Level B2 General English

Lesson 12

Flying And Travel
飛行機と旅行

I was flying international and had booked and paid for my flight well in advance. My flight schedule to my destination went smoothly. However, it was my return flight that turned into a complete nightmare. I checked in at the airport only to have the staff inform me that there was no seat assigned to me.

At the second stopover I was informed that I was not able to board the plane that I had a ticket for. Their reasoning was that I could speak English and it was easier to inconvenience me than to have to deal with other passengers who did not speak English. Needless to say, I was infuriated and I let various airline staff know this, which with the security today probably would have led to me being arrested.

I arrived at my destination without any luggage. Apparently, I could not fly on my original flight but my luggage could which caused problems with customs. I had been told that I could meet with an airline representative who would arrange my next flight. However, they did not have a desk in that airport. It was staff from another airline that helped me clear customs, arranged to have my luggage sent to my house, arranged a flight on their airlines and gave me money as an apology. This was not the airline I flew on but it was one that I started using after that.