Turkish Airlines starts direct flights to Chengdu: is China opening up?
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Welcome to RoundTalk. Turkish Airlines flies to Chengdu today. China is opening its doors. Would you book a flight there now? With us: Marcus, travel agent. Yuki, economics teacher. James, businessman in trade.
Marcus, your phones ringing with China bookings now?
No. My phone is not ringing. People call me. They ask about the visa. They ask again. Then they book Thailand.
Yuki, why visa-free entry not enough for Marcus's customers?
Your people book Thailand because it is easy. China is not closed. Look at Turkish Airlines. They add flights. That is money, not talk.
James, you are in business with Chengdu now. Does this flight change things for you?
Yes. It changes a lot. Last month I fly to Chengdu. Two stops, two days. Now it is nonstop, eight hours.
No, wait. A plane can come and go.
No. A plane does not come and go. It is a big plane, three hundred seats. Turkish Airlines wants Xi'an too. They plan years.
No, no, wait. A plane can go, yes. But I book my seats now. Three flights every week. My goods move faster. That is real money.
Marcus, how do you see it?
Big planes leave too — I've seen this before.
Yuki, Marcus says airlines come and go. Is three hundred seats just luck?
No. It is not about one plane. Look at the people. Many more foreign people go to China now. Turkish Airlines sees this. The seats sell.
Key vocabulary
- flight — Journey by airplane from one place to another
- visa — Official permission to enter or stay in a country
- nonstop — Direct journey without stops or interruptions
- opening — Making accessible or available to the public
- entry — Permission or ability to go into a place
- scheme — Official plan or system for a specific purpose
- tourism — Travel for leisure and vacation purposes
- foreign — From or belonging to another country
- seat — Place to sit, especially on an aircraft
Comprehension questions
- Why does Marcus say his customers book Thailand instead of China?
- What does James say the new direct flight changes for his business?
- Why does Yuki think Turkish Airlines adds big planes to China?
- What does James book now because of the direct flight?
- How does Yuki say Turkish Airlines plans to add more flights?
True or false?
- Marcus says many customers call him to book flights to China right now. T / F
- James's old flights to Chengdu took two days with two stops. T / F
- Turkish Airlines will add flights to Xi'an because they plan only for one month. T / F
- The new direct flight to Chengdu is nonstop and takes eight hours. T / F
Fill the gaps
- China is its doors.
- Would you book a there now?
- They ask about the .
- Yuki, why visa-free not enough for Marcus's customers?
- Now it is , eight hours.
- Many more people go to China now.
Discuss in pairs
- Do you think visa rules are the most important reason people choose where to fly? Why or why not?
- If a flight from your country to a new city opened tomorrow, would you want to go there? What would make you book it?
- What does it mean when airlines add big planes to a place — does it always mean the country is really opening up, or can things change?
The whole debate, free every day Students can hear the full 6-minute episode with a synced transcript in the RoundTalk app.
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Comprehension- Because China is not easy — the visa is difficult.
- It saves time — now only eight hours nonstop, not two days with two stops.
- Because many foreign people want to go to China now, so the seats sell.
- Three flights every week to move his goods faster.
- They plan for years — they want Xi'an too, not just Chengdu.
- False
- True
- False
- True
- opening
- flight
- visa
- entry
- nonstop
- foreign
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