You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Robert, and in today's lesson we're going to learn how to check in for a flight at the airport.
This lesson is part of our new series of fresh takes on some of our older lessons.
We've kept the same dialogue, but have new explanations and practice for our lower-level learners.
So, imagine you arrive at the airport on the day of your flight.
You walk up to the ticket counter to check in.
What do you say?
Well, you need to start by telling the agent you want to check in and give some information about your flight, such as where you are going.
You also need to check your baggage or your bags and perhaps make a polite request for the kind of seat you want.
In fact, it's important to be polite throughout this conversation, and it's this polite language and vocabulary that we'll learn today.
And you may find the expressions we learn quite useful in many different travel situations.
In the dialogue, you're going to hear a traveler called Robert.
Robert is talking to a ticket agent because he wants to check in for his flight.
Listen carefully and you will hear Robert and the ticket agent talk about Robert's destination, his bags, seat and ticket.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What is Robert's final destination?
2.
How many suitcases does Robert want to check?
3.
After checking his bags, what does Robert ask the ticket agent?
4.
Where does Robert want to sit on the airplane?
Next in line, please.
Checking in, sir.
And what's your destination today, sir?
Nice, France.
Connecting through Paris.
Is departure still at 11.45?
Yes, indeed.
Everything's on time today.
Can I have your ticket and passport, please?
And are you checking any baggage?
Yes, just one suitcase.
But could you tell me what the International Baggage Allowance is?
I think I might be over the limit.
35 kilos.
Could you please place your suitcase on the scale, Mr Strauss?
Okay.
That's just under 34 kilos, so you'll be fine.
Uh-huh.
That's a relief.
And I see you have one carry-on bag.
Here's a list of items that are prohibited in your carry-on baggage.
Please be sure to check before you go through the security point.
Sure.
Could you tell me if the flight is very busy?
It's almost full, but you'll have no problem boarding.
Your reservation is confirmed.
Now, do you have a seating preference, window or aisle?
Well, I'd like an aisle seat near the front if possible, so I can get off quickly in Paris.
My connection is quite tight and I want to get through immigration and customs as quickly as possible.
I see, but I don't think it will matter.
Your luggage is checked through in Nice, but you'll still have to take it through customs in Paris yourself.
So being first in line at immigration probably won't save you any time.
Well, I'll try it anyway.
So, I'd be grateful if you could put me in an aisle seat close to the exit.
We certainly can.
Okay, sir.
You're in aisle seat 10C on flight 405, departing from gate 9 at 11.45.
Here's your passport and boarding pass.
And the gate is over to your left.
Thanks very much.
Have a nice trip, sir.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look more closely at the language and vocabulary that Robert uses to check in for his flight.
As we go through the lesson, we'll give you more examples to practice.
Let's listen as the ticket agent asks the next person in line to come forward.
Next in line please.
Checking in, sir.
And what's your destination today, sir?
The ticket agent says, next in line, to tell Robert to come to her counter.
She then asks Robert if he is checking in.
She doesn't make a complete question like, are you checking in?
Instead she just uses the phrase checking in with rising intonation to show it's a question and adds sir, to make it polite.
To check in means to officially say, I am here for a flight or at a hotel or even at a conference.
We can use check in as a verb or talk about check in as a noun.
Let's practice some more examples of checking in.
I want you to repeat what you hear to practice each expression.
Ready?
Hi, I'd like to check in for the Paris flight.
Check-in for international flights is in Terminal 4.
I need to check in at the hotel before the meeting.
After check-in, please go to Passport Control.
Now, let's listen to the ticket agent's next question.
What does she ask about?
And what's your destination today, sir?
The ticket agent politely asks about Robert's destination.
Your destination is the place you are going to.
You can also talk about the place you are leaving from, which is your point of departure.
One thing you might notice is that sometimes we use the present continuous tense to talk about the future.
For example, we might say, I am leaving from New York tomorrow.
Now, let's try some more examples of going to and leaving from in the future and the past.
I'm going to Paris next week.
We will go to Sydney on Tuesday.
I left from Frankfurt at 6pm, but didn't get to Munich till 10.
Now, listen to Robert talk about his destination.
Nice, France, connecting through Paris.
Is departure still at 11.45?
Robert's destination is Nice, but his flight doesn't go there directly.
As he says, he is connecting through Paris.
When we connect during a flight, we go to another city first and change planes.
A long flight might have more than one connection.
