At the airport
Ex. 1 Read the text once and answer the following questions. 1. Where was the Swissair plane flying when it crashed? 2. Were there any casualties? On 2nd September 1998 Swissair flight 111 plunged into the sea of Nova Scotia. The jet took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and was flying to Geneva, Switzerland, with 229 people op hoard. The accident left no survivors and has not been fully explained. However, Swissair earned praise for its efficiency and compassion in the way it responded to the needs of the victim's families. Swissair handling of the flight 111 crash has left confidence in the airline intact, and may even, conceivably, have enhanced it. Within hours of the loss of flight 111 a passenger manifest had been issued, fully-functioning hotlines had been set up, and hundreds of crisis counselors had arrived in New York, ready to receive the grieving families. Soon after, flights to the crash site at Peggy's Cove were being planned. Friends and relatives were grateful for the way Swissair kept them informed of unfolding events, and appreciated the airlines offer of $20,000 for each family to cover immediate expenses. The Mayor of New York praised the airline and favourable headlines followed. One factor, that worked, in Swissair favour was legislation passed by Congress requiring airline to be much more responsive to the needs of victims' families after crashes. The airline also benefited immeasurably from its code-sharing agreement with Delta Air Line the third biggest US carrier, under which the two sell seats on each other's flights as if they were their own. Thanks to that agreement Delta treated the loss of the flight 111 as if it had been the loss of a Delta aircraft, and used all of its resources in the crisis management effort. At times, the hundreds of Delta care-givers in New York and Peggy's Cove outnumbered the victims' relatives and friends. A moral from the disaster is that no expense should be spared in helping the victims' families and friends, if not out of compassion then out of respect for the bottom line.
Ex. 2 Read the text again and decide if the following statements are true or false. 1. There were 229 passengers on board. ______________________ 2. Some errors of the pilot caused the accident. ______________________ 3. After the crash, confidence in the airline was left intact. ______________________ 4. Swissair acted promptly and professionally in that crisis situation. ______________________ 5. Each family was offered $20,000 for immediate expenses. ______________________ 6. The mayor of New York did not appreciate the airline efforts. _______________________ 7. Congress passed legislation requiring airline to be much more _______________________ responsive to the needs of victims' families. 8. Swissair had a code-sharing agreement with Delta Air Line. __ ______________________ 9. Delta Air Line helped Swissair in managing the crisis. ______________________ 10. According to the author of the article, no expense should be spared _______________________ in helping the victims' families and friends.
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