Business travel: English on the move

Serie Business English

Lässig kommen Sie am Check-in-Schalter an, souverän nennen Sie Ihre Wünsche. Doch dann fragt Sie die Dame im blauen Kostüm, ob Sie einen “aisle seat” wünschen. Leere in Ihrem Kopf. Was zum Teufel soll das sein? Keine Bange: Die wichtigsten Vokabeln für eine entspannte Geschäftsreise werden Sie bald im Gepäck haben.

Little words can make a lot of difference on business trips. The word I like most when I fly is “unlikely”. Let me explain. Recently, during a flight from Munich to Berlin, an announcement was made that oxygen masks would drop “in the unlikely event of a loss of cabin pressure”. I felt comforted by this choice of words. Flying back the same day, it was announced that the masks would fall “in the event of a loss of cabin pressure”. I spent the rest of the flight panicking that this was no longer unlikely. For non-native speakers of English, there are many other words that are more important on business trips, but listen out for “unlikely” next time you fly.

But back to basics. When you check in for a flight at the “check-in counter”, you will be given the choice between a “window seat” and an “aisle seat” (pronounced “I'll”). You can ask for your “frequent-flier” number to be entered, and, if you have long legs, you may need to ask for a seat with “extra legroom”.

You'll be asked if you “packed” your own “luggage” or “baggage”, and whether you left if “unattended” at any time. Once in the plane, you can store your “hand luggage” in the “overhead compartments” (US: “overhead bins”).

The ideal “long-haul” flight is one with as few “stopovers” (US: “layovers”) as possible. If you are unlucky, your flight will be “delayed”, “diverted” to another airport or, worse still, “cancelled”. Then there is a danger of missing your “connection” or “onward flight”. Note that a very early flight is often called a “red eye (flight)”, particularly in the US.

Extras:

• Useful phrases and keywords: Damit Ihnen bei der Buchung einer Geschäftsreise, am Flughafen und unterwegs nicht die Worte fehlen.

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