 
of the verb do we use after must, have to and need to? (infi nitive).
Language notes
Essentially, these verbs expressing obligation are interchangeable and 
can be taught in this context as having the same meaning. However, in 
fact, they do have small variations in meaning. Compare the following:
In the UK, you have to drive on the left. (expresses an obligation imposed 
from outside – a law or regulation, for example)
I must phone my mum. She’ll be worried. (expresses a personal obligation 
imposed upon you by yourself)
I need to water the plants or they’ll die. (expresses a necessity)
So, if the fl ight attendant says I have to speak to the captain, she means 
that she has no choice as it is the procedure or regulation. But, if she 
says I must speak to the captain, she’s implying that the obligation to do 
this is imposed by herself alone.
Have to and need to behave like regular verbs (Do you have to ...? Do you 
need to ...?). Must is a modal verb. I’ve got to ... is a more informal way 
of saying I have to.
EXERCISE 4 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and note the pronunciation of 
have to. Play the recording again. Ask students to listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
Have to is pronounced /'h&vt@/ in continuous speech.
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat the phrases. You 
could ask students to work in pairs to practise saying the phrases in a 
reassuring tone of voice.
ROUND UP
If your students enjoy acting, you could ask them to work 
in groups of three to prepare a role play involving a fl ight 
attendant, a disruptive passenger and an upset passenger. Give 
them fi ve minutes to prepare what they are going to say, then 
ask a few groups to act out their role play in open class.
Alternatively, ask students to prepare to talk about a real 
situation they experienced. Write the following prompts on the 
board and give students time to prepare before telling their story 
to the class or their group: What happened? What did you do? 
What did you say? What happened in the end?
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the following phrases on the board: threw a punch; had a 
food fi ght; lit a cigarette; screamed abuse; grabbed my uniform; 
vandalized the seat; tampered with emergency equipment.
Ask students what the words mean and whether they have 
experienced any of these situations. Elicit stories of disruptive 
behaviour and other phrases that could be used to describe them.
Managing disruptive passengers
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Give students time to read the situation and questions. Ask them to 
discuss the questions in pairs. Get feedback in open class.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check knock over (push to the ground) and restrain (hold back).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and the questions. Ask students 
to have a guess as to what the situation might be. Play the recording. 
Students listen, note answers and then check in pairs. Get feedback in 
open class.
Answers
1 He’s drunk and shouting.
2 another drink/vodka
3 very aggressive, verbally and physically
4 get his own drink
5 They restrain him by strapping his wrist to the arm-rest.
6 speak to the captain
7 to have the police meet the aircraft
8 reassure them that the situation is under control
EXERCISE 3 Reading
Ask students to read the report and try to work out what words are 
missing. Let them discuss their answers in pairs. Read out the report 
with the missing words included so that students can hear and check 
their answers.
Answers
1 landing 2 aggressive 3 alcohol 4 shout 5 several 6 control
7 strapped 8 purser 9 calm 10 police
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to match 
them to words in the text: shout in a high pitched voice (scream); told 
about the situation (informed); formally taken by the police (arrested).
35
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2 He complained about everything – the seat, the menu, the towels, 
the wine, the meal, the blanket, even the bad breath of the fl ight 
attendant. But Shon took a positive attitude, never disagreed with 
him and got him extras and lots of small gifts for his wife. She was 
exceedingly kind to him, so much so that when he left the plane, he 
thanked her and said that although he would never fl y with the airline 
again, his attitude towards its fl ight attendant (Shon) had changed 
because she had been so professional.
3 He said he wanted to move because he was very tall and needed more 
leg-room and he was close to crying babies. Business class was full, 
so Shon found him a row of seats where he could stretch out. But he 
wasn’t happy because what he had really wanted was an upgrade.
CD2 Track 8.13
1 Why are diffi cult passengers the fl ight attendant’s biggest headache?
S: I think diffi cult passengers can be a bit of a headache for fl ight attendants, 
mainly because some of the problems that passengers have can’t be solved 
on board and that gives a fl ight attendant a real headache because if they 
are passionate about their role on board and they want to do the best for the 
customer, that inability to solve the problem can be quite frustrating, so that 
in itself is a headache for the fl ight attendant. Another headache, of course, 
is that, you know, passengers, it can have what we call the halo effect, so 
once a passenger starts complaining, people around them, around that person 
complaining, also start to possibly think negativelyand – so the whole thing 
can escalate, so when passengers complain it’s a headache not because the 
passenger’s a nuisance but partly because if it’s not solvable that’s frustrating. 
