TRAVELLING BY AIR

There are four airports in London: Heathrow in the west, Gatwick in the south, Stansted in the north and the city airport in the City of London. Heathrow is the busiest international airport in the world with more than 1000 planes taking off and landing every day. They carry over a hundred thousand people to and from 85 countries. Heathrow airport opened on the 1^st of January 1946.

If you are travelling into London, simply catch a FastTrain coach to Heathrow Junction outside your arrival terminal. You should look out for the posters and bus information boards. The FastTrain service uses brand new, purpose-built trains which feature air-conditioning, economically designed seating, generous luggage space, an on board information system and airline-style customer service. Tickets are available at the ticket offices at Paddington railway station, and at other outlets in London, including Rail, speedlink and selected Bureaux de Change. Tickets may also be purchased with sterling or credit/debit cards on board FastTrain. In June 1998, Heathrow Express launched with a dedicated non-stop, high-speed service linking London with the world's leading airport every 15 minutes. In addition to the full range of facilities and services already offered on FastTrain, the new service provided an exclusive First Class option with wider seats and tables. Since 1998 there is no faster way to travel between central London and Heathrow.

Within Britain there is a good network of domestic air routes. Scheduled flights connect major cities and islands. British Airways and British Midland operate shuttle flights between London and Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Belfast. Passengers on these flights need check in only ten minutes before departure.

A wide range of discount fares is available — travel agents have details. For example, most airlines offer standby fares, usually restricted to " off-peak" flights on weekdays and on flights at weekends.

The " Europe Airpass" is for travel on British Airways, Deutsch BA and Air UK direct flights within Europe (including the Channel Islands). It can be purchased from BA travel offices and their agents, but only in conjunction with scheduled intercontinental flights into Britain and at least seven days prior to arrival. The ticket is not available in Europe, Cyprus, Israel, Russia, Turkey, Tunisia, and Morocco. Individual sectors in Europe may not be travelled more than once in each direction, and reservations must be made when the ticket is issued. Just have your travel agent issue a ticket for your complete UK routing and book the first sector before arrival in Europe.

 

Слова и выражения к тексту

 

take off	взлетать
land	приземляться
coach	автобус
purchase	покупать
prior	заранее
issue	выписать
book	бронировать

 

Упражнение 7. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту.

1. How many airports are there in London?

2. What is the busiest international airport in the world? Prove it.

3. What kind of trains does the Fast Train service use?

4. Where are tickets available?

5. What does the new service provide?

6. How much time before departure do passengers check in on domestic flights?

7. Are any discount fares available?

8. Where can the " Europe Airpass" be purchased?

9. How many times in each direction may individual sectors in Europe be travelled?