Задайте вопросы к тексту (3 общих и 3 специальных вопроса) Counting the ways to bridge the gulf.
As more carriers open up more routes, travelling to and arollnd the Middle
East has never been easier.
Edmond Moutran, the 63-year-old
Chairman and Chief Executive of Memac Ogilvy & Mather, the multinational advertising and communications company, should know. The Lebanese executive reckons he spends 60% of his working week in the air. 'I spend 200 days in Beirut, 40 days in Dubai, 40 days in Bahrain and 25 in the
UK. I also spend one week in each of Cairo, Jordan, Jeddah, Riyadh,
Kuwait, Tunis and Algeria. I go to
South Africa once a year, Barcelona once or twice a year for conferences and I go to Paris four times a year.'
He says his choice of airline is dictated by convenience, but his preference is for Middle East Airlines and its 'new aircraft and equipment, and well-trained, fresh and energetic staff'. His second choice is Gulf
Air, with Emirates third, followed by British Airways and Air France.
He always travels with his wife.
Liliane, who worked with him until very recently, and prefers to travel first class. He also uses business class. He says he will travel economy 'in an emergency' .
He uses airline lounges. '1 want good chairs, plenty of newspapers and television. Airlines that spend millions on decor and have uncomfortable chairs really need to look at themselves.
'MEA gets me a car to the airport and they open a special counter for me as an individual,' he says. 'Staff take your boarding pass. check you in and walk you through to the lounge.
The airline saves me abollt an hour o f standing i n line. I t shows real respect.
You don't really get this extraspecial treatment on other airlines.
With MEA, it's the whole process
- that's why I ' m so loyal to them.'
So what annoys him most about flying? 'The attitude of crew and staff sometimes,' he says. 'If they're tired of their jobs, they should give il up. I also dislike the casual attitude of ground staff. Employees should be trained to cope with customers who have problems.'
Mr Moutran says that problems with ground staff are one of the reasons he hales (ravelling to the US. 'No one 4 ever has time 10 answer a question there,' he says. He also doesn't like the lack of openness shown by airlines when there are problems and delays.
Our neighbour told us this story. It was many years ago. He had left school and tried to go to medical univercity, but he failed. He was really sad, but then he got a job the paramedic. Because his sister worked there. One day the call arrived on the night duty. Someone got hupertensive crisis. We went on the dark road. It was extremely rainy. Strange muddy figure stand near the cemetry. Pale young woman was waving hand in the light of headlights. It seemed strange to us and we went out of the car. Shivering woman came closer and started begging us to save little child in the village nearby. She was unusial cold. Not like a normal human. We were very scared and we wanted to run away. Nevertheless we regretted her and went to that willage. She left at the cemetry, at her home as she said. At this place he meeted a man with ill girl. He said that he did not calling them. We brought girl to hospital. She had pneumonia. He asked, who had called them. And then we saw portrait with black ribbon of that strange woman.We felt sick. Man said us that this woman died seven days ago. There was no woman on the road when we went home. But I looked back. She was standing and watching us.