It certainly was for me. My theory and my ethos when fl ying as a fl ight 
attendant was always to do the best for the customer. I wanted every single 
passenger to get off that fl ight having said they’d had the most amazing 
experience. I never saw a passenger as a headache – annoying problems that 
I couldn’t solve, but I would always try to work with the customer or the 
passenger to see what could be done and usually I was able to leave them 
with a sweet taste in their mouth about the airline even if the problem wasn’t 
solved at the time.
2 What was the worst experience you had?
S: I remember one particular incident that was the worst complaint that I 
have ever had to deal with. The man in question was fl ying to Tokyo via our 
airline, and from the minute he boarded the aircraft, took his seat in Business 
class, he had complaints. He didn’t like the seat, he didn’t like the menus. 
He thought the towels that we were handing out were awful. He thought our 
wine choice was disgraceful and so on and this was all before we’d even taken 
off and of course my junior crew were coming to me and telling me about 
this problem that the passenger was having, and each time I was going out 
and addressing the problem and sorting the problem out for the passenger. 
However, things escalated with this passenger in his complaints. He was so 
unhappy with our fl ight that I had to actually call the captain because even 
the meal that we offered him wasn’t good enough. The wine was rubbish and 
then when he tried to put his table away he complained that the seat in front 
of him was invading his space. This was in Business class. There was just no 
way of pleasing this passenger and I recognized that he was just, you know, 
very, very unhappy. I went over to him actually and I sat and listened to him 
and then he threw his last complaint at me and it was just awful. He handed 
me this blanket that he had been given and it smelt really bad. It was really 
damp and there was no excuse, you know, and he had a genuine complaint and 
it was just the fi nal straw for him. He was so unhappy, and although most of 
his complaints were manageable I felt that this was the one that broke the 
camel’s back. On top of that he then complained to me that the stewardesses 
that had been serving him – their breath was so bad it had knocked him 
back twenty paces, and there was nothing I could do and I said to him, you 
know, he said he hated our airline and he wouldn’t normally travel with us, 
so I said, why did you travel today, just out of interest? And he said well my 
wife booked the fl ight and I said I do understand how you feel and I’m really 
sorry you weren’t able to get your fl ight with the airline of your choice and 
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the following words on the board: abuse; assault; 
intimidation; drunkenness. Ask students to say what the words 
mean and say which are the most serious. Ask, Which of these 
have you experienced? Which are most common? What procedure 
do you follow in these situations? 
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read the task and the questions, and check any 
unknown words. Then ask students to read the text and make notes. 
Let students discuss their answers in pairs before getting feedback in 
open class.
Answers
1 interfering with external doors on the aircraft during fl ight (5)
 physically attacking the cabin crew (4)
 being abusive to cabin crew (3)
 drunken and unruly passengers fi ghting and disturbing other 
passengers (2)
 passenger becoming abusive before take-off (1)
2 The main cause seems to be too much alcohol. Other causes could be 
psychologically unbalanced passengers, personal stress, over-assertive 
behaviour.
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to match 
them to synonyms in the text: opposing and competing (rival); rude and 
out of control (unruly); unfastened (unbuckled); took hold of violently 
(grabbed).
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the questions and think of responses. 
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few 
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize 
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following words: get more serious (escalate); an annoying 
passenger or problem (a headache/a nuisance); not nice (nasty); annoyed 
(miffed).
You could also check the expression the fi nal straw that broke the camel’s 
back, which means the last in a series of bad things to happen which 
fi nally made someone lose their temper, get upset or give up.
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 3. Play 
the recording. Students listen, take notes and then discuss their answers 
in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Play the recording again. Students listen and complete their answers. 
Let them check their answers in pairs before getting feedback in open 
class. In feedback, encourage individuals to tell the story of Shon’s worst 
experience.
Answers
1 Diffi cult passengers are frustrating because some problems can’t be 
solved on board in spite of the goodwill and desire of the cabin crew 
to do their best for them. Shon always worked with the passenger, 
tried to do the best for them and send them away feeling positive.
