Three Things at the Check-in Counter
The counter handles three things: documents, bags, seats. "Do you have any bags to check?" — here check means checking baggage (check again! the bill at restaurants, checked bags at airports). Answer: "One bag to check, and one carry-on." The seat question always comes: "Window or aisle?"
Do you have any bags to check? And would you like a window or an aisle seat?
One bag to check, please. A window seat, if possible.
Boarding Calls: Only Four Facts Matter
Announcements are fast and echoey — don't chase every word, extract four facts: flight number, gate, time, action. The actions are few: now boarding / final call / delayed / gate change. Example: "Flight CA982 to Beijing is now boarding at gate 32."
This is the final boarding call for flight BA two eight nine to London. Please proceed immediately to gate fifteen.
Delays & Rebooking: State Needs, Not Feelings
Delay? Confirm first: "Is the flight delayed? How long is the delay?" Cancelled? One sentence outworks ten: "Could you rebook me on the next available flight?" (rebook — the magic word). Long delay: "Could I get a meal voucher?"
My flight's been cancelled. Could you rebook me on the next available flight?
自测 · 学完检查一下
想真正动手做题、记进度、攒连胜？到互动课里练。
The check-in agent asks: "Window or aisle?" What's the question?
答案：A window seat or an aisle seat
Window seat = by the window; aisle seat = on the corridor (the s in aisle is silent). It's the standard check-in question — answer "A window seat, please." Cabin class was settled when you bought the ticket.
"Do you have any bags to check?" — what does check mean here?
答案：Checking baggage into the hold
Check is a chameleon: at restaurants the check is the bill; at airports to check a bag means sending it to the hold (checked baggage); security is a security check. Same word, different scene, different meaning — file it by scenario, not by dictionary entry.
The announcement says: "Flight 289 to London — gate change: now boarding at gate 22." You should?
答案：Go board at gate 22
Gate change = new gate; now boarding at gate 22 = boarding there right now. Catch the two facts — action + gate — and you won't go wrong. No re-check-in needed, and 22 is a gate, not a time.
Your flight was cancelled. The single best sentence at the counter?
答案：Could you rebook me on the next available flight?
Rebook + next available flight is the sentence that minimizes your loss. Demanding "why" earns an apology, not a seat; shouting for an instant refund gives up your rebooking priority; "do something" contains no actionable request.
The fixed phrase in the last announcement (one word): This is the ___ boarding call for flight CA982.
答案：final
Final boarding call = the last call. Hearing it means the door is about to close — there is no next reminder.
True or false: after your flight's final boarding call there are usually one or two more announcements, so there's time to finish browsing duty-free.
答案：False
Final means final: no more announcements — the door-closing procedure starts next. Most passengers who miss flights miss them inside duty-free shops. Your flight number + final call = go to the gate immediately.