Christmas flight chaos and unexpected road trips

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Christmas flight chaos and unexpected road trips

Warm-up

Have you ever helped a stranger? (Yes, I have. I was ...ing .... when...)

Vocabulary Match

cancelled •• stopped
look after •• unknown people
stressful •• long trip
journey •• approximately
roughly •• causing worry
strangers •• take care of

Vocabulary Answers

cancelledstopped
look aftertake care of
stressfulcausing worry
journeylong trip
roughlyapproximately
strangersunknown people

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

At Christmas 2022, many Southwest Airlines flights were ________ across the U.S. As passengers waited for hours with no information, some ________ decided to help each other get home.

One man, 25-year-old Titus Converse, travelled with two women he had just met. They drove from Phoenix, Arizona to Sacramento, California, a ________ of about 1,180 km that took around 12 hours. They arrived safely the next day. Another group of four travellers made an even longer trip from Tampa, Florida to Cleveland, Ohio, driving about 1,770 km in ________ 20 hours.

Travellers said the experience reminded them that even during a ________ holiday, people can still ________ one another.

At Christmas 2022, many Southwest Airlines flights were cancelled across the U.S. As passengers waited for hours with no information, some strangers decided to help each other get home.

One man, 25-year-old Titus Converse, travelled with two women he had just met. They drove from Phoenix, Arizona to Sacramento, California, a journey of about 1,180 km that took around 12 hours. They arrived safely the next day. Another group of four travellers made an even longer trip from Tampa, Florida to Cleveland, Ohio, driving about 1,770 km in roughly 20 hours.

Travellers said the experience reminded them that even during a stressful holiday, people can still look after one another.

Quiz

  1. When did the flight cancellations happen?
  2. How long did it take Titus Converse and the two women to travel from Phoenix to Sacramento?
  3. How far did the group of four travellers drive from Tampa to Cleveland?
  4. What did travellers say the experience reminded them of?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. At Christmas 2022.
  2. About 12 hours.
  3. About 1,770 km.
  4. That even during a stressful holiday, people can still look after one another.

True or False

  1. Titus Converse travelled alone from Phoenix to Sacramento. T F
  2. The journey from Tampa to Cleveland took roughly 25 years. T F
  3. The experience reminded travellers that holidays are always relaxing. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. False

Conversation

A:Hi, I'm Titus. Are you stuck here too?
B:Yes, I can't believe all the flights are cancelled!
A:I know! Want to join me on a road trip to Sacramento?
B:Really? That sounds like an adventure!
A:Great! Let's grab some snacks and hit the road.
B:Awesome! I'll bring my Christmas song playlist!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever had a flight cancelled?
  2. What's the longest road trip you've ever taken?
  3. Do you like meeting new people when you travel?
  4. What's your favorite snack for a long trip?

Further Reading

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/28/passengers-share-road-trip-southwest-airlines-cancellations

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