37
 
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sound of a baby crying and so he came up to me and he said he needed an 
upgrade because he was very tall. That was his fi rst thing and I sympathized 
with that, and then I looked in Business class and we didn’t have any seats 
available, so I wasn’t able to move him into Business class. Then he started 
to get angry and then he said, well I’m not sitting on this fl ight next to these 
babies the whole fl ight and I started to think he’s just after an upgrade, but 
I could see his point, you know, tall – it’s horribly uncomfortable when you’re 
really tall and the seat pitch isn’t great, so I looked at the passenger list and 
I managed to fi nd him a row of seats where he could actually stretch out for 
the whole fl ight. I thought he would be really pleased with that because, you 
know, it’s great having – but actually he wasn’t because what he was after was 
an upgrade, but I couldn’t upgrade him because there were no space we had 
no seats available so I gave him what I thought would be really good and I 
could see that inside he was really miffed, you know, because he thought he 
was going to get a Business class seat and unfortunately I couldn’t do that 
but, you can’t please everybody. I think it is very diffi cult for fl ight attendants 
today.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class and encourage students with interesting ideas to 
share with the class. 
ROUND UP
Ask students to work in small groups to tell each other about 
their worst experience with a disruptive passenger. Then ask 
each group to turn the ‘worst’ story into a newspaper article like 
the ones in the Student’s book. They must think of a headline, 
then write a few sentences to tell the story. Encourage them to 
use vocabulary from the unit. You could pin the stories on the 
classroom wall so that students from other groups can read them.
I said I’m sorry that you have had so many poor experiences as you see it, 
but I would like you to take something home for your wife so that she feels 
she’s not going to be in trouble for giving you, you know, such a terrible 
experience with us, and I went into First class and I got her all the goodies 
that we give our First class passenger plus a lovely bottle of champagne. I 
got her a little lady’s wash bag whichhad all the top designer – you know, 
moisturizers and make-up and things like that and I got her a lady’s jump suit 
that the First class passenger has and I gave her a menu, and I fi lled this bag 
with goodies and I said to him, you know, give this to your wife and tell her 
I’m really sorry that you haven’t enjoyed this fl ight but that we’re not as bad 
as you feel you’ve experienced. He just hated our airline and I recognized that 
straight away and do you know, when he got off the fl ight he actually shook 
my hand and he said to me, you know you are absolutely right, he said, I will 
never travel with this airline again he said, but I can tell you now, he said, my 
attitude towards this airline’s fl ight attendant has been changed dramatically, 
he said, because you’ve been so professional, because I, kind of, you know, 
licked him to death with kindness, really. I was understanding and I – he knew 
that I understood that he wouldn’t travel with us again. There was no point in 
me upgrading him to First class because that’s what we would normally do but 
there was no point because all I could do was to look after him to the best of 
my ability within the cabin he was in, but also give him little treats for his 
wife and I think he liked that.
3 How do you deal with such diffi cult passengers?
S: When I fi rst started fl ying if you had a nasty passenger you would kill them to 
death. Kill them with – give them upgrades, give them anything to make them 
happy. But during the late eighties and the early nineties passengers became 
so familiar with travel, it was almost like, you know, just getting on a bus that 
they would complain about everything, so suddenly it was the nice people 
that you would treat because so many people were so unpleasant that when 
you have a nice passenger, you actually say to each other as crew, oh that 
gentleman in 16D he’s so lovely.
 We look after people who complain, but some people, just, you know, this 
guy once, he wanted an upgrade – this was in the early nineties and he was 
sitting by some babies and I did sympathize with him because, when you 
are fl ying the last thing you need when you are on a ten-hour fl ight is the 
U
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Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check disembarkation (getting off the plane) and Sorry to bother you 
(excuse me for interrupting).
EXERCISE 7 Listening
Give students time to read through the sentences and guess the missing 
words. Play the recording. Students listen, complete the sentences and 
then check with a partner. Get feedback in open class. You could ask 
students to work in pairs to practise saying the sentences.
Answers
1 blind 2 arrival 3 one 4 front 5 exit; everything 6 bother 7 takes
8 minibus 9 Everyone 10 coat; locker
WORD ORDER IN MULTI-WORD VERBS Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow.
Language notes
Multi-word verbs like put away and turn off are separable. This means 
that the particle can go before or after the object. So, Put away the 
case and Put the case away are both correct. However, if the object is 
a pronoun the particle always separates. So, Put it away but not Put 
away it.
EXERCISE 8 Speaking
Lead in by asking the class to say what the passengers in the photograph 
are doing wrong. Then ask students to work in pairs to practise telling 
the passengers what to do. In feedback, ask different pairs to tell you 
what they would say.
You could ask pairs to write mini-dialogues of two or three lines between 
fl ight attendant and passenger for three of the situations. Then ask pairs 
to act out their dialogues in open class.
ROUND UP
Write a few sentence starters on the board:
Please put ...
Make sure you ...
Please ensure that ...
Please return ...
May we remind you that ...
Ask students to work in pairs to think of two ways of completing 
each sentence. Get feedback in open class.
