Read the review from the Internet forum about British Airways and tell about the seating policy of the BA. Express your attitude to the facts given in the review.

" London to Barcelona and vv. Using A320’s there and an A319 back."

British Airways customer review by paul
Mon, 10/08/2012 09: 23 AM5 out of 5 Flight Route

Review

Both flights were excellent. Terminal Five at Heathrow is the best. The flights to and from Barcelona were on time and superbly operated. My only regret is the British Airways seating policy whereby one has to pay extra for seat selection in advance. I checked in on-line for my BA flight 24 hours in advance and even then had to sit separately from the friend who was travelling with me. No chance to do an on-line check on the way back- No facilities at the hotel I was staying at, but the airport staff were very helpful and I got a good seat just where I like to sit.

Unit 4 Airbus

Airbus is one of the two largest global manufacturers of heavy commercial aircraft. The Airbus consortium of European aircraft manufacturers is a successful example of regional and global economic cooperation in the production of a highly valuable, strategically significant, and high-technology product.

Airbus, headquartered in Toulouse, France, is owned by two leading European aerospace companies. One is the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), born of the merger between Airbus consortium partner companies Aerospatiale-Matra of France, Daimler Chrysler Aerospace of Germany, and CASA of Spain; the other is BAE Systems of the United Kingdom. In June, 2000, EADS and BAE Systems announced the creation of Airbus Integrated Company, intended to consolidate Airbus Industrie resources and practical knowledge in existing locations around Europe into a single entity. As a result, all Airbus-related design, engineering, and manufacturing assets located in France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom became part of a new Airbus company under the day-to-day control of a single management team. As of 2001, the company employed some forty thousand people throughout Europe. The consortium members are both industrial participants and shareholders. Their role is to carry out most aircraft design and all manufacturing under Airbus’s management.

Each partner company operates under the laws of the country in which it is incorporated. The partners are responsible for their own financing of the research, development, and production phases of the aircraft programs. Airbus Industrie’s production system is flexible and appears to be quite effective and efficient, as evidenced by the fact that approximately 96 percent of all aircraft work is performed in plants operated by the partner companies. Fully equipped sections of Airbus Industrie aircraft are produced in factories throughout Europe and transported to Toulouse, France, or Hamburg, Germany, for the final assembly. The production network is set up in an innovative way that uses the specialized skills of each partner and associate.

Airbus Industrie has more than 1, 500 suppliers in twenty-seven countries and cooperative agreements with aerospace industries in nineteen countries. More than 35 percent of the components for the company’s aircraft are supplied by over five hundred United States companies.

Numerous suppliers are also located in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Singapore Technologies Aerospace, which produces wing ribs and passenger doors for the A320, A321, A319, and A318 and engine mounts and thrust reverser doors for the A340 and A330; and the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics, which also builds A320 passenger doors.

One of the keys to Airbus’s sales success has been the flight operational commonality that exists among all the company’s fly-by-wire, or fully automated and computerized, aircraft. The Airbus philosophy has been to develop families of fly-by-wire controlled aircraft with similar cockpits and flight handling characteristics and common systems and hardware. As a result, pilots trained to fly any Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft feel equally at home in any of the single-aisle models in the A320 family, such as the A318, A319, A320 and A321, and the wide-body A330 and A340 models. This commonality may result in millions of dollars of savings for airlines. It reduces training costs, increases crew productivity, and provides pilots with the flexibility of flying a wide range of routes, from short-haul to ultra-long-haul.

Airbus Industrie was created on May 29, 1970, and was formed as a public interest group on December 18, 1970. The company was formed under French law, in the absence of a functional legal framework accepted throughout the European Union, then known as the European Economic Community. The public interest group is a form of business organization that permits participating firms to integrate their activities in certain domains while preserving their individual identities. The French public-interest law was used as an appropriate legal framework for the company as it was beneficial to Airbus Industrie’s goals in establishing itself in the market and managing its risk, at least initially. Originally, two partners, Aerospatiale and Deutsche Airbus, had equal ownership of the company.

Each partner assumed equal unlimited liability relative to the project. Because the company was a public interest group, new members could be admitted with the consent of both partners. To provide oversight of the entire project, an organizational structure was formed in December, 1970.

This department dealt directly with third parties to sell aircraft and provide pilot and crew training. There were two representatives from each industrial partner in the assembly of members. A supervisory council was organized to administer the assembly. This structure was intended to act as a true multinational collaboration.

Airbus is an outstanding example of successful multinational cooperation in the large commercial aircraft sector of the aerospace industry. Airbus was developed with the support and cooperation of the governments of the European Union member states with companies in the consortium (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom).

