HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

BUSINESS ENGLISH · BUSINESS ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

HELLO, I’M
ON THE
PLANE
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1EN6-91L8-DC1

1 Warm up
There are lots of rules and expectations when you travel on a plane. Work in pairs. Think of three
rules you have to follow on a flight, and three things that other people expect you to do or not to do.
Compare ideas with the class.

rules expectations

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HELLO, I’M ON THE PLANE

2 Listening
Listen to two passengers talking on a plane.

1. Did you talk about any of these rules and expectations in the Warm up activity?

2. Do the passengers know each other or are they strangers?

Listen again and complete each gap with three words.

1
A: Hey – she said put your phone on airplane mode.

B: Oh, they always say that, but no one ever does.

2
A: Why they ask everyone to do it if it’s not important?

B: It’s just something they have to say.

3
A: the same way that you do – then the plane might crash!

B: Oh, all right, I’ll put it on airplane mode. There – are you happy now?
4
A: you could help me with my phone? I don’t know how to do it.

B: OK, let me have a look.

A: Thanks.

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Match each phrase 1-4 from the last exercise with the meaning.

1. means the same as think a. you’re supposed to...

2. introduces a polite request b. do you suppose...

3. describes a rule c. Supposing... (can also be Suppose...)

4. sets a condition, as an alternative to if d. I don’t suppose...

Pronunciation note

The second letter s in this keyword is usually pronounced with a /z/

sound.

However, in one of these items, it has a different sound – which one?

be supposed to = /s@"p@Ust@/ - this is due to assimilation with the /t/
sound in to

Work in A/B pairs. Student A should cover the dialogue and begin the conversation: Hey – she said ...
Student B should read the other part, help A to remember their words and checks A’s pronunciation.
Then change roles.

3 Reading

You are going to read an article called, "Airplane mode to disappear? Changing rules follow technology
developments." Before you read the article, make some predictions about the past and future of
airplane mode. Read the article to check your ideas.

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Airplane mode to disappear?

Changing rules follow technology developments

1. Suppose you’re on a plane, getting ready for take-off. The flight attendant is presenting the safety information.
They ask everyone to put their devices on airplane mode, and you follow the instructions, but the guy next to you
takes no action. If you’re a nervous flyer, this might worry you. In fact, nearly everyone wonders why this request
is made when it doesn’t seem to matter. What’s going on? Should you ask your seatmate to switch to airplane
mode?

2. Let’s look back at the origins of this rule. In 1991, the United States Federal Communications Commission banned
the use of mobile phones on planes. Many people today believe that this is to protect the pilot’s communication
systems, and originally it was, but it turned out that there was no serious risk outside of take-off and landing.
The real reason you’re supposed to use airplane mode is to prevent disruptions in service to ground-based mobile
networks.

3. Mobile phones automatically connect to the nearest tower to get a signal and switch to another one when they
move out of range of the first. A phone on a plane flying at 12,000 meters may try to connect to more than one
tower at the same time, and due to the speed of the aircraft, will also need to change towers frequently. This can
result in overloading the service for all users in the area. So, in 2013 the rule about airplane mode was brought
in so that users could do everything with their phones except make calls. However, the real issue is how many
people on the plane are trying to access the network. That’s why it doesn’t matter if your seatmate didn’t switch
to airplane mode and continued to use their phone to make calls. It’s not a problem as long as most people follow
the rules.

4. Of course, phone technology has moved on since then. In 2022, European airlines announced that planes would
offer passengers 5G technology to make calls, send texts and use data on board. The European Commission
announced this as a business-friendly move which would allow travellers to continue with their working day
without interruption.

5. Interestingly, in the United States, where the cell network operates differently, officials announced that they would
delay offering the same technology to passengers. There were also fears that the free use of mobile phones on
American aircraft could lead to disruptions to services, with negative impacts on business travel and supply chains.
This appears to be the complete opposite of the argument put forward by European airlines.

6. In the end, we can suppose that all these technical problems will be resolved, but some wider issues about
using phones on planes remain. Some passengers would object to hearing lengthy and possibly loud phone
conversations throughout the flight. What’s more, some business travellers actually enjoy the "downtime" that
comes from being out of contact with their offices while they’re flying. It seems likely that individual airlines will
base their rules on customer feedback.

Sources: gizmodo.com, planenerd.com, bbc.co.uk

Glossary:
seatmate → a person who is sitting next to you in a row of seats on the plane
overload → place too many demands on a machine or system, with the result that it works slowly or stops
working completely
supply chain → the system that moves food and other goods from farms and factories to shops and customers

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Work in A/B pairs. Find words in the article with these meanings. Then explain your words to your
partner.
Student A

1. devices a. any type of flying vehicle (n, para. 3)

2. banned b. express a negative reaction to a new development (v, para. 6)

3. disruptions c. effects or results (n, para. 5)

4. aircraft d. delays or complete loss of service when a system cannot work as

it normally does (n, para. 2)
5. impacts e. small machines that do particular jobs (n, para. 1)

6. object f. not allowed, forbidden (v, para. 2)

Student B

1. origins a. the causes or beginnings of something (n, para. 2)

2. risk b. relating to scientific knowledge or machines (adj., para. 6)

3. switch c. danger to safety (n, para. 2)

4. interruption d. change from one thing to another (v, para. 1)

5. technical e. information from service users saying what they did or didn’t like
(n, para. 6)
6. feedback f. when an event stops for a short period of time (n, para. 4)

What’s the most surprising or interesting thing you learned from the article?

4 Language in context
Explain what these phrasal verbs in bold from the article mean.

1. Many people today believe that this is to protect the pilot’s communication systems, and originally
it was, but it turned out that this was not a serious risk outside of take-off and landing.

2. So, in 2013 the rule about airplane mode was brought in so that users could do everything with
their phones except make calls.

3. Of course, phone technology has moved on since then.

Finish these sentences in a logical way. Compare your ideas with your classmates.

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HELLO, I’M ON THE PLANE

I thought the guy sitting next to me on the plane was going to ,

but it turned out that

The airline brought in a new charge for

Back in the day, we thought it was pretty cool to on the plane.

But technology has really moved on and now we can

5 Talking point

Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Is making calls from a plane important to you? Do you feel differently about other people making
calls?
2. Would you feel comfortable asking another passenger to switch airplane mode on? How about
letting them know that their phone calls were disturbing you?
3. It’s possible that another reason for restricting phone calls during take-off and landing relates to
safety. Do you have any idea why the flight attendants might want people to stay off the phone
during these times?
4. Here are some ideas which could improve passenger experiences. Discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of each one and any other rules that may need to come in, for example specific
timings or costs. Which idea is best?

• Tell passengers their phone calls can only last 3 minutes.

• Tell passengers they can only make calls between certain times during the flight.
• Ask passengers to move to another area of the plane if they need to make a call.
• Set up special rows of seats on the plane where passengers can book seats if they want to make
calls.
• Set up special rows of seats on the plane where all phone calls are banned.
• Your own ideas

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6 Optional extension

Look at the airline safety card and talk about the rules. Use be supposed to and other forms of suppose
to describe the rules and explain why they’re important. Try to use other vocabulary from the lesson
as well.

Example: You’re not supposed to wear high-heeled shoes during an emergency landing. Suppose you had to
leave the aircraft in a hurry, and you couldn’t run in these shoes.

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