LEAD IN Speaking
Lead in by playing a mime game to see if students can already 
produce instructions in preparation for landing. Tell students 
that you are a passenger and that the plane is about to land. 
Mime the following: listening to music on headphones; typing 
on a laptop keyboard; closing the window blind; taking your 
seatbelt off; opening a bag; pushing your seat back; standing up. 
After each mime, elicit what a fl ight attendant would say to the 
passenger.
Making final announcements and checks
EXERCISE 1 and 2 Speaking
Give students time to read through the questions. Then ask students to 
discuss the questions in pairs. Get feedback in open class.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: secured (placed or fastened in a safe 
position); assist (help).
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and question. Ask if they can 
predict what the three things are. Play the recording. Students listen 
and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at 
the end.
Answers
3 switch off in-seat power, switch off in-fl ight entertainment system, 
collect headphones
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Ask students to work in pairs to look through the extract and remember 
or guess the missing words. Play the recording. Students listen then 
discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 shortly 2 switched 3 ensure 4 under 5 away 6 down 7 position
8 power 9 must 10 assist 11 ready
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Ask students to listen and repeat the purser’s announcement. Encourage 
them to copy the purser’s stress, pausing and intonation. You could get 
students to listen and mark up the extracts as shown in the notes below 
before saying them. 
Pronunciation notes
Note the stress and pausing of the fi rst part of the announcement:
Please return to your seat // and ensure your hand-baggage // is safely 
secured // in the overhead lockers // 
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to practise reading out the announcement. 
See if any students can memorize the announcements well enough to 
say them to the class without reading. One way of helping students 
memorize extracts like this is to tell them to choose four key words from 
each announcement and write them in a list, then use these words as 
prompts when trying to say the announcements from memory.
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EXERCISE 4 Reading
Give students time to read the questions, then ask them to read the 
announcements and fi nd answers. Let students check their answers in 
pairs before getting feedback in open class.
Answers
A runway is closed. They divert to Bordeaux.
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to match 
them to synonyms in the text: working properly (in operation); talk to 
you again (get back to you); minor problems (inconvenience); willingness 
to help (cooperation).
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs. Tell each pair to decide who is A and B, 
and to prepare what they are going to say before acting out the role 
play. Remind students to use language in the Language focus box. 
Monitor, prompt students to use rising intonation correctly, and feedback 
on good examples of language use and errors you heard. You could ask a 
couple of pairs to act out a dialogue in open class.
ROUND UP
Provide further practice in asking about times by getting 
students to interview each other about a working day. First, ask 
students to work in pairs to prepare When, What time and How 
long questions. Then mix pairs and get students to interview 
each other. You could get students started by suggesting some 
questions. For example: What time do you start work? How long 
does it take to get from your house to the airport? How long does 
it take to check in? etc. Monitor and correct the use of question 
forms.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students, How often do you experience delayed landings on 
fl ights that you work on? How do passengers react? What do you 
do inthis situation? What problems does it cause for you?
Giving information about delayed landings
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Ask students in pairs or small groups to read the situation and discuss 
the questions. Then get feedback in open class and build up a list of 
reasons for delayed landings on the board.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: climbing (going up); in transit 
(connecting from one fl ight to another); fi ngers crossed (hoping to be 
lucky).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions. Ask, What do 
you think the passenger might have noticed? Play the recording. Students 
listen and then discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class 
at the end.
Answers
1 the plane is climbing, not descending
2 missing a connection to Nice
3 The airport might be busy.
4 getting the passenger off the plane fi rst
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and the questions. Play the 
recording. Students listen, note answers and then check in pairs. Get 
feedback in open class at the end and discuss the follow-up question.
Answers
1 about 30 minutes
2 a problem on the ground
3 nine o’clock
4 10.15
5 clear immigration
6 wait for luggage or check in for his fl ight to Nice
TALKING ABOUT TIME Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow.
Language notes
Note the use of take to talk about a duration of time: 
It takes fi ve minutes to get there.
You could get students practising these questions in a simple 
personalized activity by asking students to ask each other When, What 
time and How long questions, and to answer by imagining they are at the 
start of the last fl ight they went on.
U
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Language notes
Here, we use the present perfect simple to express the present result 
of a recent past action. We are not interested in when it took place, 
only in the result. The form of the present perfect simple is have + past 
participle. In short answers, just the auxiliary verb have is used: Yes, 
I have; No, she hasn’t.
EXERCISE 4 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat. In feedback, ask 
whether they heard rising or falling intonation.
Pronunciation notes
Intonation rises in yes/no questions.
