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Overbooked Flights
Overbooked Flights

Learn about 'Overbooked Flights' in this English lesson

Date: May 19 2017

Grammar: Adverbs

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Have you ever been on a flight that was overbooked? Usually, it is not a big problem. Airlines offer a voucher to someone for giving up their seat, and often, people are happy to volunteer. However, United Airlines recently had a scandal when they kicked off a doctor who did not want to leave the plane. A video of the incident was released online, and many people were upset by the intense footage.

After the video went online, United Airlines got in trouble. Many people said they would no longer fly with this airline. People began to ask why airlines overbook flights at all. Some people think that getting kicked off a flight is worth it in order to get money toward future experiences. However, other people believe that overbooking flights is too much of a gamble for the airline… especially after this video went public!

Marni and Jordin are discussing the United Airlines video. Find out what they think in this lesson.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Jordin

Jordin

Marni:  Jordin, what are your thoughts on this whole United Airlines scandal? That man being thrown off the plane?

Jordin:  Yeah, it seemed pretty crazy. I mean, they dragged him through the aisle off of the plane.

Marni:  Yeah, it seems a little intense and, maybe, unnecessary. I’m wondering why they didn’t go to another passenger, because clearly he did not want to leave that flight.

Jordin:  But I also don’t understand why no one, after they offered it multiple times, was willing to get off the plane.

Marni:  True.

Jordin:  Nobody was willing to go. And I don’t know, I’ve had pretty good experiences with deciding to get kicked off the plane. You can get some cool stuff.

Marni:  Oh, yeah? Do tell!

Jordin:  Yeah, they give you a free hotel, and they give you… the one time I did, I got an 800 voucher for a future flight…

Marni:  Wow!

Jordin:  So I could go anywhere at a future time, and I bet you they offered that.

Marni:  Yeah, I would think so. They’d have to offer some good incentives to kick you off a flight. I also don’t understand why they overbook flights. I guess they assume a certain amount of people won’t show up, but really, it seems like kind of a gamble, and clearly, if did not pay off for United in this case.

Jordin:  I know, seriously. But I guess their stocks have gone down, but actually, their ticket sales have gone up since the incident.

Marni:  Really?

Jordin:  Yep. Because I think they’re making their flights less expensive because of the mix-up, and so now more people are like, “Alright, I’ll buy that cheap flight.”

Marni:  Well, sure, I mean, it’s all about the price of the ticket.

Jordin:  Mm-hm.

Marni:  Interesting. Well, maybe, I’ll see you on a future United flight.

Jordin:  Yeah, I don’t know.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Marni asks Jordin what she thought about the recent United Airlines video. Jordin says that it was pretty crazy how they dragged the man off the plane. Marni agrees that it was very intense, but she wonders why they didn’t just ask another passenger instead of forcing the man off the plane.

Jordin is also surprised that no one volunteered to get off the plane. She has been kicked off a plane before, and she did not mind. She got a free hotel room an $800 voucher toward a future flight. Marni agrees that it is good that airlines offer incentives to passengers to give up their seats, but she thinks overbooking is kind of a gamble. However, Jordin thinks United Airlines will still be successful after this incident. People are still buying their tickets because they have lowered their prices.

Have you ever been on an overbooked flight? Would you still fly United Airlines after this incident?

 

Comments

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VOLTS

VOLTSSuper Member!

Brazil

well… i once flew by united airlines, many years ago… no problem that time… but… they turned out to be the worst company in the world… i have seen so weird things happenning such as… the girls who was forbidden to fly cos of the throuses… or.. the staff that punch the old man, 71 years old…the old man almost dead…  My God!!! ... never more… better fly by emirates or qatar… 

01:51 AM Jun 16 2017 |

zhenningx

zhenningxSuper Member!

Canada

Which is correct, “He quickly finished his sandwich,” or “He finished his sandwich quickly”?




I feel both are correct?

03:05 AM May 20 2017 |

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