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XXXXXVII Flight Attendant Dialogue (Steward/Stewardess) & Vocabulary

F.A (Flight Attendants) also called Stewardesses and Stewards, stand at the door greeting passengers. Male Flight Attendants (Stewards) will usually be on the other side of the plane storing food in the galley that is being loaded onto the plane from a truck with a forklift through a door on the other side.

F.A. “Welcome aboard Eastern China flight 845 to Los Angeles. May I see your boarding pass? (Looks at boarding pass). Please take the aisle on the other side of the plane.”

F.A. “Welcome aboard Eastern China Flight 845 to Los Angeles. May I see your boarding pass? (looks at passenger’s boarding pass). Please take this aisle here.”

As soon as the last passenger with a boarding pass is on the plane, they will check the number of passengers on board with the plane’s manifest (passenger list). If there are seats available, they will tell counter attendant in the passenger lounge at Gate B 13 to let standbys board now. Then Flight Attendants will pass up and down the aisle and check to see if all seats are in an up-right position and all passengers are wearing their seat belt.

F.A. Over the loudspeaker to all passengers: “Will all passengers make sure their carry-on luggage is stored under their seat or in the overhead compartment. We are preparing to take off. All passengers must be in their seats with their seat belts fastened and have their seats in an up-right position. All trays in front of you must be locked up.”

Stewardesses will pass up and down the aisles to see if passengers have complied with this announcement as some passengers may have a hearing problem. If passenger has not complied with the instructions, a Flight Attendant will be quite firm in telling a passenger. “Put your seat upright” (there is a release button on the side of the side arm rest which allows the passenger to adjust his seat). If a passenger needs help, the F.A. may say, “Here, I’ll help you.” F.A. will also say, “Fasten your seat belt”, or “put up the tray in front of you” if you have not done so.

F.A. Speaking over the loud speaker: “You are reminded that this is a “no-smoking” flight. Passengers are not to tamper with smoke detectors in the toilets as this is considered a crime and punishable by fines and imprisonment. Due to possible interference with electronic and communications equipment in the cockpit, we ask that during take-off, all passengers turn off all mobile phones, lap-top computers, walkmans, radios or any electronic devices you may have with you, and continue to keep them turned off until the captains notifies you that it is all right to turn them on.”

F.A. Speaking over the loud speaker. “The plane will be taxiing to the runway. We ask that all passengers remain seated and observe the no-smoking and 'seat belt’ signs. Once we have reached our cruising altitude, the 'seat belt’ sign will go off and passengers may move about and go to the toilets.

As the plane taxis to the runway, the pilot of the plane may speak with the passengers over the loud speaker and say something like, “This is your Captain speaking. Welcome aboard Eastern China Flight 845 to Los Angeles. Our flight path will take us north over Manchuria (Dong Bei) and into Russia, then over Kamchatka then across the Bering Strait to Alaska and down the west coast of North USA to Los Angeles. Our flight time is 14 hours. Los Angeles is ten hours ahead of us, so our ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) will be 10 am the same day as today.

Flight Attendants will have seated themselves in seats by the plane’s exits. They are always seated by the emergency exits as there is more space between the seats to allow passengers to escape more easily and the Flight Attendants will be in the right position to assist all passengers in case of an emergency.

The pilot revs up the jet engines with the brakes on and the plane vibrates from the tremendous thrust of the jet engines. The brakes are released and the plane roars down the runway and quickly picks up speed. The plane lifts off. A loud bumping noise can be heard when the plane’s wheels fold up into the wheel wells and the wheel doors are closed. As the plane climbs, the cabin floor is steeply inclined. Changes in air pressure can be felt in the ears. Either chew gum or try swallowing, as this can cause much pain. Babies on board the plane will cry, as they can feel the pain. Babies should be given a bottle of milk or water, to drink and Flight Attendant should be looking after the needs of mothers with babies.

