1.

AT THE AIRPORT
I’m late.

This is where
passengers
collect their
baggage.

Here’s your
ticket sir.
Have a good
flight.

Thank
you.

Welcome to East
Timor

1
1.1 Vocabulary: arriving and departing
Insert the correct word from the box into the gaps.

customs officer departure lounge carry-on bag

check in immigration officer baggage
collection baggage allowance queue
travel documents immigration visa

1. When you arrive in a country from overseas the .................................................... checks your
passport. In some countries you must have a .................................................... before you can
enter. Then you proceed to the .................................................... area to pick-up your bags and
then to the .................................................... who may, (but not always) check your baggage.

2. When you leave a country you must first .................................................... with the airline to
get your boarding pass. If there are a lot of people you must ....................................................
Then you go through ...................................................., where they check your travel
documents and then to the .................................................... to wait for your flight.

3. On most international flights you have a .................................................... of 20 kilograms per

person. Many airlines allow you to take one bag on to the aircraft usually a maximum weight
of 7 kg. This is called a ....................................................

Study the paragraph above and answer the following questions.

1. What word means ‘abroad’? ______________________________________________

2. What are ‘travel documents’? ______________________________________________

3. What word means ‘go in’? ______________________________________________

4. What are ‘international flights’? _______________________________________________

5. Can you name some ‘airlines’? ______________________________________________

6. What word means ‘no more than’? ______________________________________________

7. What is another word for ‘plane’? ______________________________________________

8. What is another word for ‘depart’? ______________________________________________

9. What words mean ‘for each’? ________________________________________________

2
1.2 International signs
For each sign, write short answers to these questions:
1. Where would you find these signs?

2. What do these signs mean?

3. Have you seen these signs around Dili?

1 2 3

_______________________ ________________________ _______________________

4 5

________________________ _______________________

6 7 8

________________________ ___________________________ ______________________

Discuss: Are signs useful? Why? Why not?

3
1.3 Dialogue: At the airport (2.00pm)
Complete the dialogue by inserting the correct tense. Look for time phrases first.
Practice the dialogue with a friend.

Bill: Hi, Ben where ................................... (go)?

Ben : Hi Bill, I ................................... (fly) to China later this afternoon.

Bill: ................................... (go) for business or pleasure?

Ben : Business, I ................................... (meet) some engineers tomorrow in Shanghai.

Bill: How long ................................... (stay) there?

Ben : I ................................... (stay) for three weeks and then I ................................... (fly) to
Korea. I ................................... (stay) in Korea until the end of the year and then
I ................................... (come) back.

Bill: ................................... (be) this your first overseas trip?

Ben : No, I ................................... (go) to Indonesia last year and the year before that I
................................... (travel) to India.

Bill: Anyway, why ................................... (be) you here?

Ben : I ................................... (pick up) some visitors from America.

They ................................... (come) from Darwin but the plane ................................... (be)
30 minutes late so instead of arriving at 2 o’clock they ................................... (now, arrive) at
2.30pm. Americans ................................... (be) always late.
...................................They ................................... (be) never on time.

Bill: I ................................... (hope) your listening skills are good because Americans
................................... (be) difficult to understand. They ................................... (have) a
strong accent and they ................................... (speak) very loudly.

Ben: I ................................... (hope) they understand me. I ................................... (practice) my

pronunciation every night in front of the mirror.

Bill: ................................... (not, forget) ‘practice makes perfect’.

4
1.4 Information on an airline ticket

At the airport
Please make sure you are at the airport in time and remember to carry proof of identity and your
e-ticket with you as security may wish to see them.

Baggage
If travelling without bags then be at the gate 20 minutes before the flight departs. If you've got bag(s)
to check, be at a bag tag counter no later than 30 minutes before departure. The first two bags are free.
On board you're allowed one bag per person (maximum 7 kg).

Changes/restrictions
Changes permitted at any time. You may have to pay the difference between the original fare and the
new fare if higher. Service fee applies unless changed online.

Cancellation
Up to the day of departure, fully refundable. After the day of departure refunds will incur a refund fee
per person per one-way journey.

Exercise
From the information, what do you think the following expressions mean?
1. proof of identity : .........................................................................................................................

2. e-ticket : .........................................................................................................................

3. to check : .........................................................................................................................

4. tag : .........................................................................................................................

5. original : .........................................................................................................................

6. fee : .........................................................................................................................

7. online : .........................................................................................................................

8. fully refundable : .........................................................................................................................

Exercise
Read the information and answer these questions:
1. Can a passenger change a ticket? .......................................................................................... .......

2. How many bags can a passenger take on board? ..........................................................................

3. If I change my ticket on the internet do I have to pay an extra charge? ........................................