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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  48
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.  
It seems to the author that the implementation of the new regulation would be______.
选项 A、successful and rapid
B、necessary and smooth
C、effective but gradual
D、important but difficult
答案D
解析 推断题。作者在第三段和第四段中列举了监管者和航空公司双方的理据之后，在最后一段中集中讨论新法规通过的前景。应注意本段中的几个连接词。第一个连接词But之前，是对新法规通过不利的因素，之后是新法通过的有利因素，双方各有利弊，僵持不下，可见新法规通过有难度。而在连接词If之后，是对新法规可能产生的影响进行说明，指出法规如能通过，则会对全球航空业产生重要影响，可见新法十分重要，故[D]为答案。四个选项中，较易排除[A]，由于双方僵持不下，所以法规的通过不可能是迅速的和成功的。同时也可排除[B]，因为法规通过尽管有必要性，但不可能十分顺利。[C]缺乏原文依据，尽管由原文可以看出法规的执行可能是缓慢的，但是对其有效性并没有涉及，因此也应排除。
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