26 Mar Tourism and dealing with problems
ROLE PLAY:
Have you ever had a problem with a flight when you have been travelling? Perhaps it
was delayed by a few hours or even worse, cancelled! We’re going to act out a
situation in an airport where I am the customer and Liz is a member of staff at the
airport.
Customer: Excuse me I was just checking the screen in departures and I’ve seen that
my flight to Asturias which was delayed has now been cancelled. Is that right?
Staff: Yes sir,
?
I’m afraid
?
the aircraft developed a technical problem after it landed here
this morning. The technical team have been working on it all day but they have just
informed us that it will be impossible to take off this afternoon due to safety concerns.
C: I don’t believe it! What a disaster, I’ve got a really important business meeting first
thing in the morning. I really need to get home tonight.
S:
?
I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience
?
.
C:
?
Could you tell me if there’s a chance I might get on another flight this
evening?
S: I’m afraid that you will have to wait a while for further information. We are going to try
to rebook passengers onto alternative flights and it might take a while.
C: But we’ve been waiting here for over 3 hours already!
S:
?
By way of compensation
?
we have some meal vouchers worth 15 Euros per
person. You can use them in any of the restaurants in the airport. If you could come
back in an hour we will be in a better place to tell you what the next step will be.
C: I’ve had a few delayed flights in the past, but never one that has been cancelled.
?
I’d
like to make a formal complaint.
S:
?
We’re doing everything we can
?
to get people onto other flights tonight, but by all
means take one of these complaint forms and fill it in. And don’t forget your meal
voucher. Please come back in an hour and I should be able to help you.
Dealing with the problem/complaint
I’m afraid
I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience
By way of compensation
We’re doing everything we can
Complaining
I’d like to make a formal complaint.
Could you tell me if there’s a chance I might get on another flight this evening?