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  3. How much does a plane ticket really cost? Just a decade ago, when most airfares included a checked bag and the ability to reserv

How much does a plane ticket really cost? Just a decade ago, when most airfares included a checked bag and the ability to reserv

admin2014-04-20  55
问题     How much does a plane ticket really cost? Just a decade ago, when most airfares included a checked bag and the ability to reserve a seat or book a ticket by phone, the answer was pretty straightforward: the price you saw was the price you paid, minus taxes. Today, most airlines, except for a few full-service Asian carriers and a holdout or two in the United States, charge economy-class passengers extra for almost everything—a process known as " unbundling. " Want to check your luggage? That’ll be $ 25 for the first bag. Sit next to a window? $ 29. Book by phone? An extra $ 25, please.
    Now U. S. regulators are considering a crackdown on what critics charge are misleading pricing practices that have unjustly enriched airlines by concealing the true cost of flying. A recent report by IdeaWorks, an aviation consultancy, found that the airline industry is making a fortune on fees, netting $ 22.6 billion worldwide in 2011, a 66 percent jump from two years before.
    A new rule, formulated at the beginning of 2012, already requires domestic airlines to quote fares that include all mandatory taxes and fees. And last week, an advisory committee to the federal Transportation Department considered recommending that the government go a step further by requiring airlines to disclose all of their fees before a ticket purchase.
    But airlines insist they’re as transparent as they need to be when it comes to fares, and that regulators would be overstepping their mandate if such a rule were adopted. Besides, airlines say, fees are already revealed on airline websites, and disclosure is constantly improving. For example, United Airlines, currently the world’s largest carrier, recently introduced a baggage-fee calculator that allows customers to determine how much they’ll pay for their checked luggage.
    The committee’s recommendations are nonbinding, and they may have some trouble getting a nod from the next secretary of Transportation if President Obama loses the upcoming election to his Republican opponent. They also face a tedious rule-making process and a likely court challenge by airlines. But consumer groups appear to have some momentum. Airlines balked when they were required to add taxes and mandatory fees to their fares, charging the government with "hiding" taxes and with it, the true cost of air travel. Two carriers sued the government in an effort to overturn the rule. But last month, a Court of Appeals sided with the government. If the move toward price transparency catches on, it could have a ripple effect worldwide, creating a global standard for disclosure and answering the question of how much an airline ticket costs once and for all.     How much does a plane ticket really cost? Just a decade ago, when most airfares included a checked bag and the ability to reserve a seat or book a ticket by phone, the answer was pretty straightforward: the price you saw was the price you paid, minus taxes. Today, most airlines, except for a few full-service Asian carriers and a holdout or two in the United States, charge economy-class passengers extra for almost everything—a process known as " unbundling. " Want to check your luggage? That’ll be $ 25 for the first bag. Sit next to a window? $ 29. Book by phone? An extra $ 25, please.
    Now U. S. regulators are considering a crackdown on what critics charge are misleading pricing practices that have unjustly enriched airlines by concealing the true cost of flying. A recent report by IdeaWorks, an aviation consultancy, found that the airline industry is making a fortune on fees, netting $ 22.6 billion worldwide in 2011, a 66 percent jump from two years before.
    A new rule, formulated at the beginning of 2012, already requires domestic airlines to quote fares that include all mandatory taxes and fees. And last week, an advisory committee to the federal Transportation Department considered recommending that the government go a step further by requiring airlines to disclose all of their fees before a ticket purchase.
    But airlines insist they’re as transparent as they need to be when it comes to fares, and that regulators would be overstepping their mandate if such a rule were adopted. Besides, airlines say, fees are already revealed on airline websites, and disclosure is constantly improving. For example, United Airlines, currently the world’s largest carrier, recently introduced a baggage-fee calculator that allows customers to determine how much they’ll pay for their checked luggage.
    The committee’s recommendations are nonbinding, and they may have some trouble getting a nod from the next secretary of Transportation if President Obama loses the upcoming election to his Republican opponent. They also face a tedious rule-making process and a likely court challenge by airlines. But consumer groups appear to have some momentum. Airlines balked when they were required to add taxes and mandatory fees to their fares, charging the government with "hiding" taxes and with it, the true cost of air travel. Two carriers sued the government in an effort to overturn the rule. But last month, a Court of Appeals sided with the government. If the move toward price transparency catches on, it could have a ripple effect worldwide, creating a global standard for disclosure and answering the question of how much an airline ticket costs once and for all.  
By referring the report by IdeaWorks, the author intends to______.
选项 A、verify the rationality of setting new rules
B、illustrate the profit composition of airlines
C、explain the change in the past decade
D、reveal the fraud committed by airlines
答案A
解析 推断题。第二段第二句提到了航空资讯公司IdeaWorks的调查报告，指出航空业正在靠收取各种费用聚敛财富，并且每年这笔财富的数量都在急剧增加。紧随其后，在第三段首句就提到2012年制定了针对美国国内航空公司制定的关于税费的新法规。由此可以推断，作者提及航空资讯公司IdeaWorks的调查报告，目的在于引出有关新法规制定的内容，并可说明其合理性，故[A]正确。首先可排除[C]，尽管在第一段曾经提及十年前的情况，但是这份调研报告和十年前的情况没有直接关联。而文章也只是提到报告中有关额外费用的问题，并不能由此就看出航空公司的利润构成，故[B]也不符合原文。航空公司收费问题是本文讨论的焦点，但作者并没有说这些额外费用就是欺诈和骗局，故而[D]“揭露航空公司所设的骗局”也不符合原文，应排除。
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