美国国家公共电台 NPR 'The Travel Detective' Explains How Airlines Became A 'Mafia'

'The Travel Detective' Explains How Airlines Became A 'Mafia'

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Airline travel hasn't been glamorous¹ for years. Yet, more people are flying than ever, and airlines are reporting record profits. But if this generation of passengers no longer expects finger bowls, free food and having their pillows plumped, what about seats that are large enough to comfortably hold an average human being, not just one of the Keebler cookie elves and seats that recline an inch or two without catching² the nose of the passenger just behind you? And what about seating families together? Peter Greenberg joins us, the Travel Detective, as he's often known. He's also a travel editor for CBS News and an author.

Peter, thanks so much for being with us.

PETER GREENBERG: Happy to be with you, Scott.

SIMON: OK. The days of glamour³ are gone, but how would you describe what it's like up there right now to, say, for premium⁴ passengers?

GREENBERG: Well, if the airlines are telling the truth, they've gone from being in the travel business to being in the human transportation business. It's all a numbers game. In order to understand what they've done, you need to go back about 20 years because 20 years ago, you had about 10 airlines competing for 88 percent of the market share. Today, because of mergers⁵, consolidations and, in some cases, outright⁶ failures, you've got four airlines that own 88 percent of the market share.

So the need to compete has sort of evaporated because - imagine four Mafia families in the days of "The Godfather," you know. Somebody does numbers. Somebody does drugs. Somebody does prostitution.

SIMON: (Laughter).

GREENBERG: And nobody goes into anybody else's territory, and everybody wins.

SIMON: (Laughter).

GREENBERG: And if you actually add to that, the airlines finally got discipline when it came to capacity. They started reducing capacity when they no longer had the need to go - fly to everywhere. You know, there was a time when airlines felt they had to fly everywhere. Now they only fly, not for market share, but they fly for yield - how much they can get for any individual seat.

SIMON: Yeah. On the other hand, this is America. I mean, airlines, like any business, they're entitled to make as much money as they possibly can as long as the plane takes off and land safely.

GREENBERG: You're right. I mean, look - at the end of the day - I get phone calls all the time in emails all the time from people who are just outraged⁷ about the worst trip they've ever taken in their life, how it was horrendous⁸ and it was worse than fighting in a war. And I always ask them two questions. Question number one - at any time during the flight, did you hit a mountain?

SIMON: (Laughter).

GREENBERG: No, you didn't. And question number two is, when you landed, did the wings cartwheel and explode into flames? You didn't have a terrible trip. You had the best trip ever because you're alive.

SIMON: Yeah. Can I share a personal gripe I have with you? With all - it's not just personal - families are not routinely seated together. Even if you book in advance, the equipment's often reassigned because of mechanical or weather delays. And a family of four can find themselves in four separate rooms.

GREENBERG: But I have good news for you. Recently, Congress agreed on something. I know that sounds amazing, but they did. And they passed the FAA reauthorization bill. Tacked⁹ onto that bill is a requirement now that airlines must seat families together without charging them additional money.

SIMON: Peter, this is good news. I didn't expect good news (laughter) talking to you if I might be blunt.

GREENBERG: So I've made your day.

SIMON: Peter Greenberg, the Travel Detective.

Thanks so much for being with us.

GREENBERG: You got it.

1 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

4 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

5 mergers   

n.（两个公司的）合并( merger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Mergers fall into three categories: horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate. 合并分为以下三种：横向合并，纵向合并和混合合并。 来自辞典例句
• Many recent mergers are concentrated within specific industries, particularly in retailing, airlines and communications. 现代许多合并企业集中进行某些特定业务，在零售业、民航和通讯业中更是如此。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

7 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

8 horrendous   

adj.可怕的，令人惊惧的

参考例句：

• He described it as the most horrendous experience of his life.他形容这是自己一生中最可怕的经历。
• The mining industry in China has a horrendous safety record.中国的煤矿工业具有令人不安的安全记录。

9 tacked   

用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝

参考例句：

• He tacked the sheets of paper on as carefully as possible. 他尽量小心地把纸张钉上去。
• The seamstress tacked the two pieces of cloth. 女裁缝把那两块布粗缝了起来。