English on the Move
The airport lounge
A chance meeting
Frank: Heiner! What a surprise! Where are you off to?
Heiner: Hi, Frank. Good to see you. I’m speaking at a conference in Basle. What about you? Frank: It’s my regular trip back to HQ in Frankfurt. I was just about to go to the business lounge. Have you got time to join me? Heiner: I’ve got the time, but my economy ticket doesn’t allow me to use business lounges. Frank: That’s OK. You can be my guest. My company’s credit card gives me access to certain business lounges and allows me to take in one guest. The lounge is on the first floor. Let’s go.
Signing in
Receptionist: Good morning. Welcome to the Executive Lounge.
Frank: Good morning. I’d like to sign in a guest on my card, please.
Receptionist: May I just swipe your card and take
your card details?
Frank: Certainly. Here you are.
Receptionist: And could I just ask your guest to sign in here, please? Have you been in this lounge before, sir? Frank: Yes, a few times. So I know my way round. Receptionist: We’ve introduced a quiet zone at the back, where we ask you not to use phones. And please remember to keep your eye on the flight departures screen. We don’t make public announcements.
At the buffet
Frank: Here’s the buffet with snacks and drinks. Heiner: I wouldn’t mind a beer and a few nibbles. Frank: Let’s get a beer and some food and find somewhere comfortable to sit and talk. What beer would you like — lager, wheat beer or pale ale?
Heiner: I’ll have a lager. And I’ll take a handful of nuts.
Frank: I’ll just have a pale ale. I’ll be eating lunch on the plane later.
Heiner: That’s the advantage of flying business class, I suppose. In economy, I would have to buy a sandwich.
Frank: I fly somewhere most weeks, so my company recognizes my need for a bit of comfort. This is my workplace.
The facilities
Heiner: This quiet zone is very comfortable. Frank: I usually sit here unless I have some calls to make or a teleconference. I’ll even have a short sleep if it’s a red-eye flight. These chairs recline like aeroplane seats.
Heiner: What’s that section over there?
Frank: There are some workstations there, where you can plug in your laptop or charge your phone. And the Wi-fi is very easy to connect to. I use that when I need to do some serious work or read my emails. You also have some corners you can use for small meetings.
Heiner: It’s a great view from here, too. I love watching planes taking off and landing. Frank: I do, too. It’s the little boy in us, I think.