Aviation News

British Airways

A British Airways effort to improve customer service by letting airline employees look up passenger photos and other information on the Internet is ruffling feathers among privacy advocates.

Over the past year, British Airways equipped airline employees with Ipad devices to search passenger data such as previous travel arrangements, food preferences and even Google images. The London-based airline says the “Know Me” program was directed primarily to better serve VIP passengers.

The online images, for example, were used to help crew members recognize passengers as they board the planes, making the service more personal, according to British Airways officials.

“We’re essentially trying to re-create the feeling of recognition you get in a favorite restaurant when you’re welcomed there, but in our case it will be delivered by thousands of staff to millions of customers,” Joe Boswell, a spokesman for British Airways, told a London newspaper.

Privacy advocates weren’t buying it.

“Since when has buying a flight ticket meant giving your airline permission to start hunting for information about you on the Internet?” asked Nick Pickles, director of the London-based privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch.

No word yet if British Airways plans to modify the program to address the privacy concerns.

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• security

Pronunciation: ER

Directions: Practice by saying the word pairs and example sentences, then speak the words from this reading.

Word Pairsfur-fear, her-here, burr-beer, girl-gear, sir-sear

Example sentence:Were girls hurrying her further?

Examples from this reading:Require -

Reading

Directions: Read the following passage carefully.

A pilots union contends United Air Lines is paying to remove extra cockpit security gates on its new Boeing 787 planes.

The allegation by the Air Line Pilots Association was reported Tuesday by the Associated Press but was not confirmed by the airline.

All airlines beefed up cockpit doors after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The 787 planes include an extra folding security gate that prevents passengers from entering the cockpit even when the metal security door is opened so pilots can leave the cockpit to use the restroom or rest in bunks.

Federal rules do not require airlines to install the extra metal gates but a letter from the union to the airline says United is paying to remove the gates, according to the Associated Press.

"It makes no logical sense for a safety and security conscious airline with the history of United to pay for the removal of this device that further protects the flight deck from those with hostile intent," the letter dated Monday said.

The secondary metal gate is just one component of flight security, according to United spokeswoman Christen David, who said the combination of security measures can vary on different planes.

She declined to discuss the barriers in detail, but told the Associated Press "we are thorough in carrying out our security responsibilities for every flight. The safety and security of our employees and customers are our top priorities."

Question 1: Suggest a different title for this text. Why do you think that this would make a good title?

Question 2: If you could interview the person who wrote this text what two questions would you want to ask? Explain why each question is important.

Question 3: Write 3-5 sentences summarizing the text.

Question 4: What is the tone of this text?

Question 5: What is the purpose of this text?

Focus on Grammar

Words that describe actions are called adverbs. In the sentence "Bob eats quickly", the adverb quicklydescribes how Bob eats.
What are the adverbs in the sentence(s) below?

   Directions: Identify how the adverbsis used in the sentence(s) below

1. The secondary metal gate is just one component of flight security, according to United spokeswoman Christen David, who said the combination of security measures can vary on different planes.She declined to discuss the barriers in detail, but told the Associated Press we are thorough in carrying out our security responsibilities for every flight.

Word Roots & Stems

Rule: The prefix en-(sometimes spelled em-, in-or ) adds "in" to the meaning of a word.
Be careful! There is another prefix with the same spelling which means "not".

Directions: Identify the word that ends with en- in each sentence and write it on the line.

1. Federal rules do not require airlines to install the extra metal gates but a letter from the union to the airline says United is paying to remove the gates, according to the Associated Press.

1. Federal rules do not require airlines to install the extra metal gates but a letter from the union to the airline says United is paying to remove the gates, according to the Associated Press.

1. The safety and security of our employees and customers are our top priorities.

Directions: Fill in the blanks below, just as in the models.

Vocabulary Practice

FILL IN THE BLANK

Directions: Use the word bank to identify the word that best completes the sentence.

