Speak the culture britain be fluent in b 294

Welcome to hell In the week that Heathrow’s much anticipated £4 billion Terminal building opened in March 2008, hundreds of British Airways flights had to be cancelled The massive new facility went into meltdown, with some 28,000 items of luggage led astray by glitches in the new baggage handling system and inadequate staff training Escalators wouldn’t work and staff couldn’t find anywhere to park “Welcome to hell” read the quickly improvised toilet graffiti For some it was all too much: supermodel Naomi Campbell was removed kicking, screaming and spitting from a flight after being informed that her bag wouldn’t be travelling on the same plane Up in the air Britain is well served by airports and flight routes, even while the international airports are somewhat concentrated in the London area Heathrow and Gatwick are major international hubs, with Heathrow the busiest passenger airport in the world London Stansted and London Luton specialise in low-cost flights to destinations around the UK and Europe Budget flights have mushroomed in recent years, with EasyJet and Ryanair vying for the biggest share of the market by offering flights at little cost above the basic taxes and fees However, as fuel prices and green taxes rise, the golden era of budget air travel may be coming to an end Manchester and Edinburgh are the major northern airports, although limited international flights are available at airports across the country “I DID N OT F UL LY UN DERSTA ND THE DREA D TERM ‘T E RMINA L ILLN E SS’ U NTIL I SAW HE ATH RO W FOR MYSEL F.” Dennis Potter 284 Identity: the foundations of British culture Literature and philosophy Art, architecture and design Performing arts Cinema, photography and fashion Media and communications Food and drink Living culture: the state of modern Britain