F.A. “International safety regulations require that we instruct all passengers in safety procedure in the event of an emergency. In the magazine pocket on the back of the seat in front of you, is a safety card for you to read. I will go through the safety procedures with you now and flight attendants in both aisles will demonstrate these procedures.
“In the event that the passenger cabin de-pressurizes, an oxygen mask will drop in front of you from overhead. Please put the mask over your mouth and nose immediately before helping anyone else. Just breathe normally and then assist a child or someone who is having trouble. Do not attempt to help someone else without attending to your own needs first.
In the event we are over water, put on the yellow life preserver (jacket) that falls from the overhead. Put this over your head and pull the fasteners at the waist to tighten it firmly. Pull on the tabs here (and she shows the tabs), which will release gas to inflate your life jacket only upon landing in water.
Sometimes, the airline will have 'gift packets’ in the pocket in front of you which will contain a tooth brush, a small tooth paste tube, earphones for the movies, tube socks to put on your feet if you want to take off your shoes. There will be blinders to cover the eyes and shut out the light if you want to sleep. There are also blankets and pillows in the overhead compartment for the passenger’s comfort during the flight.
Occasionally, a passenger will mistakenly pull the “call” button in trying to regulate the overhead air nozzle. The call button will bring the stewardess to see if the passenger is having problems.
As soon as the plane reaches cruising altitude, Flight Attendants will start preparing snacks and loading carts with coffee, tea, soft drinks, juices, wine, beer, and usually provide something to snack on with these drinks. Beer, wine, and champagne are free in First Class and without limit, but there is an extra charge in tourist/economy class for alcoholic beverages.
About an hour after snacks and drinks are served. Stewardesses will start preparing for lunch or dinner. There will be five to six microwaves in the galley (kitchen), which will be used to heat the frozen dinners that were put on the plane just before it took off. The stewardess in charge of heating the food will wear protective gloves to keep from burning her hands. It takes only a minute or two to warm these frozen dinners and the stewardess will be constantly putting in dinners and taking them out and others will be loading the carts, which will carry these dinners to the passengers. As the carts can only hold so many dinners, there will be constant traffic to and from the galley with the carts.
Because of the need to keep the aisles free, you should try to stay in your seats as much as possible. If you might possibly be in the aisle, you should make way for the carts. Attendants will be polite and courteous at all times and smile and say, “May I get through?”
After everyone has been served, the attendants will begin collecting trash in bags (empty plastic glasses, plastic dishes, wrappers, etc.)
Each long flight is five to six hours of hard work, but the crew will have plenty of time to rest. At the end of each flight, the airline usually has a mini-bus to take the flight crew to a hotel where the airline usually has special arrangements with a local hotel. There the crews can rest for a day or two, depending on the airline policy. This layover allows the crew an opportunity to learn a bit about the city before returning to their home base.
On international flights, there will be 'landing cards’ to fill out for immigration. There will be two kinds. There are two kinds of 'Landing Cards’. One is for nationals and residents of the country and the other for non-residents or non-nationals of that country.
About two to four hours before landing, the attendants will push carts through the aisles loaded with duty-free items for sale to the passengers. They will usually take USA money or credit cards, and won’t take any other currency. They know how to handle credit cards and can calculate prices in other currencies.
On international flights, attendants will pass out 'landing cards’. These are for immigration of the country in which you will be landing. You will fill out information about type of visa, address in the country, passport number, name, validation of passport, etc.
During each flight, there is usually some kind of turbulence (plane will bump up and down). As there are hundreds of passengers on the plane and only five or six toilets, there is usually a waiting line to the toilets. When going through some turbulence, the pilot will put on the 'seat belt’ sign and stewardesses will announce over the inter-com:
“Will all passengers please return to their seats and fasten their seat belts (this is not a question but an order). Remain seated and buckled up until the seat belt sign is turned off.”

Approaching Los Angeles Airport (LAX), the pilot may come on the loud speaker and announce.

Pilot: “We are beginning our descent to LAX and will be landing at Los Angeles International Airport in fifteen minutes. Temperature in Los Angeles at this time is 82 degrees Fahrenheit or 28 degrees Celsius. The weather is cloudy with a light rain falling. We thank you for flying Eastern China and wish you a good time in Los Angeles.”

The 'seat belt’ and 'no smoking’ sign will be on as the pilot makes this announcement.

F.A. Over the loud speaker: “Passengers will be seated and buckled up. Please put your seat in an up-right position and have the trays in front of you locked in place. Turn off all mobile phones, lap-top computers, radios, or any electronic devices you may have.”