1. The chef will _______________ a new stove in the restaurant.
2. His interest in video games _______________ as his interest in girls increased.
3. We _______________ that the following regulations be adopted .
4. The crowd was _______________ to the president.
5. She bought a new _______________ for her stereo.
6. He loves all animals, _______________ snakes!
7. I _______________ read and write in English.
8. Good health is my _______________.
9. I need a cup of coffee to become fully _______________ in the morning.
10. His _______________ was to surprise her, not scare her!
11. The police never proved the _______________ that he killed her.
12. There was a _______________ of sadness when he smiled and congratulated the groom.
13. Iron, tin and gold are _______________s that can be found in the earth.
14. The teacher told the students to fill in the blank spaces to make _______________ sentences.
15. The locked door _______________ her from going in.

Vocabulary Practice

MATCHING

Directions: Write the letter of word that matches the definition on the line. If it helps, feel free to also draw a line between the definition and the matching word.

1. conscious
2. logical
3. metal
4. sense
5. hostile
6. declined
7. intent
8. require
9. allegation
10. prevents
11. even
12. component
13. install
14. priorities
15. can

• 
  _______ To connect, set up or prepare something for use.
• 
  _______ Become less.
• 
  _______ to demand, to need, to call for
• 
  _______ Unfriendly, angry; against someone or something.
• 
  _______ A part.
• 
  _______ Surprisingly
• 
  _______ Have the ability to do something.
• 
  _______ Something very important.
• 
  _______ With an active mind.
• 
  _______ The reason for doing something.
• 
  _______ A statement made without proof.
• 
  _______ Meaning or feeling from voice or action but not words.
• 
  _______ An element that forms a base by combining with oxygen, is usually hard and heavy.
• 
  _______ Reasonable.
• 
  _______ Stop something from happening.

A Skymark Airlines jet liner

Want to stow away your bag on this flight? Try putting it in the overhead compartment on your own. Got a complaint about the service? Keep it to yourself, at least until the plane lands.

A Japanese budget airline has come under fire for putting up notices informing passengers that its flight attendants aren’t obligated to be polite or cater to the whims of those on-board.

Among other unusual edicts, the notices posted by Skymark Airlines told travellers that crew members wouldn’t put up with any grievances on board, according to U.K. news outlet The Telegraph.

Instead, passengers were encouraged to direct any complaints to public consumer agencies.

“In case a passenger does not understand that, we will ask the person to leave so that we can take off as scheduled,” read an excerpt of the notice obtained by The Telegraph.

Travellers who appreciate a cordial “you’re welcome” after a “thank you” may have balked at the notices as well. The guidelines indicated that Skymark’s attendants weren’t obligated to use “polite language” when speaking to passengers; courteousness just isn’t in the job description.

Another decree in Skymark’s eight-point “Service Concept” stated that cabin staff wouldn’t help customers stow their bags away.

The rationale behind the seemingly brusque rules is that the crew’s role is to ensure safety, not tend to passengers, reported The Telegraph.

Justifications aside, the notices have drawn the ire of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which has asked the budget carrier to take down the guidelines.

Skymark acquiesced late last week and agreed to revise the notices.

But there may be something to be said for a gruff attitude and a lack of courtesy, at least from a business perspective. Though the traits are generally considered negative qualities, certain businesses have become famously novel for their bad customer service.

Diners in San Francisco expressed sadness last April when a Chinatown eatery known for having the “world’s rudest waiter” closed its doors. Similarly, other restaurants such as the Jack Astor’s chain have tried to cultivate humorously rude reputations with gags such as a neon sign out front telling customers: “Sorry, We’re Open.”

In Skymark’s case, however, the notices weren’t intended to be amusing.

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This is thought to be one of more than a dozen brawls and heated debates between Syrian flight attendants that have occurred in the months since the conflict in Syria began.

Reports suggest that the two Syrian women got embroiled in a fight at Dubai Airport over the fact that one supported the Syrian regime and the other opposed it, and both had to be pulled apart by security officers.

“Divergent political views on the conflict have become so polarised that spending hours locked on the same plane with opponents has become too much for some to bear,” says the Telegraph.

The situation had become so serious that the Saudi Arabian Airlines officials called all Syrian air hostesses to a meeting in which they were banned from any political activity or discussion while on duty, or risk dismissal.

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