to nickel and dime (someone)

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 590: Paying Airline Fees.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 590. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. Download a Learning Guide for this episode that contains all of the vocabulary, definitions, sample sentences, additional definitions, cultural notes, comprehension questions, and a complete transcript of everything we say.

This dialogue contains lots of vocabulary related to taking an airplane, specifically about paying for certain things on the airlines in the United States. Let’s get started.

Justine: So that’s the plan. We drive to San Francisco, then to Portland, then to Seattle, and then to Vancouver.

Howie: What? Why are we driving to Vancouver instead of flying?

Justine: Haven’t you noticed all of the fees the airlines are tacking on these days? First, there were the fuel surcharges and now, there is a whole slew of added fees.

Howie: Like what?

Justine: Well, there’s a checked baggage fee, for one. On some airlines, you have to pay to check just one bag,