➚
Have you secured the trolley?
Intonation falls in short answers:
➘
No, I haven’t.
Note also the pronunciation of haven’t /h&v@nt/ and hasn’t /h&z@nt/ in 
short answers.
EXERCISE 5 Pronunciation
Give students time to read through the sentences. Check any unknown 
words. Then ask students to discuss the questions in pairs. Get feedback 
in open class at the end. You could extend this by asking students 
in pairs to decide where the strong stresses are in each sentence and 
whether the intonation goes up or down. Then let them practise saying 
the sentences.
Answers
Last 20 minutes: 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11
Last 10 minutes: 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Give students preparation time by telling them to think of at least ten 
things they could ask Have you ...? questions about during the last 
ten or twenty minutes of the fl ight. Then ask them to work in pairs to 
practise asking and answering about fi nal checks. Monitor, prompt, and 
listen for good language use and errors involving the use of the present 
perfect and intonation.
ROUND UP
Ask students to describe their actual routine during the last ten 
minutes of fl ights they regularly work on.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask, What do you have to do in the last ten minutes before 
landing? Why is it a critical period? Is this a stressful time or is it 
routine? How do you feel?
Getting through the final ten minutes
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
For cabin crew: fi nal checks on passengers; secure everything
For passengers: ten minutes to landing; seatbelts fastened
Next: cabin crew wait for the fi nal warning to take their seats
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check locked and sealed (closed with a key and connected tightly so that 
no air can escape).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and the questions. Then play 
the recording. Students listen and note answers. Let them check their 
answers in pairs before getting feedback in open class.
Answers
1 yes
2 check Jutta’s side
3 She hasn’t fi nished the bar paperwork.
4 He still has some clearing in to do and a bassinet to put away. And 
there is a passenger in the toilet.
5 get him to his seat
6 yes
EXERCISE 3 Vocabulary
Ask students to fi ll the gap with the correct preposition, then check in 
pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 for 2 in 3 with 4 for 5 on 6 to
LINKING WORDS Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask students, 
Which tense is being used in these phrases? (present perfect simple).
40
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checks and the preparation, but coming in for landing you’ve got the human 
factor. You’ve got people sitting on board, you’ve got drinks and debris that 
you’ve provided – well you haven’t provided the passengers with debris but 
the meal trays, the drinks – all of that is still possibly out in the cabin, you’ve 
got headsets that need to be collected, blankets that need to be collected, 
landing cards that have to be checked, immigration forms that have to 
be handed out and checked to make sure that passengers have completed 
them correctly. On top of that you’ve got your checking of seatbelts and the 
securing of the cabin and the galley, so coming in for landing is actually quite 
stressful because there’s a lot going on during those fi nal sort of ten, fi fteen 
minutes. You’re stowing trolleys, you’re securing the galley, you’re going into 
the cabin, clearing in any rubbish. Also answering questions because people 
are near their arrival so they want to now check with you that their fl ight is 
on time or their connection is going to be there. They might want to ask you 
questions about where do they pick their baggage up, and you’re doing all of 
this while you are completing all the other pre-landing duties, so yes, landing 
duties tend to be a lot more stressful than those for take-off.
2 Do you remember any special problems with passengers in the fi nal ten minutes?
S: I don’t remember any particular problems with passengers during that fi nal 
ten minutes of landing, but occasionally, if I can recall one, I remember this 
foreign lady. She had not completed any of the forms and the crew hadn’t 
alerted me to this fact and as I was going through the cabin, checking 
seatbelts and checking tables were stowed, etcetera, the neighbour sitting 
next to this passenger actually just said to me, you know, this lady hasn’t got 
a landing card and it was a bit of a panic because as the senior in charge of 
the fl ight it’s my job to coordinate the landing so that all my crew are doing 
what they should be doing and the cabin is secure, and suddenly I’d got this 
lady that nobody had told me about, who didn’t speak a word of English, and 
we were arriving in ten minutes and I had no history about her, so that was a 
bit of a panic.
3 Can you briefl y outline communications in the fi nal phases of descent?
S: The fi nal phases of descent when the aircraft is preparing to land. 
Sometimes there’s minimal communication between the pilot and the 
passenger. It largely depends on what’s going on. I mean they may come 
on to the inter-phone and just thank the passengers for travelling with 
them. They may tell them of weather conditions that they’re expecting and 
of course they will tell the passengers of the local time. Also in that last 
ten minutes of fl ight the captain or co-pilot may just advise passengers of 
any holding. You know, if the fl ight is being delayed for any reason, but 
generallyit’s, fairly, it’s kept to the minimum in terms of communication. 
