Getting Back to the Airport

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

on time

Phrase

ɑːn taɪm

not late, punctual

The project is never going to be finished on time.

You should be on time when you're getting married.

Your flight is leaving on time.

Please turn in your proposal on time if you want to become a member of this project.

Did you clock in on time today, or were you late as usual?

It is extremely important that the conference starts on time, as the timetable is very tight.

It runs on a highway, so usually it gets there on time.

reserve a seat

Phrase

rɪˈzɜːrv ə siːt

to arrange in advance for a seat to be saved for your use

I will reserve a seat for you. // Thanks.

cab

Noun

kæb

a taxi

It was late so they caught a cab.

It's easy to find a cab downtown.

We can take a cab, but we might get there faster if we walk.

The company will pay you back for your cab fare if you need to work overtime on this project.

departure time

Noun

dɪˈpɑːrʧər taɪm

the time when an airplane leaves the gate

Your departure time is 12:10.

I want to get to the airport at least one and a half hours before the departure time.

Exercise 2

Useful Expressions

What time will you be leaving?

Should I worry about delays because of traffic jams?

Roads are clear early in the morning.

Just to be sure.

Exercise 3

Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogue aloud with your tutor.

Matt is wondering if he could take a shuttle bus from his hotel back to the airport. He asks the hotel receptionist about it.
	Matt Hi. I was wondering if there are any airport shuttle buses available from the hotel or would taking a taxi be a better idea?
	Receptionist What time will you be leaving the hotel?
	Matt Tomorrow at around five o’clock in the morning. I have a flight to catch at 7:30 A.M.
	Receptionist In that case, there is a shuttle bus available. I'd recommend taking it. It stops at 5:10 A.M. just in front of the hotel and arrives at the airport at 5:30 A.M.
	Matt How much does it cost?
	Receptionist It’s twenty Hong Kong dollars, which is less expensive than taking a taxi.
	Matt That’s good. Tell me, please, should I worry about delays because of traffic jams?
	Receptionist There's no need to worry about that. The bus runs on the highway so it usually gets to the airport on time.
	Matt I see, thanks. I'll take it.
	Receptionist Would you write down your full name here? I will reserve a seat for you.
	Matt Thanks.

Exercise 4

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks to complete the dialogue.

Anne needs to go back to the airport tomorrow morning. She goes to the reception to ask for help.
	Anne Good morning. I was (1) if there are any airport shuttle buses that I could take from the hotel or would it be better to take a cab instead?
	Receptionist What (2) will you be leaving, madam?
	Anne Tomorrow at around 4 in the morning. My flight is at 6:30.
	Receptionist I'm afraid there are no buses (3) at that time. The first shuttle bus arrives here at 5:10 A.M. Would you like to reserve a (4) on that one?
	Anne No, I want to get to the airport at least an hour and a half (5) the departure time.
	Receptionist Then, (6) you like to reserve a taxi instead?
	Anne Yes, that would be better. How long does it take to get to the (7) in a taxi?
	Receptionist It shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes.
	Anne Should I be worried about (8) due to traffic jams?
	Receptionist Roads are usually clear early in the morning, so I don’t think you need to worry about (9) jams.
	Anne I see. Then (10) you, please, reserve a cab for me at 4 A.M.? Just to be sure.
	Receptionist Certainly.
	Anne Thank you for your help. I’ll be here at 4:00 A.M. (11) morning.

Choose answers from the options below that fit in blanks 1 to 11

Answer Pool (Questions 1-11)

wondering
seat
airport
would
tomorrow
time
could/would/can
available
delays
before
traffic

Exercise 5

Role Play

Role-play the following situation with your tutor.

Situation

You have a flight to catch at 5 A.M. and you want to ask the hotel receptionist what kind of transportation would be the best to get to the airport on time. Your teacher will be the receptionist.

Exercise 6

Discussion

How early before the departure time do you like to get to the airport? Why?

Have you ever missed checking in on your flight because of a delay caused by a traffic jam? If so, how did you feel? If not, what do you do to prevent that?

Which do you prefer: taking a taxi, taking a local bus or taking a shuttle bus? Why?

Do you think airline companies should provide free transportation for their customers? Why? Why not?

Would you ever use public transportation in major cities to get to the airport? Why? Why not?