Taking Responsibility

October 13, 2014 BE_Articles, BE_Post No Comments

TOPIC: TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

LEVEL: EASY

Read the introductory text about the disruption of flights in April 2010.

It seems like the start of 2010 was all about the U.K. and its airline industry, first bringing severe weather and along with it – flight cancellations, then BA strike, and continuing with the volcano eruption in April that effectively grounded all non-emergency flights in Britain following a flight ban, leaving passengers stranded and frustrated at airports. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/apr/15/volcano-airport-disruption-iceland.

The volcanic ash cloud that was reportedly potentially dangerous for aircraft, continued disrupting flights across Europe http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2010/04/19/intv.ash.iata.dir.gen.bisignani.cnn.html

throughout April and May, costing the industry billions and causing public uproar. It was only expected that after the “ash ban” was lifted, the blame game would begin and officials would start pointing fingers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8654559.stm

1.Watch the BBC report with Richard Quest. How would you define the following words and phrases?

1.blanket closure

2. to condemn

3. repatriation

4. to be distressed

5. anguish

6. to be stranded

a) torment, agonizing pain

b) return home

c) complete and full closure

d) to be in much trouble or upset

e) to disapprove

f) to be cut off, isolated or left behind

Answer: 1c, 2e, 3b, 4d, 5 a, 6f

2. Understanding words in context:

1) If something is a shambles, it’s: a) a slaughterhouse, b) disorder, c) a mess

2) If you are the one footing the bill, then: a) you are paying all the costs for something, b) you are responsible for something, c) you are refusing to pay the costs of something

3) If work requires military precision, then it probably needs: a) delicate hands, b) very organized action, c) to be in the military

4) If you are dealing with an aftermath of something, then you are addressing a: a) consequence or result, b) consistency, c) distress

5) If you are entitled to a reimbursement, that means you deserve: a) a refund or compensation, b) a purse, c) loyalty program membership

6) If you are condoning something, you are: a) criticizing it, b) supporting something morally wrong or allowing it to happen, c) supporting it.

Answers: 1c, 2a, 3b, 4a, 5a, 6b

3. Answer the following questions to evaluate your understanding of the video:

1. What are the names of the tour operators jointly condemning the British government over its poor handling of the ash cloud crisis? (Answer: TUI Travel and Thomas Cook)

2. What reasons were they given at the meeting with government officials for the blanket closure of the airspace? (Answer: they claim they were not given any clear reasons, i.e. they do not think it was justified)

3. How many customers did the 2 tour operators happen to have stranded abroad due to the crisis? (Answer: around 100K customers)

4. What do the tour operators find very unfair about the situation? (Answer: that apparently some low-budget airlines are allowed to abandon their customers)

5. How did they comment on the officials’ response to their criticism? (Answer: they consider the government’s response to be a shambles)

4. Fill in the gaps in the following short transcript:

It’s al about customer ………………………… (answer: repatriation). And we seem to have 2 standards, whereas tour operators and …………….. …………… (answer: travel companies) are focused immediately on the repatriation of our customers, to get rid of all the …………………. (answer: anguish) they’ve been facing, where they are obviously distressed away from loved ones. And we’re not getting a …………………… (answer: consistency) across the industry.

5.Use your active vocabulary to build meaningful sentences:

1) The company reps agreed that it was their responsibility to …………….the bill in case something went wrong (Answer: foot)

2) The public ………………………… the government for not acting sooner and leaving the simple people behind to deal with the …………………….(Answer: condemned, aftermath)

3) All passengers ………………………………in tarmac delays were…………………..accordingly (Answer: stranded, reimbursed)

4) The crisis resulted in a…………………….. ………………….of the airspace (Answer: blanket closure)

5) The way the management …………………………. (answer: condoned) such action and disregarded public dissatisfaction was unforgivable.

* Recommended reading: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8654559.stm