Airport English Conversation Lesson - Espresso E

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Airport English: Conversation

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 Shayna Oliveira  Speaking,

Vocabulary
Need to speak English at the airport? This travel

English lesson will teach you phrases from
English conversations! Study each dialogue at
the airport and then read my explanation of the
phrases in each English conversation.
This is a sample lesson from the Everyday

English Speaking Course. You can
register to get all 45 lessons in the course!
Learn more about the

Speaking Course
Airport English
Conversation #1 – At The
Check-In Desk
Dan is flying from New York to Los Angeles.
When he arrives at the airport, he goes to the
check-in desk. Listen to the conversation he has
with the agent:
00:00 00:29
Agent: Good afternoon! Where are you flying to

today?
Dan: Los Angeles.
Agent: May I have your passport, please?
Dan: Here you go.
Agent: Are you checking any bags?
Dan: Just this one.
Agent: OK, please place your bag on the scale.
Dan: I have a stopover in Chicago – do I need

to pick up my luggage there?
Agent: No, it’ll go straight through to Los

Angeles. Here are your boarding passes – your
flight leaves from gate 15A and it’ll begin
boarding at 3:20. Your seat number is 26E.
Dan: Thanks.
500+ Real English Phrases
Conversation Vocabulary
And Phrases
Instead of “Where are you flying today?”
the agent may ask “What’s your final
destination?” The answer will be the
same!
You can say “Here you go”anytime you
give something to somebody
To check your bags means to put them on
the airplane inside the cargo compartment.
The small bag you take with you on the
airplane is called a carry-on. You need to
put your carry-on bags through the X-ray
machine at security.
The scaleis the equipment that tells you the
weight of your luggage (45 kilograms, for
example)
A stopover or layover is when the airplane
stops in a different city before continuing to
the final destination
If the agent says that your luggage will go
straight through, it means it will go directly
to the final destination (and you don’t need
to pick it up during your stopover)
Boarding passes are the tickets that permit
you to enter the airplane
When a plane begins boarding, it means
that the passengers start to enter the plane.
Usually boarding time is 30-60 minutes
before takeoff (when the plane leaves)
OTHER QUESTIONS &

PHRASES FOR THE AIRPORT
00:00 00:00
“Excuse me, where is the American

Airlines check-in desk?”
“How many bags can I check?”
“Will my luggage go straight through, or
do I need to pick it up in [Chicago]?”
“How much is the fee?”
If your bag is heavier than the weight limits,
or if your bag is larger than the size limits,
you may need to pay extra: an oversized
baggage fee or overweight baggage
fee (this can be $75 to $300). Some airlines
in the United States also charge a fee for
ALL checked bags (usually $15 to $30).
“Please mark this bag as ‘fragile.’”
Say this if you have fragile or sensitive
items in your bag that might break
“Is the flight on time?”
The agent will respond either “Yes” if the
flight is on time, or “There’s a 20-minute
delay” (for example) if the flight will leave
later than expected.
EXTRA QUESTIONS IN THE

U.S.
On flights going to or inside the U.S., you might
be asked some extra security questions before
or during check-in. Here are some sample
questions:
Answer YES to these questions:
00:00 00:00
Did you pack your bags yourself?

Has your luggage been in your possession
at all times?
Are you aware of the regulations regarding
liquids in your carry-on?
(Liquids must be 100 mL or less, and stored
in a single quart-sized clear plastic bag)
More information: TSA.gov
Answer NO to these questions:
00:00 00:10
Are you carrying any firearms or flammable

materials?
Have you left your luggage unattended at
any time?
Has anyone given you anything to carry on
the flight?
Airport English
Conversation #2 – Going
Through Security
There are two pieces of equipment in security:
you put your bags through the X-ray
machine, and you walk through the metal
detector. Some airports also use a body
scanner for a more careful check.
The X-ray machine has a conveyor belt that

moves your bags automatically through the
machine. You can put small items like keys or
money into plastic bins.
In the picture below, the woman is walking

through the metal detector.
Her suitcase is on the conveyor belt after going
through the X-ray machine.
00:24 00:27
Agent: Please lay your bags flat on the

conveyor belt, and use the bins for small
objects.
Dan: Do I need to take my laptop out of the

bag?
Agent: Yes, you do. Take off your hat and your
shoes, too.
(he walks through the metal detector)
[BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP]
Agent: Please step back. Do you have anything

in your pockets – keys, cell phone, loose
change?
Dan: I don’t think so. Let me try taking off my

belt.
Agent: Okay, come on through.
(he goes through the metal detector again)
Agent: You’re all set! Have a nice flight.
The phrase “you’re all set” is a common

expression that means “you’re finished and
everything is OK.”
Phrasal Verbs: SET OFF and GO OFF
When the alarm sounds, we say “the alarm went

off.” To describe what caused the alarm to
sound, we say “set off” – for example, “My keys
set off the alarm” or “My keys set off the metal
detector.”
Airport English:
Announcements At The
Gate
Airports are divided into terminals (the major
sections of the airport) and each terminal has
many gates. The gate is the door you go
through to enter the airplane. Here are a few
announcements you might hear while you are at
the gate, waiting for the plane to board.
00:00 00:00
“There has been a gate change.”

