CBC Archives

Present students with the following scenarios:

1. You have saved up for years to take the trip of your dreams. You are going to England for one month. However, when you arrive at Heathrow Airport, your airline has lost your luggage. You go to the airline desk to complain.
2. You have just started a new job in the complaints department at a major airline. Your shift is almost over. You have been handling irate customers all day and your feet are killing you.

Have students pair up and role-play a three-minute discussion between the customer and the employee. When the time is up, ask students to summarize what happened in their pairs. Include a discussion of how each member felt in this exercise and why. Ask: How could the skills of a referee have played a part in handling the dispute?

Direct students to the topic Turbulent Skies: The Air Canada Story on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Students should view Clip #8 and note all the complaints mentioned. Working with a partner, students will create an outline for a complaints report. What information should be included? Their report should include reference to all the complaints named in the clip.

Invite groups to share their reports with the class. Together, create a master list of all the elements that should appear in a complaints report.

Students can return to their pairs and create a procedure for handling the complaints in the reports.