[Travel ★★★]
(P1) Two allegedly drunk Canadian pilots were arrested Monday at Glasgow Airport just before taking to the skies with hundreds of passengers in tow, Glasgow Live reports. According to CBC, the flight crew noticed there was something off about the pilots and went to authorities. “We saw five policemen get onto the plane and we thought, ‘There’s a problem,” one passenger says. The 250 or so passengers on board the Scotland to Canada flight were told there were “operational reasons” for the delay, the BBC reports.
(P2) The pilots were arrested on suspicion of violating the Railway and Transportation Safety Act of 2003. If convicted of being drunk prior to a flight, they face up to two years in prison. The airline, Air Transat, apologized and provided vouchers to passengers, who had their flight delayed until Tuesday.
WORDS: 133
SOURCE: http://www.newser.com/story/228347/flight-crew-narcs-on-allegedly-drunk-pilots.html
VOCABULARY: allegedly, authorities, suspicion, convicted, vouchers
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Do you think all pilots should be tested for alcohol before they fly a plane? Why or why not?
- If you were on the plane, what would you think if you saw police entering the plane?
- Do you think the flight crew should be rewarded for telling authorities about the pilots? Why or why not?
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
- What’s the nationality of the pilots?
- How many police officers got on the aircraft?
- The flight was going from Canada to Scotland. (T or F)
- Which regulation are the pilots accused of breaking?
- The pilots could be sentenced to more than 2 years in jail if found guilty. (T or F)
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- taking to the skies (P1)
- passengers in tow (P1)
- something off about the pilots (P1)
- up to two years in prison (P2)
Image source: AP / CBS http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alleged-drunk-pilot-arrested/