English for Cabin Crew Trainer's Guide - Heinle

UNIT
10 Case study
LEAD IN Speaking
Write, My heroes on the board. Ask students, Who are your
personal heroes? Why do you admire them? What qualities do
they have? Ask whether students know of any stories of heroism
involving pilots or cabin crew.
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Give students time to read the task and the questions, and check any
unknown words. Then ask students to read the text and make notes. Let
students discuss their answers in pairs before getting feedback in open
class.
Answers
1 There was a terrorism incident. A man tried to explode a device during
the fi nal minutes of normal descent.
2 The explosive device was a six-inch packet of high explosives called
PETN, along with a syringe. It was hidden in the man’s underpants.
3 They reacted quickly. Once they understood what was happening, they
jumped on the terrorist, used blankets and a fi re extinguisher to put
out the fl ames, restrained the man and put him securely in the front of
the plane.
Vocabulary in context
Write the following defi nitions on the board and ask students to match
them to synonyms in the text: a noise which sounds like a sudden release
of air (pop/popping); ‘pieces’ of fi re (fl ames); fi ght back or try to escape
(resist).
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences.
Give students time to read through the questions and think of responses.
Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small groups. After a few
minutes, get one student from each pair or group to briefl y summarize
the main points of their discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
Check the following key words: impacted (had a big effect on); allocate
(give to specifi cally).
You could also check the expression the fi nal straw that broke the camel’s
back, which means the last in a series of bad things to happen which
fi nally made someone lose their temper, get upset or give up.
EXERCISE 3 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 3. Play
the recording. Students listen, take notes and then discuss their answers
in pairs. Get feedback in open class at the end.
EXERCISE 4 Listening
Play the recording again. Students listen and complete their answers. Let
them check their answers in pairs before getting feedback. In feedback,
check the meaning of the four adjectives Shon uses.
Answers
1 the cabin, their safety areas, every toilet, every seat and under the
seat, the galley areas
2 those passengers who may be disabled or may have special
requirements or special needs
3 From: hard work, worthwhile, highly rewarding, fun, exciting
CD2 Track 10.5
1 Has the threat of terrorism changed the fl ight attendant’s job?
S: I think the fl ight attendant’s job has changed signifi cantly since the threat of
terrorism and this has impacted on their preparation time prior to passenger
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boarding of a fl ight. For example, most airlines would allocate fi fteen minutes
for crew to prepare their fl ight and welcome passengers, but that time has
been dramatically reduced because of the time that fl ight attendants are
now expected, and indeed probably want to themselves, check the cabin and
check their safety areas – would involve things such as checking every single
toilet on board to make sure there were no messages written on mirrors or any
packaging stowed. They have to check every single seat, and under the seat,
and in their own interests and in the interests of the passengers they have to
check the galley areas too. So, the threat of terrorism has defi nitely impacted
on the role of fl ight attendant.
2 When the plane touches down is that the end of your duties?
S: When the aircraft fi nally lands it’s not quite the end of the fl ight attendant’s
duties. We have to ensure that all passengers are seated until the aircraft
comes to a complete stop, and then, of course, when the doors are opened
it’s the fl ight attendant’s job to help passengers disembark the aircraft
and certainly those passengers who may be disabled or may have special
requirements or special needs, we will look after those passengers until all
passengers are disembarked from the aircraft. Once all the passengers are off
the aircraft that effectively becomes the end of the fl ight attendant’s duties.
3 Is the fl ight attendant’s job the same today as it was in the past?
S: I think the job of a fl ight attendant today is very different to that which used
to be the case, say twenty or thirty years ago. It is very hard work these days
and I think you have to be committed to looking after people. You have to be
interested in people and you have to genuinely enjoy giving people a positive
customer experience, so it is hard work. There are lots of situations that occur
that, you know, you’ll never experience in any other job. But it’s a worthwhile
job, it’s still a highly rewarding one. It’s fun, it’s exciting and if you like
working with people and enjoy seeing people more than satisfi ed, then fl ying
as a fl ight attendant is a great career.
EXERCISE 5 Speaking
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Get
feedback in open class and encourage students with interesting ideas to
share with the class.
ROUND UP
Activity 1
Revise the course by asking students in pairs or small groups
to brainstorm words and phrases they have learnt under the
following headings:
Welcoming passengers
Food and drink
Dealing with problems and complaints
Emergency procedures
Preparing for landing
Give students fi ve minutes, then fi nd out how many useful words
and expressions students can remember.
Activity 2
End the course with a discussion. Ask, What do you do in a
typical week? What are the best things and worst things about
being a fl ight attendant? What advice would you give to someone
starting out in your profession? How do you see the future of your
profession?