Exercises

1. You should check the pronunciation of key words. Transcribe the words and word combinations:

consortium, European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), merger, shareholder, equipped, associate, fly-by-wire, functional legal framework, short-haul, ultra long-haul, beneficial, goal, ownership, equal unlimited liability, supervisory council, multinational collaboration

2. Match the words from the texts (1-10) with the definitions (A-J):

consortium	A	a particular form or branch of economic or commercial activity
partner	B	the job of checking that a process or system is working well
industry	C	a group of people who work on and operate a ship, aircraft, train, etc.
headquarters	D	the state of sharing features or attributes
crew	E	a semi-automatic and typically computer-regulated system for controlling the flight of an aircraft or spacecraft
commonality	F	a device for reversing the flow of gas from a jet engine so as to produce a retarding backward force
fly-by-wire	G	a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others, especially in a business or firm with shared risks and profits
merger	H	a group of people or firms who have agreed to co-operate with each other
oversight	I	the place where a company or organization has its main offices
thrust reverser	J	the process of combining two companies or organizations to form a bigger one

3. Find in the texts the English equivalents for the following expressions:

(1) всемирное экономическое сотрудничество, (2) высокотехнологичная продукция, (3) ведущие аэрокосмические компании, (4) повседневный контроль, (5) участники и акционеры, (6) работать в соответствии с законами страны, (7) приблизительно 96 процентов, (8) многочисленные поставщики, (9) монтажные опоры двигателя, (10) реверсор тяги, (11) инструментальный, относящийся к полёту по приборам, (12) небольшое расстояние, (13) длинное расстояние, (14) характеристика управляемости, (15) соглашение/ договор о кооперации (договор между несколькими независимыми лицами о кооперации в какой-л. области), (16) правовая система (государства, общества), (17) группа людей, объединенная общими интересами, (18) Европейское экономическое сообщество (ЕЭС), (19) неограниченная ответственность (акционера)

4. Complete the sentences with the words from the box

capacity partners double-deck flights intercontinental

long-haul evolution passengers decks fly-by-wire

short-haul consortium aviation services advances

1) Since its inception, Airbus has played a pioneering role in the international air transport industry’s …. This trend will continue over the coming decades, as Airbus leverages innovative solutions to further improve the economic efficiency and environmental performance of commercial ….

2) Airbus’ highly successful jetliner product line ranges in size from the 107-seat single-aisle A318 to the … A380 widebody, which is the world’s largest commercial aircraft in service today.

3) The A320 single-aisle jetliner family is used in a full range of … from very short-haul airline routes to … segments, on operations from challenging in-city airports to high-altitude airfields and an Antarctic ice runway, and on VVIP and government missions with the most discerning passengers.

4) With the A380, the sky is yours. Designed for 21st century growth, it offers 40 per cent more capacity and the lowest seat mile costs in its class. The A380 has been winning over business and leisure … alike since its service introduction in 2007, providing levels of comfort and reliability that have led travelers to specifically request flights on Airbus’ 21st century flagship – which is in operation with carriers around the globe.

5) The double-deck A380 is the world’s largest commercial aircraft flying today, with … to carry 525 passengers in a comfortable three-class configuration, and up to 853 in a single-class configuration that provides wider seats than its competitor. Overall, the A380’s two … offer 50 per cent more floor surface than any other high-capacity aircraft.

6) The A320 Family offers all of the benefits from Airbus’ … in innovation and technology, which result in increased revenue opportunities. These aircraft were the first commercial jetliners to incorporate … flight controls. In addition, their optimised fuselage improves passenger revenue with the widest cabin in the single-aisle marketplace, and increased cargo revenue due to the larger cargo holds and integrated on-board loading systems.

7) On most … flights, Premium Voyageur passengers now have a new food service throughout the entire flight.

8) Some routes are operated with Air France …, on a franchise basis or a code-share basis.

9) ‘Code-sharing’ means the agreement between two or more airlines to list certain … in a reservation system under each other's names.

10) … flights operate from Heathrow and Gatwick.

11) The new aircraft was developed by a European ….

5. Airbus jetliners have become the aircraft of choice for operators worldwide – from low-cost carriers to full-service airlines flying many of the longest routes around the globe. Choose one of Airbus’ Families and give a 5-minute presentation. Prove the advantages of this aircraft family.

Passenger Aircraft · The A320 single-aisle jetliner family (composed of the A318, A319, A320 and A321) is the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. · The A330 Family has five in-service members – the A330-200, A330-300, A330-200F, ACJ330 and A330 MRTT – which cover all market segments with one twin-engine aircraft type. · There are four variants in Airbus’ A340 Family: the A340-200, A340-300, A340-500 and A340-600. · The A350 XWB is the only all-new aircraft in the 300-400 seat category. A320 Family · A320 Family aircraft are assembled in France, Germany and China. · The A320 Final Assembly Line in Toulouse once was the Concorde Assembly Hall. · Consisting primarily of aluminium alloy, the A320 is also built with high technology materials such as carbon composites, Kevlar and fiberglass. · A320 Family aircraft fly to some of the world's most challenging airports including Himalayan airfields in China, India and Bhutan. · 80 per cent of A320 Family operators fly at least two members of the Family. · An A320 Family aircraft takes off or lands every 2.5 seconds of every day. A380 · The A380 is 15 tonnes lighter than it would be if made entirely of metal. · The 4400m2 surface of the A380 is covered in three layers of paint weighing around 500kg. · During take-off the A380 wing will flex upwards by over 4m. · The air in the A380 cabin is changed every 3 minutes, and the temperature can be selected between 18 and 30 degrees. · An A380 takes off or lands every four minutes.

6. Explain the slogans of Airbus’ Families. Translate them into Russian:

A320 Family: The best keeps getting better

A330 Family: The right aircraft, right now

A340 Family: Versatility on long-range and ultra-long-range flights

A350 XWB: Shaping efficiency

A380: The sky is yours

Unit 5

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