(this means the flight will leave from a
different gate)
“United Airlines flight 880 to Miami is
now boarding.”
(this means it’s time for passengers to enter
the plane)
“Please have your boarding pass and
identification ready for boarding.”
“We would like to invite our first- and
business-class passengers to board.”
“We are now inviting passengers with
small children and any passengers
requiring special assistance to begin
boarding.”
“We would now like to invite all
passengers to board.”
(this means everyone can enter the plane)
“This is the final boarding call for United
Airlines flight 880 to Miami.”
(this means it is the FINAL OPPORTUNITY
to enter the plane before they close the
doors)
“Passenger John Smith, please proceed
to the United Airlines desk at gate 12.”
Airport English
Conversation #3: On The
Plane
The people who work inside the airplane serving
food and drinks are called flight
attendants. Both men and women who have
this job are called flight attendants. Listen to this
conversation that Dan has with the flight
attendant when dinner is served on the flight.
00:00 00:00
Flight
attendant: Chicken or pasta?
Dan: Sorry?
Flight attendant: Would you like chicken or

pasta?
Dan: I’ll have the chicken.
Flight attendant: Anything to drink?
Dan: What kind of soda do you have?
Flight attendant: Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite,

Orange, and Dr. Pepper.
Dan: A Diet Coke, no ice, please.
Flight attendant: Here you go.
Dan: Thanks.
English Conversation
Tips:
If you didn’t understand what the flight attendant
said, you can say Sorry? or Pardon? to ask him
or her to repeat it.
If you want to ask for something, you can use

the phrase “Can I have…?” or “Could I
have…?” Practice your pronunciation with these
common requests:
00:00 00:00
“Can I have a pillow?”

“Can I have a blanket?”
“Can I have a pair of
headphones/earbuds?”
“Could I have some water/coffee/tea?”
“Could I have some extra napkins?”
Finally, if you need to stand up, but there is a

person sitting between you and the aisle, you
can say Excuse me and make a motion to start
standing up. The person sitting next to you will
understand and stand up to let you get out of
your seat.
You’ve finished Lesson 16! I hope you’ve

enjoyed these English conversations at the
airport. Now take the quiz to test how well you
remember the airport English phrases.
In tomorrow’s lesson, you’ll learn from more

English conversations at the airport – phrases
for arriving at the destination airport, going
through immigration, and dealing with common
travel problems.
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or “Save as”)
Quiz: Travel English At The

Airport
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MENU 

Airport English: Conversation

 Shayna Oliveira  Speaking,

Need to speak English at the airport? This travel

This is a sample lesson from the Everyday

Learn more about the

Agent: Good afternoon! Where are you flying to

Dan: Los Angeles.

Agent: May I have your passport, please?

Dan: Here you go.

Agent: Are you checking any bags?

Dan: Just this one.

Agent: OK, please place your bag on the scale.

Dan: I have a stopover in Chicago – do I need

Agent: No, it’ll go straight through to Los

500+ Real English Phrases

OTHER QUESTIONS &

“Excuse me, where is the American

EXTRA QUESTIONS IN THE

Answer YES to these questions:

Did you pack your bags yourself?

Answer NO to these questions:

Are you carrying any firearms or flammable

The X-ray machine has a conveyor belt that

In the picture below, the woman is walking

Agent: Please lay your bags flat on the

Dan: Do I need to take my laptop out of the

(he walks through the metal detector)

[BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP]

Agent: Please step back. Do you have anything

Dan: I don’t think so. Let me try taking off my

Agent: Okay, come on through.

(he goes through the metal detector again)

Agent: You’re all set! Have a nice flight.

The phrase “you’re all set” is a common

Phrasal Verbs: SET OFF and GO OFF

When the alarm sounds, we say “the alarm went

“There has been a gate change.”

attendant: Chicken or pasta?

Flight attendant: Would you like chicken or

Dan: I’ll have the chicken.

Flight attendant: Anything to drink?

Dan: What kind of soda do you have?

Flight attendant: Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite,

Dan: A Diet Coke, no ice, please.

Flight attendant: Here you go.

If you want to ask for something, you can use

“Can I have a pillow?”

Finally, if you need to stand up, but there is a

You’ve finished Lesson 16! I hope you’ve

In tomorrow’s lesson, you’ll learn from more

Download the text

Quiz: Travel English At The

THIS IS A FREE SAMPLE

Learn more about this course

500+ Real English Phrases

More Espresso English

10 Conversational 5 informal ways to say

12 Slang Words About