Business : Int 2 : Travel

"Flying ? I've been to almost as many places as my luggage "  Bob Hope ( America humourist 1903 -2003 )

A- Discuss these questions with a partner.

1 How often do you travel by air, rail, road and sea?
2 Do you enjoy travelling? What don't you enjoy about it?
3 Put the following in order of importance to you when you travel.
           comfort           safety          price           reliability           speed

                 Does the order of priorities change for different types of travel?

B - Choose the correct words from the box to complete the following list of things which irritate people when flying.

cabin - luggage - cancellations - queues - checks - food - seats - jet - room - trolleys

1 not enough leg                  6 overbooking of 

2 lost or delayed                     7 flight delays and

3 long    at check·in               8 tiredness and    lag

4 poor quality  and drink     9 delays for security 

5 no baggage   available     10 oversized hand luggage in the

British and American English

A- Match the words and phrases which have the same meaning_ For each pair,  decide which is British English and which is American English. (type the appropriate letter )

1 subway                                                          a) line
2 city centre                                                    b) lift
3 carry-on baggage                                       c) public toilet
4 one way                                                        d) schedule
5 return                                                           e) economy class
6 freeway                                                         f) single
7 rest room                                                     g) first floor
8 elevator                                                        h) bill
9 coach class                                                   i) booking
10 timetable                                                    j) round trip
11 car park                                                      k) downtown
12 queue                                                          l) motorway
13 check                                                         m) underground
14 reservation                                               n) hand luggage
15 ground floor                                             0) parking lot

Work in pairs_ Use the American English words or phrases from Exercise A to complete this text.

My last overseas business trip was a nightmare from start to finish. First of all, there was a delay on the way to the airport, as there was an accident on the . freeway. 1. When I got there, I found the lower level of the airport 2 was flooded. Next, my 3 was too big and heavy, so I had to check it in. When we arrived, the   4  was closed, and there were no cabs at all. After a long time trying to figure out the 5  and waiting in 6 for 40 minutes, we finally got a bus   7 and found the hotel. Then there was a problem with our room  8 and, would you believe it, the 9  wasn't working, and our rooms were on the fifth floor.

Hyatt Hotels

Listen to Sholto Smith, Area Sales Director for Hyatt H otels, talking
about how the company meets the needs of business travellers. Listen to the first part and pick which of the following he mentions.




Listen to the second part and complete the notes on the ways hotels are adding value to their guests' stay.



• 1 on a daily basis.
• Membership to the    2
• Newspapers 
• Transportation to and from the  3
• A shuttle service to:
a)the    4
b) the    5  in which the client works

What business travellers want

A- What factors do you consider when choosing an airline?

Work in pairs. Complete the table below for your article. (You may not be able to answer every point.)

Student A: Read the article 1
Student B: Read the article 2

In pairs, share information about the two articles. Compare the attitudes of the two travellers. Whose point of view is closest to yours?

D- Match the sentence halves to complete the definitions of the words in bold. ( write the corresponding letter )

1 Peak travel happens      a) a change to a better seat or level of service.
2 When you check in,    b) a room in a hotel/airport where people can sit and relax.
3 Frequent-flyer points are    c) a card you must show in order to get on a plane.
4 An upgrade is       d) all the people who work at an airport, but not the pilots or cabin crew.
S A lounge is       e) awarded by airlines to reward customer loyalty.
6 A boarding pass is      f) at times when the largest number of people are travelling.
7 Ground staff are      g) you go to desk at a hotel/airport to say you have arrived.

Complete the text with the phrases from Exercise D.

I don't always pay a lot of money and I try to avoid    However, I do travel a lot, earn    and usually gel an    to first class. The airline gets me a car to the airporl. I am met by helpful    They take my    and help me  .Then they take me to the   where I read the newspapers.

Talking about the future


We can use different language forms to talk about the future.
• We use going to to talk about what we intend to do and have already decided to do.
My colleague and I are going to attend our Chairman's wedding in Seattle next month.
Some airlines are going to increase fuel surcharges this week.
• We use will or 'll to talk about something we have decided to do at the time of speaking.
The deal's off. I'll call the travel agent to cancel the flights.
• We use the present continuous to talk about a fixed arrangement.
I'm travelling from Australia to Europe in September.
• We use the present simple to talk about a timetable or programme.
The flight leaves Ho Chi Minh City at 11 :30 on Tuesday. It arrives in Danang at 12:40.

Complete each dialogue with the correct form of going to or will. ('re going to /'ll )

1    A Have you decided where to hold the sales conference?
      B Yes, we book the Emory Centre in Atlanta.

2    A I can't find my passport.
      B OK, you look in your bag, and I check the back seat of the car.

3     A What are you planning to do in Tokyo?
       B We meet our agent to discuss next year's advertising budget.

4    A I'm afraid the flight's been cancelled.
      B I need to get there tonight. I    take the train. I think it leaves at nine.

5     A The Hertz counter is a good place to meet.
        B OK, I  wait for you there.

Telephoning:making arrangements

Jennifer North, Sales Director at Madison i n New York, makes two telephone calls to Cristina Verdi, a fashion buyer in london. listen and note a) the purpose of each call and b) the result.




listen to the first call again and complete this extract.



Jennifer : I'm calling because I'll be in london next week and  to see you. I want to tell you about our new collection.
Cristina  : Great. What ? I'm fairly free next week, I think.
Jennifer  :  ? In the afternoon? Could   " then?
Cristina  : let m e look now. Let  . Yes, that'd be no problem at all   6 two o'clock? Is that OK?

listen to the second call again and complete this extract.



Receptionist : Thank you. I'm putting you through ... Hello, I'm afraid she's engaged at the moment    or can I put you through to her
voicemail?
Jennifer :  Would you be able to take a message for me, please? I'm in a bit of a hurry.
Receptionist : Yes, certainly.
Jennifer : The thing is, I should be meeting Ms Verdi at 2 p.m. . My plane was delayed, and I've got to reschedule my appointments. If possible ,  tomorrow,    " in the morning   here al the hotel, please, to confirm?
Receptionist : Certainly. What's the number?
Jennifer :  II's