The pressure in the cabin begins to increase with the descent and this can be felt in the ears as hearing is diminished. Again, swallowing or chewing gum will help. Flight Attendants will go about the plane checking to make sure everyone is buckled up, seats in an upright position, and trays are locked up. They also to make sure that all laptop computers and electronic devices are turned off.
The noise of the wheel doors opening and the wheels being locked into place can be heard. As the plane approaches the runway, the flaps will be opened and to help brake the speed of the plane upon landing. From the window, building and vehicles can be seen and then there is a thump as the plane’s wheels hit the runway at about 130 mph and a screech can be heard. After this thud, there will be the whine of the jet engines being thrown into reverse. All of this is quite normal.

FA “Passengers are asked to remain seated until the plane taxies up to the jet way and stops. Search the overhead compartment to make sure you have all of your carry-on luggage and duty-free goods you have purchased. For those making connecting flight to other parts of the United States, our employees at the gate counter will assist you. For those staying in Los Angeles, we wish you a nice stay.”

Passengers will get out of their seats once the place stops and they will get their carry-on luggage. The doors to the plane will not open until just before the jet way is ready to connect to

the plane’s fuselage. This will take a few minutes but in the meantime, passengers have filled the aisles and wait impatiently until First Class passengers and those needing assistance leave the plane first.
As the passengers leave the plane, the stewardesses and stewards (flight attendants) station themselves at the door to assist any passengers needing help. They smile and say, “Thank you for flying Eastern China,” or they will merely smile and say, “Bye”.

Vocabulary:

Boarding gate wheels rev up runway Celsius buckle up
fasten seat belts flight Fahrenheit Gate personnel breath
plane taxies runway takes off ascent wheel well snacks
toilets turbulence laptop computers halfway altitude
wheel doors frozen dinners electronic devices eardrums smoke detectors oxygen masks plastic glasses international safety regulations lounge elevation mini-buses trays microwave ovens overhead compartments steward special arrangements flight crew in the event descent duty free open flaps
obliged depressurize landing card Tourist Class Business Class Economy Class reverse engines passenger manifest gate counter smoke detector emergency mobile phones snack time

On domestic flights, passengers may be greeted by friends or relatives at the exit of the jet way. On international flights, passengers will follow signs to 'immigration’. At immigration, there will usually be two different lines. One line is for nationals and residents and another line for those who are not nationals or residents of that country. In Los Angeles, do not enter the line marked as “USA” unless you are USA. Usually, there will be someone directing you to which line you must go.
At immigration, they will ask to see your passport and airline ticket (to see if you have a return ticket) and your landing card. You will be asked questions like:
“How long will you be staying in USA (France, Britain, etc.)?” They will ask, “Are you staying with friends, relatives, or acquaintances in Britain (France, US)?” “Will you be staying at a hotel?” (If you land in Britain) “Do you plan to travel to the continent?” “Is this trip for business or for pleasure?” (business means you will have income tax forms given to you to fill out).
If this is a business trip, they will want more information about whom you are seeing, the kind of business you will be conducting, how much money is involved, and you will be given income taxes forms to fill out to be turned in on your return flight.
After going through immigration, you hurry to baggage claim to collect your baggage. You will get your baggage from the “carousel”, find a luggage cart and pile on all of your baggage then go to “Customs”.
At Customs, there will be two signs. One will say “Goods to Declare” and the other, “Nothing to Declare”. Even though you may choose to go to “Nothing to Declare”, a Customs Agent may ask you to open your luggage. Duty free goods are exempt from Customs but you must not go over your allowed limit of two cartons of cigarettes and two bottles of alcoholic beverages. The customs agent will poke around in your luggage to see if you are smuggling drugs or contraband (illegal goods that are taxable).
Now, after passing customs, you have made it. You push your cart through the customs door to be met by friends, relatives, or once outside customs look for signs that will direct you to hotel services, taxis, buses, trains, or subways.
One words of caution. Customs Agents should not ask to see your passport. If they do, make sure that you keep your eyes on who has your passport at all times, as they are not supposed to handle passports. Customs Agents have been known to steal passports from passengers, which has been done by USA Customs Officials. They are supposed to only look for contraband goods that are under tax regulations.

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