美国国家公共电台 NPR Airlines Cancel Boeing Max Flights Into November; Holiday Flights Could Be Next

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

We are several months out, and there are indications that travel over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays may be more expensive than usual. Two major airlines have pulled Boeing's 737 Max planes from their schedules into early November. They've canceled thousands of flights. And as NPR's David Schaper reports from Chicago, there are signs the troubled plane may remain grounded into next year.

DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE¹: Boeing 737 Max airplanes have been grounded since March after investigators² linked two crashes that killed a total of 346 people to a problem with an automated³ flight control system on the plane. For months, Boeing has been saying that problem is fixed⁴. But now there's another problem with the Max, and so the planes still sit.

JOE SCHWIETERMAN: The airlines are really waiting for these planes to get back in the air.

SCHAPER: Joe Schwieterman is a former airline official and now a transportation professor at Chicago's DePaul University.

SCHWIETERMAN: It's just too long to sort of roll with it, particularly American and Southwest and some of the international airlines.

SCHAPER: Last month while testing out Boeing's software fix for the flight control system, the FAA discovered another potentially catastrophic problem with a microprocessor⁵. Boeing says it will take at least until September to develop a fix for the new problem. With a lengthy⁶ regulatory review process to follow, United and American Airlines have decided⁷ to pull their 737 Max planes out of their flight schedules until early November. Joe Schwieterman says the whole 737 Max debacle raises questions about Boeing.

SCHWIETERMAN: It appears a manageable problem still, but it's becoming a soap opera. And observers wonder if, you know, we've found a second problem with this close scrutiny⁸, are we going to find a third problem? Is this going to become something that just drags on? And people are rightfully nervous.

SCHAPER: Boeing officials say they still expect to have their software fixes completed and approved by regulators in order to have the planes flying passengers again sometime this fall, but aviation industry insiders say it's beginning to look like early next year is a more realistic timeframe. The only U.S. airlines affected⁹ are Southwest, American and United. And because they have relatively¹⁰ few of the new planes in their fleets, the impact on travelers has been somewhat limited. Hayley Berg is an economist¹¹ with the fare forecasting and flight booking app Hopper.

HAYLEY BERG: Given that these cancellations have been extended, we could see that change in the back half of the year, especially with the holidays coming up.

SCHAPER: And she says that means late fall and winter travel plans may be in peril¹².

BERG: For travelers who are looking to head home for Thanksgiving or the December holidays, they may have more difficulty finding flights. And if they do find them, they might expect that prices will be higher than usual given there's less competition on routes where airlines have pulled back capacity.

SCHAPER: And the longer the 737 Max remains¹³ grounded, the greater the problem becomes for airlines. They've ordered many more and had hoped those planes would be flying passengers by now. Without them, expect the number of flight cancellations to grow. David Schaper, NPR News, Chicago.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

4 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

5 microprocessor   

n.微信息处理机

参考例句：

• I've got a typerwriter with a microprocessor.我有一台装有微处理机的打字机。
• I decided to write a program for a microprocessor.我决定为微处理机编制一套程序。

6 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

11 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

12 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。