NDIA New Doha International Airport

NDIA terminal buidling

New Doha International Airport

Hello,

We start today with one of the major projects of airport construction in the Middle East - the construction of the New Doha International Airport.

1) Summarise the information from the article you read in class and post your comments.

As the article is quite long, decide on the important information and organise your anwer well.

Write in paragraphs.

2) Check the website of the new airport project (there is a link on the right). What do you think of the website? Is it informative, easy to navigate and find the information you need? Summarise your opinion.

This is a short video taken from their site about the project in progress. Enjoy it!

Regards,

RV

TRENDS Airports in Europe

Hello again,

This is an episode from a series of programmes about airport operations and management. This episode is about airports in Europe. Watch it and aswer the questions below.

Enjoy it!

1. How many passengers passed through the top 100 European airports in 2006?

2. What was the increase from 2005?

3. What is the solution for the increased growth in passenger numbers? Is it by expanding the infrastructure only?

4. What are the projections (the forecast) for 2025 air traffic?

5. How many flights will not be able to be accommodated by the current infrastructure of the European airports?

6. What will be the biggest challenge for the European airports in the future?

7. What information is given about Munich airport? Write all the numbers given and what they refer to?

8. What information is given about Terminal 2 baggage handling system in Munich airport?

9. Efficient operation is based on successful interaction between the parties involved? Who are these people?

10. Air traffic controllers need to account for the wake turbulence created by planes when they take off or land. How is ‘wake turbulence’ explained?

11. What are the challenges faced by airports which want to accommodate the newest super jumbo of the skies – Airbus A380?

Regards,

RV

Week 3

Dear Students,
This is the beginning of Week 3 and time for new topics for discussions, new podcasts and exciting documentaries from the world of airports.
Let me also welcome Ali to the class blog and hope he will find the tasks interesting and stimulating.

I'd like to start today with a few questions for reflection first. Could you please post your answers to the questions as they will help me view the blog from the perspective of the student and guide me for the way ahead?

1) Do you find the blog useful, in what ways? How do you feel about the blog?
2) How often do you check the blog and the activities on it? When do you usually do that?
3) Which of the activities do you find most useful and why?
4) Are there activities that you don't find useful and why?
5) What do you think of the podcasts? How useful are they for you? In what ways do you find them useful or not?
6) Have you had any technical problems accessing the podcasts?
7) What suggestions or other comments would you like to make regarding the blog and the podcasts?

Thank you for your feedback.
Regards,RV

Airport Customers

Hello,

Discuss who are the main customers of an airport and what services and facilities these customers need.

Write in paragraphs.
Regards,
RV

Trends in the aviation industry

Hello,
This is the writing task for this week. Discuss how the aviation industry has changed in recent years. Consider any of the ideas mentioned below:

• passenger numbers


• aircraft design


• airport construction and expansion

Discuss what setbacks the aviation business has experienced recently and how you think the industry will develop in the future.
Write 100-120 words.

Post your draft.

Regards,

RV

Tokyo Airport

Hello,


Time for the second podcast prepared by the Dreamliner. This one is about one of the latest destinations added on Qatar Airways route map - Tokyo.



Here are the questions designed by our guest teacher.



1. Before you listen, find out what these expressions mean. Write a short definition for each one in your post:



a) destination

b) carrier (as in "national carrier')

c) route (noun)

d) expansion (what is the verb)

e) hub

e) feeder market



The first time you listen, answer the following questions:



2. Is this the first Qatar Airways destination in Japan?

3. Why was it an especially good time to launch (start) Tokyo flights?

4. Who is Akbar Al-Baker (what is his position at the airline)?

5. What does he say about Japanese people?



6. The second time you listen, listen for these numbers and write down why they are used:



802
thirteen and a half
89
4



The third time you listen, try to answer these questions:



7. Is Qatar Airways the only Gulf carrier to fly to Tokyo?

8. Did they apply for permission to fly to Tokyo recently?

9. Is the main purpose of the Tokyo flights to bring Japanese tourists to Qatar?



Research questions

Search for this information on the Internet. You can use wikipedia or Qatar Airways website.



10. The text mentions that Tokyo is the fourth new Qatar Airways route started in 2010. What are the other three new destinations?

11. Which three additional new routes will be opened in June?

12. Which other cities in the Far East does Qatar Airways serve?

13. Check Narita airport official website http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/. What do you think of their website? What information can you find about the airport on their website?