The captain will have made his announcement a good twenty minutes 
prior to landing. That’s on long-haul fl ights. Obviously short-haul fl ights 
it’s slightly different and the cockpit do tend to communicate with the 
passengers a little closer to landing so they may hear something. Between 
the passengers and the cabin crew there’s usually a lot of communication 
going on, particularly on long-haul fl ights where various crew members 
may be informing the passengers of the need to have headsets ready for 
collection. There’ll be another announcement usually made about landing 
cards and immigration forms and then there’s often communication from 
the senior crew member who will be advising the passengers of arrival 
procedures and there’s yet other announcements preparing the passengers 
for landing such as please return to your seats and you need to fasten your 
seatbelts now, so there’s quite a lot of communication going on between 
passengers and cabin crew. Not so much between fl ight crew and passengers 
and very minimal communication really between fl ight crew and cabin 
crew other than the need for the cabin crew to inform the fl ight crew that 
passengers and galleys are all ready for landing, and it’s usually kept to the 
minimum, usually just simple sentences such as captain, cabin now secure, 
or aircraft now secure. 
LEAD IN Speaking
Write on the board: Toilet troubles for Cathay. Ask students if 
they can guess what the text will be about. Ask, Have you ever 
experienced problems with toilets? What happened? What did you 
do about it?
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read the questions. Then ask them to read the text 
and make notes. Let students discuss the answers in pairs before getting 
feedback in open class.
Answers
1 All of the ten toilets on board became blocked soon after take-off.
2 The plane had to make an unscheduled landing in Mumbai.
Vocabulary in context
Write the following words on the board and ask students to match them 
to synonyms in the text: can’t be moved (blocked); clear (obvious); 
uncontrolled (chaos); stopped to an extent (restricted). 
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the questions and think of responses. 
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few 
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize 
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: engage with passengers (talk to them); 
gauge passengers (work out what sort of person they are); get to know 
passengers (meet and become friends with them); appease passengers 
(say things to calm them down when they are angry).
EXERCISE 3 and 4 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 3. Play 
the recording. Students listen, take notes and then discuss their answers 
in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Follow the same procedure for exercise 4.
Answers
1 to be collected: meal trays, drinks, headsets, blankets (rubbish also 
has to be collected, or ‘cleared in’); to be checked: landing cards, 
seatbelts; to be handed out: immigration forms (then also to be 
checked); to be secured: the cabin, the galley; to be stowed: trolleys
2 She hadn’t been given a landing card and there was only ten minutes 
before landing. Shon’s crew had not advised her of this; there was a 
breakdown in communication. The woman should have been given the 
forms well in advance of landing.
3 pilot/co-pilot and passengers: minimal communication, usually 
about the time of arrival, the weather, any delays, thanking passengers 
for travelling with the airline
 passengers and cabin crew: a lot of communication about preparing 
the passengers for landing (having headsets ready for collection, 
fi lling out landing cards and immigration forms, arrival procedures, 
returning to seats and fastening seatbelts, etc.)
 fl ight crew and cabin crew: very minimal communication apart from 
advising that passengers and galley are ready for landing and the 
cabin is secure
CD2 Track 9.8
1 Is preparing for landing easier than preparing for take-off?
S: Preparing for landing is more stressful actually than preparing for take-off 
because with take-off you’ve got just the welcoming of passengers, the safety 
42
 9 Case study
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Divide the class into pairs or small groups to discuss the questions. Get 
feedback in open class and encourage students with interesting ideas to 
share with the class. 
ROUND UP
Revise vocabulary from the unit by asking students to write 
words and phrases under the following headings:
Multi-word verbs / Things to check in the last ten minutes / 
Talking about time
Ask students to work in pairs to write all the words and phrases 
they know, or to search the unit to fi nd words and phrases to write.
U
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MAKING A RECOMMENDATION Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow.
Language notes
I suggest (that) + clause is a polite and formal way of making a 
recommendation.
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to discuss the special needs of some 
passengers. Ask pairs to prepare and practise a brief role play using the 
phrases suggested. You could get some pairs to act out their role play for 
the class.
EXERCISE 7 Speaking
Give students time to read through the list. Then ask them to discuss it 
in pairs. Get feedback and discuss in open class.
EXERCISE 8 Speaking
Lead in by asking, What can you say when people leave the plane? What 
else should you do? (smile, wave, stand upright). To make this fun, you 
need to organize it carefully. Ask students to work in groups of fi ve. One 
student stands up and the others fi le past, then walk round in a circle to 
rejoin the queue to leave the plane. The fi fth student takes over as the 
new fl ight attendant and so on until each student has had a chance to 
say goodbye to passengers.
