Asking About Flight Delays｜English for Travel

When waiting for a flight at the airport, you may encounter a situation where your scheduled flight is delayed.

In such cases, being able to ask questions like “Is this flight delayed?” or “What time will it depart?” in English will make communication with local staff much smoother.

In this lesson, I will introduce useful English expressions for asking about flight delays and confirming the latest departure status, along with key grammar points.

Dialogue

A

Excuse me, is the flight to Tokyo delayed?

B

Let me check…Yes, it’s delayed by two hours due to bad weather.

A

Oh, I see. Will it still depart today?

B

Yes, it’s now scheduled to depart at 6:45 p.m.

A

Thank you for the information.

B

You’re welcome. Please listen for announcements.

Grammar and Expression Points

1. Asking About Flight Delays: Is the flight to Tokyo delayed?

This phrase uses the structure “destination + delayed,” making it a standard way to confirm whether a flight is delayed.

Here, the passive form expresses the “resulting state of being delayed,” rather than implying that someone actively caused the delay.

Similar Expression:

2. Explaining the Reason for the Delay: due to ～

The phrase “due to + noun / noun phrase” means “because of” or “as a result of.” It is formal and polite, often used in public announcements.

In casual conversation, “because of ～” is also acceptable, but in announcements and official responses, “due to ～” is preferred.

3. Expressing Scheduled Plans: be scheduled to ～

The phrase “It’s scheduled to depart at ～.” is a polite way to inform someone about a scheduled time.

Structure: be scheduled to + verb (base form) → “to be scheduled to do something.”

This phrase conveys the nuance that the action is officially planned in a schedule, making it common in business or public contexts.

4. Confirming with still

The question “Will it still depart today?” is used to confirm whether the flight will depart despite the delay.

Structure: Will + subject + still + verb? → “Will it still ～?”

Here, still means “nevertheless” or “even now,” implying that you are asking whether the plan remains unchanged.

5. Phrases for Drawing Attention to Announcements

“Please listen for announcements.” is a common expression used in airports, stations, and hospitals.

Similar Expressions:

These are also polite and suitable for formal situations.

Summary

Izumi

Author

「English Morning｜基礎から学ぶ英語講座」を運営している泉（Izumi）です。このサイトでは基礎から応用まで、英語の文法を解説しています。