Post your comments.

Regards,RV

Britain's Gateway to the World

Hello again,

The task today is about Heathrow airport (LHR) - Britain's gateway to the world.

1. Why do you think it is Heathrow of all British airports that is considered Britain's gateway to the world?

Let's find out some facts about the airport. Check this site:

http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/Heathrow%5EGeneral%5EOur+business+and+community%5EAbout+Heathrow/45d3c03b37932010VgnVCM100000147e120a____/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/

2. When was the airport opened?

3. How many passengers are processed through the airport every year?

4. How much cargo is handled through the airport annually?

5. How many runways does it operate? Are there any plans for new runways?

6. How many people are directly employed by the airport?

7. How many airlines and how many destinations does it serve?

8. Which airlines have chosen LHR as their main hub?

9. What are the economic benefits of Heathrow as a hub? You can find useful information on this site. Summarise your answer in a short paragraph.

http://www.futureheathrow.org/economic-benefits-page.php?id=37http://

10. How does the airport compare to three of the other major airports of Europe:

Frankfurt FRA, Paris CDG, Amsterdam Schipol AMS?

Send your posts.

And hope you fly to Heathrow soon!

Kind regards,

RV

Review of the week

Hello,

Time to recap on the work from the first week of the course.

1. The mini quiz

Six students have passed the quiz with results above 70%. The best result is Noora's - 91%. Well done, Noora!
The other students who have passed are Zahra, Aisha, Fatima, Noof and Fatma Abdulla. Well done to the girls!

The glove is thrown, gentlemen!

2. The result so far from the competition:
14 points : 10 points for the boys for the research on Airports
1 point to Zahra - for the best writing Task 1 on the blog
1 point to Fatma Abdulla- for the best answer to the podcast questions
1 point to Noora - for the best test result

The result so far is:
14: 13 for the boys
The competition continues with more exciting tasks for this week.

Regards from the jury,
RV

Doha Airport

Hello,

Today's lesson is about Doha International Airport and its customers. You'll find out which airlines have scheduled flights to and from the airport. You'll also read reviews of what some customers of the airport think of the facilities and services provided.

Here are the tasks.
1. Check the official Doha airport website: http://www.dohaairport.com/. Find out the customers of the airport. You can find them through Schedules.
2. How many airlines are listed? Give examples of passenger airlines, air-freight companies, regional airlines, budget airlines. Find their airport codes.
3. Check the services that are provided at Doha airport and list some of them.
4. How would you rate the airport in the following areas? Give 5 for excellent to 1 for very poor.

• website
• ground transportation (parking facilities, buses, taxis)
• arrival/departure/transit areas
• security and immigration
• terminal comfort
• food and beverages
• shopping facilities

5. Now check how other passengers rank the airport. Go to Skytrax website http://www.airlinequality.com/. Read customers' comments. How similar or different are other customers' comments from your own?

Post your comments.

Regards,
RV

feedback week 1

Dear Students,

It's the end of the first week of your course. During this week, we managed to set up a class blog, sign up for the blog, do our first writing task on what is an airport and some of its support services and listen to the first episode of a series of podcasts provided by our guest teacher.

I would like to thank all students who actively participated on the blog and in particular Zahra for the best writing task, Fatma for the best answer to the podcast task and Noora and Fahad for their answers to the podcast questions as well.

I'd like to mention Ali and Khalid as well, but would like to discourage them and other students who post the same answers on the blog. It is particularly easy to copy paste answers on a computer, but it is also apparently obvious when two answers are the same.

Please, continue to do the tasks, work together if you need, but write your own answers.

As for next week, a lot more on the blog, new podcasts are already recorded. Next week two airports will be in focus - Hong Kong airport (HKG), an amazing engineering project, the biggest construction of airport infrastructure of the 20th century and London Heathow airport (LHR)- the 3rd busiest airport in the world and the oldest airport in Europe. We'll be also looking at Qatar Airways (QR) and its expansion plans and its latest destinations.

So, check the blog regularly for updates and post your opinions and thoughts.

See you tomorrow.
RV

Incheon Airport

Dear Students,

This is the first podcast from a series of podcasts about aviation. This podcast is about one of the best airports voted by passengers around the world. The podcast and the questions that follow are prepared by our guest teacher - Dreamliner.

Listen to the podcast on the sidebar and complete the tasks below.