We can use connect as a verb, and we can also use connecting as an adjective to describe a flight.
Let's go through some more examples using connect and connecting flight.
I have to connect in Hong Kong.
I have a connecting flight through Madrid.
We connect in Brussels and then fly on to Antwerp.
I missed my connecting flight in London so I was late for the meeting.
Now listen as they go on to talk about Robert's bags.
Yes, indeed.
Everything's on time today.
Can I have your ticket and passport, please?
And are you checking any baggage?
The agent confirms that the flight is on time and asks politely for Robert's ticket and passport.
Then she asks if he is checking any baggage.
Part of checking in for a flight is checking baggage or bags.
In fact, you can also check an item like your coat when you arrive at an event.
Check in these situations basically means to give something to someone else to take care of.
When you check your baggage, you're talking about your bags and suitcases, which we can also call luggage.
Let's try some more examples of checking items.
Would you like to check your coat, sir?
Will you be checking any bags today, miss?
I was late arriving at the airport and didn't have time to check my bags.
Now let's listen as they continue talking about Robert's baggage.
Yes, just one suitcase.
But could you tell me what the international baggage allowance is?
I think I might be over the limit.
35 kilos.
Could you please place your suitcase on the scale, Mr Strauss?
Robert wants to know what the baggage allowance is, which is the maximum weight you are allowed.
Robert thinks he might be over the limit or over the maximum, which means he might have to pay an extra charge.
Notice how Robert asks his question.
He doesn't say, What is the baggage allowance?
But instead he says, Could you tell me?
Whenever we ask for something or make a request, we can make a question with would or could to be polite.
If you want information, you might ask, could you tell me?
If you want a thing, you might say, could you give me or could I have?
And if you need help, you might say, would you help me?
Modals like could would can, may and might are one of the keys to being polite in English, as Robert shows.
The ticket agent is also polite.
Instead of saying put your suitcase on the scale, which is how we weigh bags, she says could you please?
Making polite requests like this is a very important skill.
So let's practice some more examples using could and would.
Could you tell me where I can get a taxi?
Do you think you could tell me why the flight is delayed?
Do you mind booking me on a later flight?
Could you help me with my bags?
Would you help me with my bags?
Would you mind helping me with my bags?
Now, let's get back to the dialogue as Robert puts his bags on the scale.
OK.
That's just under 34 kilos, so you'll be fine.
That's a relief.
And I see you have one carry-on bag.
Here's a list of items that are prohibited in your carry-on baggage.
Please be sure to check before you go through the security point.
Robert and the ticket agent have been talking about checking his baggage.
But there are some bags we don't check.
Instead, we carry these bags onto the plane.
The agent notices that Robert has one carry-on bag.
A carry-on bag might be a purse, a briefcase, a backpack, or even a small suitcase.
The reason the agent mentions Robert's carry-on bag is to remind Robert that some items are prohibited in carry-on baggage.
Prohibited items are dangerous objects like knives that are not allowed on flights.
The agent tells Robert to please be sure to check his carry-on before going through security.
As you can see, we can make simple statements more polite with please.
So far, we've learned many words for talking about bags when we check in.
So let's try practicing these expressions with some examples.
We got a set of Louis Vuitton luggage for our wedding gift.
Samsonite makes very strong suitcases. but they can be a bit expensive.
Please place your carry-on bags in the overhead compartment.
The baggage allowance for this flight is 20 kilos.
I had to leave my makeup at the airport because it's prohibited in carry-on bags now.
Now, let's listen as Robert wonders if the flight is busy and the agent asks an important question.
Sure.
Could you tell me if the flight is very busy?
It's almost full, but you'll have no problem boarding.
Your reservation is confirmed.
Now, do you have a seating preference, window or aisle?
Robert wants to know if the flight is busy.
Again, he doesn't ask a direct question, but rather makes a polite request with, could you tell me?
The ticket agent tells him that the flight is almost full, but she reassures him by saying but you'll have no problem boarding.
To board a flight means to get on.
You can board a flight, a train, a bus, or any other form of mass transportation.
Next, the agent asks about Robert's seating preference or where he would like to sit.
Usually, the choice is between a window seat and an aisle seat.
You might also choose a certain section of the plane.
Let's listen to Robert's seating preference.
Well, I'd like an aisle seat near the front if possible, so I can get off quickly in Paris.
My connection is quite tight and I want to get through immigration and customs as quickly as possible.
