A Reply To A Letter of Complaint

Hello,

You received a letter of complaint. Write a reply to the letter in which you provide an explanation for the security procedure.


Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about the treatment I received at the hands of your airport security staff. First of all, when I was departing from the airport, the security attendant at the metal detector was very rude, and did not allow me to take my sunscreen lotion in my carry-on luggage. There was no explanation; she just took it from me.

Then, when I arrived back from my trip, I was thoroughly searched by customs, and it was an extremely embarrassing experience. They provided no explanation for why I was being searched. In fact, they were even more unfriendly than your security personnel. I was very insulted by the treatment I received in your airport, and I would like an explanation.

Sincerely,
Mr. Peter Codfrey

Some expressions you may decide to use:

provide an explanation
security staff/personnel
do a search at random
have the authority to perform/do a search
restrictions on liquids, gels, aerosols
not greater than 100 ml.

Looking forward to reading your posts.

Regards,
RV

A Reply To a Letter Of Complaint

Hello,
Imagine the following situation:
You work at the airport as a Customer Service Representative. You receive this letter of complaint from a customer. Reply to the letter in 150 words. Be courteous, apologise for the inconvenience and explain the procedure.You can use some of the expressions below:

I apologise for .......
Please, accept my (our) apologies for ........
On behalf of customer service, I would like to .................
The reason why ......................................... is................
This is part of the security measures in place in our airport.
to ensure the security in the interest of all passengers

Here is the letter:

5th July, 2011
Dear Sir or Madam,

The other day I brought my 16 year-old daughter to your airport because she was flying to Sri Lanka for the first time by herself. I attempted to park in the drop off area so that I could help her get to the check-in desk with all her luggage.

I was told (in a very rude manner) that I could not stop there, and that I had to move my car immediately. Consequently, I had to leave my daughter there all by herself while I parked the car, and she was almost late for her flight. I would appreciate an explanation.

Sincerely,
Mr. Francois Lecavalier

Air India Flight 182

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The Importance of Airport Security

Airports and airlines are attractive targets for terrorism and other acts of crime. Large number of people pass through airports, which means there is a large concentration of people in a small area. At the same time airliners like AIRBUS A380 can carry more than 500 passengers on board, so any attempt to blow up the plane has the potential to produce a high mortality rate.

On the other hand, incidents involving aircraft attract huge media interest, which can be used by the terrorists to publicise their cause and instill fear. A hijacked plane is a sort of 'flying bomb", explosive devices can be hidden in checked luggage causing the death of hundreds of innocent people.

Find information on the net about some of the incidents involving aircraft that have changed the way airport security is viewed today.

9/11
1. Which incident does 9/11 refer to? Describe briefly the incident.
2. What was the lethality rate (how many people were killed)?
3. How mant hijackers were involved?
4. Who took responsibility for the attack?
5. What new security measures were put in place as a result?

25/12/2009

1. What happened on Northwest Airline Flight 253 on Christmas day, 2009?
2. What security measures were introduced at some airports as a result?

Find about the shoe bomb incident or other notable security incidents that led to the tightening of the security measures at airports.

WRITING TASK: Discuss the question:
Why is airport security important for passengers and for the airport?

Write an answer in 100-150 words.
Regards,
RV

Virgin Opens World’s First Commercial Spaceport

Hello,

Have you heard the news? The world's first spaceport was officially opened in the US state of New Mexico.

Interested? Read on.

(You can read the text online on: http://airport-world.com/news-articles/item/1095-virgin-opens-world%E2%80%99s-first-commercial-spaceport?dm_i=100O,L78R,4ZIBBZ,1PYFO,1 )

Sir Richard Branson has officially opened the first-ever commercial spaceport in America, which will soon offer space tourism to those who can afford it.
The event in the New Mexico desert on Monday (October 17), saw Branson along with the State governor Susana Martinez and US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, dedicate the ‘Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space.’
At the dedication ceremony the British billionaire abseiled down the side of the world's first built-from-scratch commercial spaceport terminal, which he has named the 'Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space’, swigging from a bottle of champagne, in his usual flamboyant style.
Meanwhile Virgin Galactic’s commercial space vehicles soared through the skies of southern New Mexico.
In 2009, the state of New Mexico revealed it would fund $140 million towards the construction of the complex known as Spaceport America.
The green light for the project was given after Sir Richard Branson signed a 20-year contract to base the world’s first spaceline, Virgin Galactic, at the 27sq mile spaceport when it was completed.
So far Virgin has already sold around 430 tickets for space travel, at a value of around $86.2 million (£54.6m).
However although the spaceport has now opened, final tests will not be complete until the end of 2012 with flights starting soon after.
The 2.5-hour flights will offer five minutes of weightlessness and cost $200,000 (£127,000) per ticket.
Sir Richard had hoped that Virgin Galactic's commercial flights could begin in 2007, but the project has since been hit by delays.
He last visited the $209m complex nearly a year ago to celebrate the completion of the runway.
Sir Richard said: “Today is another history-making day for Virgin Galactic.
“We are here with a group of incredible people who are helping us lead the way in creating one of the most important new industrial sectors of the 21st century.
“We’ve never wavered in our commitment to the monumental task of pioneering safe, affordable and clean access to space, or to demonstrate that we mean business at each step along the way.”
Branson and his children, Sam and Holly, will be some of the first commercial passengers on SpaceShipTwo.
The Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space, a combined terminal and hangar facility, will support up to two WhiteKnightTwo and five SpaceShipTwo vehicles.
In addition, The Gateway will house all of the company’s astronaut preparation and celebration facilities, a mission control center, and a friends and family area.
There is also space committed to public access via the planned New Mexico Spaceport Authority’s Visitor Experience.
The 120,000sqft building, which meets LEED Gold standards for environmental quality, was designed by UK-based Foster + Partners, along with URS Corporation and local New Mexico architectsSMPC.
New Mexico’s governor, Martinez, added: “New Mexico has a long tradition of pioneering innovation in aerospace and related technologies.
“Our partnership with Virgin Galactic is a perfect example of how government and private industry can work together to drive economic growth and science education.”
Present for the dedication ceremony were over 150 Virgin Galactic customers from 21 countries who have already made deposits to fly to space.

You can watch a short report from AL Jazeera channel here.

Anybody interested in booking a flight?

Regards,

RV

The Journey of a Suitcase

Hello,

Here is an excellent interactive site that explains what happens to a bag after it is checked-in, or in other words:

THE JOURNEY OF A SUITCASE

http://www.jetfriends.com/jetfriends2/teens/lufthansa_koffer/_/1

or
http://www.jetfriends.com/jetfriends2/kids/ (Go to Terminal, select Lufthansa)

Take notes and then explain to your classmates how the baggage handling system works.

Write a short summary of how the system works.
Regards,
RV

Customer Service

Hello,

Here are the revision questions for this week. Write your answers. Try to write in logical and coherent paragraphs.

1. What is good customer service?


2. Why is customer service important in the aviation industry?


3. List 5 rules of good customer service. Comment on them.


4. What are the qualities of a good customer service representative?


5. List some airlines that are examples of good customer servcice. You can refer to

the Skytrax awards. Comment briefly what passengers say about the services on one of them.

Regards,
RV