学位英语

The Operation of International Airlines

International airlines have rediscovered the business traveler, the man or woman who regularly jets from country to country as part of the job. This does not necessarily mean that airlines ever abandoned their business travelers. Instead, companies like Lufthansa and Swissair1 would right argue that they have always catered best for the executive class passengers. But many airlines could be accused of concentrating too heavily in the recent past on attracting passengers by volume, often at the expense of the regular traveler. Too often, they have seemed geared for quantity rather than quality.

Operating a major airline is essentially a matter of finding the right mix of passengers. The airlines need to fill up the back end of their wide-bodied jets with low fare passengers, without forgetting that the front end should be filled with people who pay substantially more for their tickets.

It is no coincidence that the two major airline bankruptcies were among the companies specializing in cheap flights. But low fares require consistently full aircraft to make flights economically viable, and in the recent recession the volume of traffic has not grown. Equally the large number of airlines jostling for the available passengers has created a huge excess of capacity. The net result of excess capacity and cut-throat competition driving down fares had been to push some airlines into collapse and leave many others hovering on the brink2.

Against this grim background, it is no surprise that airlines are turning increasingly towards the business travelers to improve their rates of return, They have invested much time and effort to establish exactly what the executive demands for sitting apart from the tourists.

High on the list of priorities is punctuality; an executive's time is money. In-flight service is another area where the airlines are jostling for the executive's attention. The free drinks and headsets and better food are all part of the lure.

Another development has been the accent of seating arrangements. Regular travelers have become well versed in the debate about seat pitch--the amount of room between each passenger. And first-class passengers are now offered sleeperette seats, which, for long journeys, make it possible to snatch a proper night's sleep. Sleeperettes have proved so popular that they will soon become universal in the front end of most aircraft.

The airlines are also trying to improve things on the ground. Executive lounges are commonplace and intended to make the inevitable waiting between flights a little more bearable. Luggage handling is being improved. Regrettably, there is little the airlines can do to speed up the boring immigration and Customs process, which manages to upset and frustrate passengers of all classes in every continent.

Although it is the airlines' intention to attract executive passengers from their rivals, the airlines themselves would nonetheless like to change one bad habit of this kind of traveler--the expensive habit of booking a flight and then failing to turn up. The practice is particularly widespread in Europe, where businessmen frequently book return journeys home one on several flights.

词汇：

coincidence 巧合 jostle 争抢

cut-throat 你死我活的 headset 头戴式耳机

accent 强调，重视 versed 熟练的，精通的

pitch 空间，位置 sleeperette 可卧座位

注释：

1.Lufthansa and Swissair ：(德国)汉莎航空公司和瑞士航空公司

2.… push some airlines into collapse and leave many others hovering on the brink. ：……迫使一些航空公司倒闭，把许多别的公司推到倒闭的边缘。

练习：

1. According to the passage, in operating airlines it is essential to

A) keep in mind the need of the executives only.

B) satisfy the need of the low fare passengers at the expense of the executives.

C) try to attract as many passengers as possible by reducing fares.

D) cater to the need of passengers sitting at both ends of the jets.

2. The following are all mentioned as reasons why the airlines are having a hard time EXCEPT that

A) the tourist industry is experiencing an all-time low.

B) there is no increase in the number of passengers.

C) there are more seats on the planes than needed.

D) the competition between airlines is strong.

3. The improvements the airlines attempt at include all the following EXCEPT

A) making their seats more comfortable.

B) providing better food during flights.

C) showing more movies during the long flights.

D) offering sleeperettes to first-class passengers.

4. There is not much the airlines can do when it comes to

A) making sure the departures are not delayed.

B) the efficient handling of luggage.

C) speeding up customs procedure.

D) the improvement of the condition of waiting lounges.

5. Which of the following is a bad habit of the executive passengers that frustrates the airlines?

A) They do not book their seats in advance.

B) They do not sit on the seats they are supposed to take.

C) They do not travel on the flight they have booked.

D) They do not pay in advance for the seats they book.

答案与题解：

1. D 本题的答案可以再文章的第二段里找到。这一段第一句话讲得很清楚，经营一家大的航空公司的关键是找到 the right mix of passengers。后面一句话更明确地说宽体客机的后部，即一般乘客乘坐的经济舱;和前部，即头等舱和公务舱都要设法坐满。

2. A 在第三段里作者谈到了航空业所面临的困境，提到 in the recent recession the volume of traffic has not grown. Equally the large number of airlines jostling for the available passengers has created a huge excess of capacity, 包括了B、C、D三个选项中所说的情况，唯独没有具体降到旅游业的状况。

3. C 文章的第五段和第六段作者讲了航空公司所做的种种努力，其中没有提到要多放映电影。

4. C 文章的第五段到第七段里作者谈到了航空公司能做的改进，以及他们不能做的改进，第七段的最后一句清楚地讲了人人都厌烦的进关手续时航空公司所力不能及的。

5. C 答案在最后一段里可以找到。商界人士常常同时在几个航班上订座。

译文：国际航空公司的经营

国际航空公司重新发现，商务游客经常定期乘坐国际航班，这甚至成为他们工作的一部分。 这并不一定意味着国际航空公司曾经忽视了商务乘客。相反，汉莎航空公司和瑞士航空公司声称 他们总是尽量满足商务人士阶层的乘客。但是许多航空公司被指责说过去太注重由运载量吸引乘 客，造成老顾客的流失。公司经常为了数量而非质量进行调整。

主要航线的经营本质上是要找到合适的乘客组合。航空公司可以让低价位机票乘客乘坐宽机 身飞机的后舱，不能忘记前舱需要让机票价位较高者乘坐。

两家主要的廉价航空公司的倒闭并不是巧合。但是低票价需要总是满机以使班机在经济方面 可以生存，在最近的萧条期运载量并没有增长。容量过剩和残酷的竞争引起票价下降，迫使一些 航空公司倒闭，把许多别的公司推到倒闭的边缘。‘

在这种严峻的背景下，航空公司不断转向商务游客以提高利润率就不足为奇了。他们付出了 大量的时间和精力去满足他们对座位的要求，并将他们与普通游客相区分。

在优先取舍的列表上还有准时性，经理们的时间是宝贵的。客机服务是航班为了争取商务人 士注意力的又一个领域。免费的饮品、耳机和可口的食物都是很有诱惑力的因素。

另外一个发展是强调座位的安排。老乘客对座位的倾斜度很精通——因为这会影响前后座之 间的间隙。一等舱提供倾斜式，这样在长时间的旅程中，乘客能得到一个良好睡眠。实践证明， 卧椅很受乘客们的喜爱，它将会在所有飞机的前仓被普遍应用。

航空公司还试图改善地面服务。商务人员休息室变得很寻常了，这样乘客们等待航班的时间 可以变得更好过一些。行李处理服务也改善了。不过遗憾的是，在加快烦琐的入境通关手续方面， 航空公司能做的很有限。各大洲各阶层的乘客们只能继续厌烦沮丧了。

尽管航空公司的目的是从它们的竞争对手中吸引商务乘客，航空公司将尽力改变这类乘客的 坏习惯——预定昂贵的机票却没有乘坐。这种现象在欧洲尤为广泛，商务人士常常同时在几个航 班预定返程机票。

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