B2 – Upper Intermediate
Flight anxiety has soared, causing a nosedive in sales. Since the beginning of the year, a series of fatal accidents and alarming incidents have shaken Americans’ confidence in air travel, leading some passengers to reconsider their travel plans, according two airlines involved in crashes.
Let’s read the article to explore how fatal plane crashes influence people’s decisions about flying.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/11/business/passengers-air-travel-crashes-fear
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “consumer confidence” mean? “Consumer confidence and certainty in air travel started to wane a little bit as questions of safety came in.” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “regulatory filing” mean? “On Monday the company revised its expected revenue growth for the quarter down by half in a regulatory filing.” Use it in a sentence.
- Define the phrase “closed door meeting“. “CNN has not confirmed that exchange at the closed door meeting.” Use it in your own sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- In what ways have recent crashes influenced airline ticket sales?
- Have the recent crashes affected your confidence in air travel? Why or why not?
- Are you someone who carefully listens to the safety briefing before flying? If yes, why do you tend to so?
- What do you find most stressful about flying?
- What’s the roughest turbulence you’ve encountered during a flight? Did it make you reconsider flying?