Robert uses I'd like to politely request a seat that will let him get off quickly.
He is worried because his connection or connecting flight is quite tight.
A tight connection means you don't have much time between flights.
This can be a problem, especially if you have to go through immigration and customs, as Robert does.
On international flights, you must go through immigration to show your passport and state why you are entering the country.
Then you go through customs to show your bags and to say what you are bringing into the country with you.
We've covered some more useful vocabulary related to travel and airports, so let's try practicing with a few examples.
The flight is scheduled to leave at 10.15, but passengers will begin boarding at 9.55.
Excuse me, I think I'm in 9A but if you prefer the window seat, I'll take the aisle.
When you go through immigration, the official will ask you the purpose of your visit and how long you will stay.
I forgot to declare a box of cigarettes at customs and got fined $200.
Now, let's listen to the ticket agent as she tries to reassure Robert again.
I see, but I don't think it will matter.
Your luggage is checked through in Nice, but you'll still have to take it through customs in Paris yourself.
So being first in line at immigration probably won't save you any time.
Well, I'll try it anyway.
So, I'd be grateful if you could put me in an aisle seat close to the exit.
We certainly can.
The ticket agent tries to reassure Robert.
She explains that his luggage is checked through to Nice.
When your bags are checked through to your destination, you don't need to check them again for a connecting flight.
Still, Robert needs to take his bags through customs in Paris, so getting off quickly won't matter much.
But he really wants a seat on the aisle close to an exit.
So he repeats his request, using both would and could and saying he'd be grateful, which means he would feel thankful to the agent.
And how does the agent respond?
She politely agrees to his request by adding the word certainly to we can.
To agree to a polite request, we can use a few different confirming phrases.
Let's practice a few of these expressions.
Okay, that sounds good.
Yes, that won't be a problem.
We certainly can.
Certainly, sir.
Now, let's hear how the dialogue ends.
Okay, sir.
You are in aisle seat 10C on flight 405, departing from gate 9 at 11.45.
Here's your passport and boarding pass.
And the gate is over to your left.
Thanks very much.
Have a nice trip, sir.
Now that they have gone through all the steps for checking in, the ticket agent needs to summarize the details of Robert's flight.
This means telling him his seat number, his flight number, his departure time, and his gate number.
At an airport, the numbered gates are the areas where planes arrive and leave from.
Finally, the agent returns Robert's passport and gives him his boarding pass, which is the ticket with a seat number that you show to get on the plane.
With the check-in process complete.
Robert makes sure to thank the agent, who wishes him a good flight in response.
Now, let's practice some of the language we just learned with a short role play.
Imagine that you are at the airport checking in for a flight.
You will hear a question from a ticket agent.
Then I will suggest how you can respond.
Use my suggestion to answer the question.
I'll guide you through each step of the practice and we'll provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Hello, may I help you?
Start by saying that you want to check in for your 10 a.m. flight.
Example answer.
Yes, I'd like to check in for my 10am flight.
And where are you travelling today?
Now, say that you are going to London.
Example answer.
I am going to London.
And are you on the direct flight to London?
Now say that your flight is connecting through New York.
Example answer.
No, my flight is connecting through New York.
All right.
And do you have any bags today?
Now say that you would like to check two suitcases.
Example answer.
Yes, I would like to check two suitcases.
And is there anything else you'll be needing?
Now politely request a window seat.
Example answer.
Yes, I wonder if I could have a window seat.
To finish off, let's practice some of the vocabulary and expressions we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence including the missing word.
For example, if you hear I'm going from Miami to LA, but I have to in Dallas.
You can say, I'm going from Miami to LA, but I have to connect in Dallas.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
You should be ready to the airplane 30 minutes before takeoff?
Answer.
You should be ready to board the airplane 30 minutes before takeoff.
Each passenger is only allowed one carry on.
Answer.
Each passenger is only allowed one carry-on bag.
May I see your passport and boarding, please?
May I see your passport and boarding pass, please?
All our flights have a baggage of 30 kilograms.
All our flights have a baggage allowance of 30 kilograms.
That's all for this lesson, the first in a series about business travel.
We've learned all about checking in for a flight, making polite requests and talking about departures connections, baggage and seating.
In the next lesson, we'll hear Robert in the airport in Paris.
Unfortunately, Robert has to deal with some travel problems.
Tune in to find out what happens and how he handles the situation.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
