[Travel ★★★★]
1) THE SKY MARSHALL NEEDS YOUR SEAT
These guys still fly to protect you, and they’re sometimes seated without prior warning.
If one of them shows up and needs your seat, you’ll either be bumped off the flight entirely or reassigned.
And you won’t even get an explanation (obviously, the authorities don’t want you to blab that there’s a sky marshal on board).
2) YOU MESSED WITH THE CREW
When Bobby Abtahi, a Dallas lawyer, was rushing through one of those large revolving doors at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, he supposedly “cut off” a Virgin America flight attendant who was attempting to enter at the same time.
He was booted off his flight after the flight attendant complained to the captain flying his plane.
At least Virgin later apologized for the “misunderstanding” and refunded his fare.
(P3) YOU OR YOUR CHILD WON’T LISTEN
Actually, if you do anything to annoy the cabin crew or fail to obey their instructions and ignore lit placard signs, you risk being booted.
4) THE AIRLINE OVERSELLS OR DOUBLE-BOOKS A SEAT
Even in this era of sophisticated computer systems or perhaps because of them, airlines oversell flights and even, on rare occasions, sell the same seat to two people.
Passengers can be eligible for compensation in cash when this happens.
In 2013, Delta was fined more than $1 million for, among other bumping violations, not informing passengers that they’re entitled to cash compensation rather than a travel voucher, and last year American Airlines paid a fine for similar infractions.
5) YOU’RE NOT PROPERLY DRESSED
Again, this is up to cabin crew, but if you wear a T-shirt with offensive wording, are exposing too much flesh, or are otherwise provocatively dressed, flight attendants and cockpit crew have been known to kick people off the plane or refuse to let them board.
Spirit Airlines once deplaned a passenger for refusing to pull up his baggy, underwear-revealing pants, and Southwest has been known to refuse passage to passengers whose clothes reveal too much cleavage or other body parts.
Thankfully, airlines no longer require employees to wear suits and ties when flying on company passes, but they’ll take it out on you if they don’t approve of your fashion sense.
6) YOU’VE BEEN OVER-SERVED
If you’re obviously inebriated or otherwise impaired, don’t expect to fly. You won’t be breathalyzed so it’s entirely up to crewmember discretion.
WORDS: 391
VOCABULARY: Sky Marshall, blab, infractions, provocatively, deplaned, cleavage, inebriated, breathalyzed
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 the 6 reasons to lose your seat on a flight are good reasons? Why or why not?
- In your opinion how should people dress for a flight?
- How do you think you would react if you lost your seat?
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
- The airline will tell you if a Sky Marshall was given your seat. (T or F)
- What’s the name of the passenger who had a run in with a flight crew?
- A seat can be sold to one or more people. (T or F)
- Which airline kicked off a passenger for not pulling up his pants?
- If you are drunk and kicked off the plane, the crew has to administer a breathalyzer test first. (T or F)
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- bumped off the flight (1)
- “cut off” a Virgin American flight attendant (2)
- booted off his flight (2)
- lit placard signs (3)
- oversell flights (4)
- bumping violations (4)
- offensive wording (5)
- fashion sense (5)
Image source: Richard I’Anson/Lonely Planet Images/Getty Images http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/05/should-members-of-congress-be-forced-to-fly-coach/