Have you ever lived out of a suitcase? In this ESL lesson, students will listen to audio of an airline employee helping a man check in to his flight. Students will discuss things they see and do at an airport. Students will also learn and practice prepositions of direction, learn common idioms used at an airport, and practice vocabulary relating to this topic. This lesson includes plenty of engaging discussion activities and worksheets that have been developed for adult and teenage learners.

Lesson Objectives

To develop speaking and listening skills

To learn and review prepositions of direction

To discuss things you see and do at an airport

To practice vocabulary and idioms relating to the topic

Audio

Listen to the audio of a man checking in to his flight at the airport. Will the airline employee be able to help the passenger find the correct gate? Did the man pack too much luggage, or will he have problems with security?

Audio Transcript SHOW

Vocabulary and Pronunciation

live out of a suitcase [idiom]: means to briefly stay in several locations but never staying in the same place long enough to unpack your bags

check in [verb]: (to a flight) to report one’s presence or arrival

domestic [adjective]: relating to or originating within one’s own country

international [adjective]: relating to or affecting two or more countries

luggage [noun]: suitcases for a traveler’s belongings; baggage

terminal [noun]: (at an airport) is a building where passengers go to depart on a flight or the building at which they arrive upon landing

gate [noun]: (at an airport) the area where passengers board an aircraft

baggage claim [noun]: the area in an airport where arriving passengers pick up their checked baggage

conveyer belt [noun]: (at the airport) a baggage transport system where passengers can pick up their baggage

check luggage [verb]: to turn in one’s luggage at the ticket counter at the airport

overweight baggage fee [noun]: money you have to pay when your baggage weighs too much

travel light [idiom]: means to travel with very little luggage or baggage

security checkpoint [noun]: (at an airport) an area where passengers and boarding passes are checked under certain security factors before getting accepted to boarding

aisle seat [noun]: a seat on or next to an aisle or an area where seats are separated

red-eye [noun]: is a flight in the middle of the night in which a passenger cannot expect to get much sleep because of the time of departure or arrival

go off the beaten track [idiom]: means to travel to a place that isn’t well known or visited often by others

layover [noun]: a stop between flights; a connection

connecting flight [noun]: a transit flight you take in order to reach the final destination

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