ESL Podcast 270 - Airport Announcements
attention - a word used to ask a particular group of people to listen carefully to whatever is said next
Attention shoppers. The owner of a green Honda with license plate number SKW 394 has left the car's lights on in our parking lot.
departure gate - the seating area in an airport where passengers wait for their specific flight to leave
The departure gate is at the other end of the airport, so we need to hurry!
flight information - information about when and where flights will arrive (come) and depart (leave)
We can call the airline a few hours before we go to the airport to ask for updated flight information, just in case there has been a change in the schedule.
monitor - a television or computer screen that shows information
Most hospital beds are next to monitors that show how quickly the patient's heart is beating.
opposite direction - backward; behind; 180º from the direction one was going early
We thought the lake was east of town, but it's actually west, so we have to drive in the opposite direction.
to approach - to move nearer to something; to come closer to something
Slow down! You're approaching a school zone with a lot of children nearby.
to be delayed - to be rescheduled to arrive later than originally planned
We were supposed to fly from Houston to Portland and then from Portland to Eugene, but we missed our second flight because the first flight was delayed for three hours.
flight crew - the pilots and flight attendants; the airline employees who work on the plane while it is flying in the air
Members of flight crews get to fly all over the world, but they very rarely get to see foreign cities because they're always in the plane or at the airport.
ground crew - the airline employees who work outside to prepare the plane for flying
Members of the ground crew fix things that are broken on the plane, clean the seating area, and move suitcases from the plane to the airport.
to de-ice - to remove ice from an airplane before it can fly
Planes have to be de-iced before they can fly again, or else they won't be able to get off the ground.
wing - one of the two long "arms" of an airplane that are on each side and keep the plane in the air
I was excited to have a window seat on the plane, but unfortunately it was over the wing, so I wasn't able to see the view.
aircraft - airplane; plane
The Boeing 737 is a popular type of aircraft.
departure time - the time when a plane is scheduled to leave (depart)
The plane's departure time was 4:55 p.m., but we couldn't leave until 7:15 because of bad weather.
gate agent - the airline employee who works where people are waiting for a plane, changing people's seats, making announcements, and taking tickets
The gate agent said that anyone with tickets in rows 15-30 can get on the plane now.
to overbook - to sell more tickets than the number of seats on an airplane
There were 130 people waiting for a plane that had only 125 seats, because the airline overbooked the flight by selling five extra tickets.
travel voucher - a piece of paper that gives someone a certain amount of credit (money that can be spent only with one airline) for a future trip
Delma received a $120 travel voucher for Aerial Airlines, but she has to use it before the end of the year.
worth - valued at; with a monetary value of; for the amount of
Her diamond ring is worth $1,200. I would be scared to wear something that expensive!
to get bumped - to be asked to take another flight because the original flight that one was supposed to take is already full
Bobbie got bumped from her evening flight to Anchorage to one that would leave in the morning, so the airline paid for her hotel room.
music to (one's) ears - very good news; something that one hears that makes one feel happy and relieved
Miko was very worried about his wife driving in the snow, so it was music to his ears when she called and said that she had arrived safely.
to board - to get on a plane, bus, or train
Families with small children are sometimes allowed to board planes before the other passengers do.