ROUND UP
Ask students in pairs or small groups to make a list of 
recommendations that they could give to new fl ight attendants 
on their fi rst day in the job. For example: I suggest that you keep 
a sense of humour. Elicit recommendations from pairs or groups 
and build up a list on the board.
LEAD IN Speaking
Ask students to tell you what they say and do once the plane 
comes to a stop at the gate. Ask, What is the biggest problem 
when trying to safely disembark passengers?
Arriving at the gate and disembarking the passengers
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check designated (specially selected).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and the questions. Then ask 
them to work in pairs to make predictions. Get feedback in open class 
and fi nd out what students think. Play the recording. Ask students to 
listen and compare answers. Let students check their answers in pairs 
before getting feedback in open class.
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Ask students to read the text and remember or guess as many missing 
words as they can. Then play the recording. Let students check their 
answers in pairs before getting feedback in open class.
Answers
1 behalf 2 entire 3 items 4 stowed 5 ensure 6 personal 7 injury
8 designated 9 remind 10 ready 11 wish
EXERCISE 4 Pronunciation 
Play the recording. Ask students to listen and repeat the phrases.
Pronunciation notes
Note the linking between words in some of these phrases: please ensure; 
designated area.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to practise reading out the announcement. 
Tell them to read it out fi rst, then to try to produce the announcement 
without looking at the text. A good way of supporting students here is totell them to write ten words in a list which will help them remember the 
content of the announcement, and to use these prompts as they try to 
reproduce the text from memory. 
A suggested list of word prompts: welcome; time; seatbelt; luggage; 
lockers; smoking; mobile phones; weather; stay; future ...
43
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SHOULD Language focus
Give students time to read through the phrases in the box. Alternatively, 
read out the phrases and ask students to read and follow. Ask, What is 
the form of these two structures? (see below); Which sentences express an 
obligation, a regret, a criticism? (see below) (should + infi nitive; should + 
have + past participle).
Language notes
Note the form and use:
should + infi nitive to talk about mild obligations or give strong advice.
We should talk about it. (an obligation)
You should act more promptly. (advice)
should + have + past participle to express regrets about the past and 
criticisms of past actions.
I should’ve communicated better. (regret/criticism)
You should have told them to stop. (criticism)
EXERCISE 3 Pronunciation
Play the recording. Students listen and repeat.
Pronunciation notes
Note the pronunciation of should /SUd/, shouldn’t /SUd@nt/, 
should’ve /SUdev/ and shouldn’t have /SUd@nt@v/. Should is strongly 
stressed in these sentences.
EXERCISE 4 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to come up with sentences using should 
have to express regrets. Monitor and check students are pronouncing 
the structure correctly. In feedback, elicit some interesting regrets from 
students.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to work in pairs to match the words. Get brief feedback 
in open class and check understanding. Then ask students to discuss 
what makes a good team in pairs or small groups. Monitor, prompt and 
encourage. Note examples of good language use and errors to comment 
on in feedback.
Answers
1 c 2 e 3 a 4 f 5 b 6 d
ROUND UP
Write, A good cabin crew should ... on the board. Ask students to 
work in small groups to come up with a list of ten things that 
make a good cabin crew. Then ask each group to design a poster 
listing their top ten things.
LEAD IN Speaking
Write the following situations on the board:
Preparing the cabin for take-off
Serving food and drinks during the fl ight
The last ten minutes before landing
Ask, What should cabin crew do during each of these parts of a 
fl ight? Elicit answers and ideas. 
This activity tests students’ ability to use should appropriately.
Taking part in the crew debriefing
EXERCISE 1 Speaking
Give students time to read the questions and choose answers. Then ask 
them to discuss their answers in pairs. Get feedback in open class and 
fi nd out if there are any differences of opinion.
Answers
1 a (long-haul) / c (short-haul) 2 b 3 c 4 c
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: assumptions (thinking something will 
happen without checking that it will); urgency (a sense of the need to 
hurry and work quickly).
EXERCISE 2 Listening
Give students time to read the questions and check any unknown words. 