Glossary
You may hear these expressions as you listen. These definitions should help you.

put sb. to shame - embarrass

consecutive – one after the other
ranked – put in order

boost – improve
consolidate – strengthen

draws (vb.) – attracts
competitive edge – winning formula

automated – done by machine/computer
innovations – new technology

The first time you listen, try to answer these questions:

1. Which city does Incheon serve?

2. For how many years now has Incheon been voted the best airport in the world?

3. How many passengers transit through Incheon each year?

The second time you listen:

4. What are the main reasons that Incheon is rated so highly?

5. How is luggage handling at Incheon different from Narita and Pudong airports?

Research:

6. Find out which cities Narita and Pudong serve.

7. Find out Incheon’s IATA code. What is Doha’s?

8. Log on to Skytrax’s site (http://www.airlinequality.com/) and go to Airport Reviews. Incheon is listed under “S”. Can you find it? Read passengers’ comments and make a note of some of the things they like about the airport.

9. Which two other airports receive a 5-star rating from Skytrax? Where are they?

Post your comments,

RV

Airport Trip

Dear Students,

The trip is scheduled for Thursday 10th June, 2010 from 7:30am to 10am. The college will organize transportation to the airport and back to the college.

1. All students who do not have college IDs will have to bring one photo for their ID first, so the college can issue their cards as soon as possible. Students will need a college ID card to apply for the airport pass.

2. For the trip, students need:
a) if you are Qatari, you need
· copy of your college ID, your ID card and 1 passport-sized photograph.
b) if your nationality is not Qatari, you need:
· copy of your college ID, your ID card, your passport copy, your visa copy, 2 photographs
· copy of your sponsor’s passport, ID and visa.

The ladies will need to have a letter provided by the college and signed by their guardian which states that there is no objection to this trip on the part of their parents.

I hope I can collect all the necessary documents as soon as possible, so we can apply to the airport for the passes.

Kind regards,
RV

welcome everybody to see my photos

http://flickr.com/qttr

Important Aviation Organisations

Hello,

Time for some acronyms.

What are the these entities and what are they responsible for?

Post your comments.

Regards,

ralitza

what is an airport

Hello,

This is our first writing task. Please write your comments on the questions:

• What is an airport?


• In your opinion, what is the most important role of an airport nowadays?


• What are some of the support services that an airport provides for its customers and why is this important?

Organise your answer in paragraphs. Try to incorporate the vocabulary you studied in the first chapter.

Looking forward to reading your answers.

Ralitza

Terms of Use

Dear Students,

Before we start taking an active part in our blog I’d like to ask you to consider the following rules of use of the blog. This will ensure the educational benefits of the blog and we’ll help us become better writers and bloggers.

1. Always treat people on the blog with respect. If you want to disagree with someone’s opinion, you can do that in a polite way and still state what you think. Never be offensive or disrespectful.
2. Don’t use Arabic on the blog. This blog is designed to help students improve their writing in English.
3. Check your post for spelling and grammar errors. Consider carefully the choice of words you use. If you need help, consult your teacher, a dictionary or the spell check on the computer.
4. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. This is a learning process, we learn from mistakes, we can learn from other students on the blog, we can learn from each other.
5. Keep your posts related to the subjects we discuss in class. This means you shouldn’t discuss your plans for the weekend or any personal issues unrelated to the course or its objectives.
6. When you finish using the computers in the language lab at the end of the day, make sure that you have signed out, turn off the computers, leave your chair and the room in a tidy manner.

Please post a comment if you’d like to add any other ideas or comments on this post and state whether you agree with the terms of use.

I agree with the terms of use.

blog and podcast

Hello good evening.....
My answers to your questions miss Ralitza are:

1. blog is a web page where you can discuss with your freind about different topics.
2. podcast are media files that you can download them from the Internet.

يالله حي اخوان شما وعفرا وميثه

welcoming message

Dear Students,

Welcome to the AOM course!

I am glad to welcome you to this online platform as well, a place where we can exchange ideas, keep up to date with what is happening in the world of aviation, download materials, create podcasts or put simply get engaged with what we'll be studying.

On this project, I'll be working with a fellow teacher with interest in technology and enthusiasm for aviation.

So, let's begin with 2 questions:

1. What is a blog?

2. What is a podcast?

I hope to read your comments soon.

Kind regards,

ralitza