Play the recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in 
pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
Answers
1 because they are all tired
2 from positive comments from the passengers
3 delay in shutting down the meals service and the coffee pots spillage
4 because they were delayed by a diffi cult passenger
5 shut down / end of service / everyone should be sitting down
6 communicated better with her team
7 It overturned and all the coffee pots fell on the fl oor.
8 a T b T c F d F e T
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boarding of a fl ight. For example, most airlines would allocate fi fteen minutes 
for crew to prepare their fl ight and welcome passengers, but that time has 
been dramatically reduced because of the time that fl ight attendants are 
now expected, and indeed probably want to themselves, check the cabin and 
check their safety areas – would involve things such as checking every single 
toilet on board to make sure there were no messages written on mirrors or any 
packaging stowed. They have to check every single seat, and under the seat, 
and in their own interests and in the interests of the passengers they have to 
check the galley areas too. So, the threat of terrorism has defi nitely impacted 
on the role of fl ight attendant.
2 When the plane touches down is that the end of your duties?
S: When the aircraft fi nally lands it’s not quite the end of the fl ight attendant’s 
duties. We have to ensure that all passengers are seated until the aircraft 
comes to a complete stop, and then, of course, when the doors are opened 
it’s the fl ight attendant’s job to help passengers disembark the aircraft 
and certainly those passengers who may be disabled or may have special 
requirements or special needs, we will look after those passengers until all 
passengers are disembarked from the aircraft. Once all the passengers are off 
the aircraft that effectively becomes the end of the fl ight attendant’s duties. 
3 Is the fl ight attendant’s job the same today as it was in the past?
S: I think the job of a fl ight attendant today is very different to that which used 
to be the case, say twenty or thirty years ago. It is very hard work these days 
and I think you have to be committed to looking after people. You have to be 
interested in people and you have to genuinely enjoy giving people a positive 
customer experience, so it is hard work. There are lots of situations that occur 
that, you know, you’ll never experience in any other job. But it’s a worthwhile 
job, it’s still a highly rewarding one. It’s fun, it’s exciting and if you like 
working with people and enjoy seeing people more than satisfi ed, then fl ying 
as a fl ight attendant is a great career.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get 
feedback in open class and encourage students with interesting ideas to 
share with the class. 
ROUND UP
Activity 1 
Revise the course by asking students in pairs or small groups 
to brainstorm words and phrases they have learnt under the 
following headings:
Welcoming passengers
Food and drink
Dealing with problems and complaints
Emergency procedures
Preparing for landing
Give students fi ve minutes, then fi nd out how many useful words 
and expressions students can remember.
Activity 2
End the course with a discussion. Ask, What do you do in a 
typical week? What are the best things and worst things about 
being a fl ight attendant? What advice would you give to someone 
starting out in your profession? How do you see the future of your 
profession?
LEAD IN Speaking
Write, My heroes on the board. Ask students, Who are your 
personal heroes? Why do you admire them? What qualities do 
they have? Ask whether students know of any stories of heroism 
involving pilots or cabin crew.
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read the task and the questions, and check any 
unknown words. Then ask students to read the text and make notes. Let 
students discuss their answers in pairs before getting feedback in open 
class.
Answers
1 There was a terrorism incident. A man tried to explode a device during 
the fi nal minutes of normal descent.
2 The explosive device was a six-inch packet of high explosives called 
PETN, along with a syringe. It was hidden in the man’s underpants.
3 They reacted quickly. Once they understood what was happening, they 
jumped on the terrorist, used blankets and a fi re extinguisher to put 
out the fl ames, restrained the man and put him securely in the front of 
the plane.
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to match 
them to synonyms in the text: a noise which sounds like a sudden release 
of air (pop/popping); ‘pieces’ of fi re (fl ames); fi ght back or try to escape 
(resist).
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences. 
Give students time to read through the questionsand think of responses. 
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few 
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize 
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: impacted (had a big effect on); allocate 
(give to specifi cally).
You could also check the expression the fi nal straw that broke the camel’s 
back, which means the last in a series of bad things to happen which 
fi nally made someone lose their temper, get upset or give up.
EXERCISE 3 Listening 
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 3. Play 
the recording. Students listen, take notes and then discuss their answers 
in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Play the recording again. Students listen and complete their answers. Let 
them check their answers in pairs before getting feedback. In feedback, 
check the meaning of the four adjectives Shon uses.
Answers
1 the cabin, their safety areas, every toilet, every seat and under the 
seat, the galley areas
2 those passengers who may be disabled or may have special 
requirements or special needs
3 From: hard work, worthwhile, highly rewarding, fun, exciting
CD2 Track 10.5
1 Has the threat of terrorism changed the fl ight attendant’s job?
S: I think the fl ight attendant’s job has changed signifi cantly since the threat of 
terrorism and this has impacted on their preparation time prior to passenger 
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