首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Airline Alliances Cooperative competition. Competitive cooperation. Confused? Airline alliances have travelers scratching th
Airline Alliances Cooperative competition. Competitive cooperation. Confused? Airline alliances have travelers scratching th
admin
2013-04-25
39
问题
Airline Alliances
Cooperative competition. Competitive cooperation. Confused? Airline alliances have travelers scratching their heads over what’s going on in the skies. Some folks view alliances as a blessing to travelers, offering seamless travel, reduced fares and enhanced frequent-flyer benefits. Others see a conspiracy of big businesses, causing decreased competition, increased fares and fewer choices. Whatever your opinion is, there are no escaping airline alliances: the marketing hype is
unrelenting
, with each of the two mega-groupings. Oneworld and Star Alliance promote themselves as the best choice for all travelers. And, even if you turn away from their ads, chances are they will figure in any of your travel plans.
But why, after years of often ferocious competition, have airlines decided to band together? Let’s just say the timing is mutually convenient. North American Airlines, having exhausted all means of earning customer loyalty at home, have been looking for ways to reach out to foreign flyers. Asian carriers are still hurting from the region—the wide economic downturn that began two years ago just when some of the airlines were taking delivery of new aircraft. Alliances also allow carriers to cut costs and increase profits by pooling manpower resources on the ground (rather than each airline maintaining its own ground crew) and code-sharing—the practice of two partners selling tickets and operating only one aircraft.
So alliances are terrific for airlines—but are they good for the passenger? Absolutely, say the airlines: think of the lounges, the joint FFP (frequent flyer programme) benefits, the round-the-world fares, and the global service networks. Then there is the promise of "seamless" travel: the ability to, say, travel from Singapore to Rome to New York to Rio de Janeiro, all on one ticket, without having to wait hours for connections or worry about your bags. Sounds Utopian? Peter Buecking, Cathay Pacific’s Director of Sales and Marketing, thinks that seamless travel is still evolving. "The key to seamlessness rests in infrastructure and information sharing. We are working on this." Henry Ma, spokesperson for Star Alliance in Hong Kong, lists some of the other benefits for customers: "Global travelers have an easier time making connections and planning their itineraries." Ma claims alliances also assure passengers consistent service standards.
Critics of alliances say the much
touted
benefits to the customer are mostly pie in the sky, that alliances are all about reducing costs for the airlines, rationalizing services and running joint marketing programmes. Consumer Report’s Senior Editor Jeff Blyskal says the promotional ballyhoo over alliances is much ado about nothing. "I don’t see much of a gain for consumers: alliances are just a marketing
gimmick
. Most airlines can not even get their own connections under control, let alone coordinate with another airline. "
Blyskal believes alliances will ultimately result in decreased flight choices and increased costs for consumers. Instead of two airlines competing and each operating a flight on the same route at 70% capacity, the allied pair will share the route and run one full flight. Since fewer seats will be available, passengers will be obliged to pay more for tickets.
The truth about alliances and their merits probably lies somewhere between the travel Utopia presented by the players, and the evil empires portrayed by their critics. And how much they affect you depends on what kind of traveler you are.
Those who’ve already made the elite grade in the FFP of a major airline stand to benefit the most when it joints an alliance: then they enjoy the FFP perks and advantages on any and all of the member carriers. For example, if you are a Marco Polo Club "gold" member of Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles FFP, you will automatically be treated as a valuable customer by all members of Oneworld, of which Cathay Pacific is a member.
For those who haven’t made the top grade in any FFP, alliances might be a way of simplifying the earning of frequent flyer miles. For example, I belong to United Airline’s Mileage Plus and generally fly less than 25000 miles a year. But I earn miles with every flight I take on Star Alliance member—All Nippon Airways and Thai Airways.
(A)if you fly less than I do, you might be smarter to stay out of the FFP game altogether.
(B)The only real benefit infrequent flyers can draw from an alliance is an inexpensive round-the-world fare.
(C)The bottom lines for all the marketing hype, alliances aren’t all things to all people—but everybody can get some benefit out of them.
(D)
According to the passage, which is the best word to describe air travelers’ reaction to airline alliances?
选项
A、Delighted.
B、Indifferent.
C、Objective.
D、Varie
答案
D
解析
本题为推论题,要求考生对文章中没有明确阐述但暗示了的信息或观点作出推断。此类题的一般规律是:如讨论的是结果,推论题就可能是造成结果的原因。如果文中有比较,推论题就可能是比较的对象等。题目问:根据文章的信息,下列哪一个词最能描述飞机乘客对航空集团的反应?根据文章第一段第四、五句“Some folks view alliances as a blessing to travelers, offering seamless travel, reduced fares and enhanced frequent-flyer benefits. Others see a conspiracy of big businesses, causing decreased competition, increased fares and fewer choices”可知,有些乘客对航空集团持肯定的态度,有些乘客对航空集团持否定的态度,即观点不一样,因此选项D(各种各样的)为正确答案,而选项A(高兴的,喜悦的)、选项B(冷淡的,冷漠的)和选项C(客观的)都不符合题意。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/PehYFFFM
0
托福(TOEFL)
相关试题推荐
Completethechartbelow.Matchtheadvantagesofjoiningalearningcircle(I-VI)totheperson.NOTE:therearemorea
Matchthephobicstateintheboxtothesymptomsbelow.ChooseyouranswersfromtheboxandwritethelettersA-Dnexttoq
SECTION1Questions1-10Questions1-4CompletethefollowinginformationusingNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSAND/ORNUMBERSfore
Thelecturersaysthatanessayislike______toaspecificquestion.【34】
Completethelecturenotes.UseNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSforeachanswer.PurposeoftheminilectureToexperience【T32】______
Completethetablebelow.WriteNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSAND/ORANUMBERforeachanswer.ANNUALWULLABALLOOCONFERENCE
CompletethenotesbelowWriteONEWORDONLYforeachanswer.TheGherkinBuildingCommissionedby:【L31】______firmcalledFoste
Whatistheimprovementofeachmainpointofinterestinthearea?ChooseFIVEanswersfromtheboxandwritethecorrectlette
Whichattitudeisassociatedwiththefollowingpeopleduringtheconversation?ChooseSIXanswersfromtheboxandwritetheco
A、Shethinksthewearierispleasant.B、Shehasbeenworkinghardinthelab.C、Sheisnotfeelingverywelltoday.D、Shehasbe
随机试题
设A是3阶实对称矩阵,P是3阶可逆矩阵,B=P-1AP,已知α是A的属于特征值λ的特征向量,则B的属于特征值λ的特征向量是()。
关于年度投资总规模的计划预期目标,我国通常使用的测定方法是()。
商业大街内的废物箱之间的间隔应设置为()m
【背景资料】某机电安装施工单位通过招投标竞争在某市承包一项商务楼的机电安装工程项目,工程范围包括:采暖及给水排水工程、建筑电气工程、通风与空调工程、建筑智能化工程、消防工程、电梯工程等。合同造价为1200万元。当施工单位收到设计变更施工
普通混凝土一般是由()等组成。
下列关于短期融资券的说法,错误的是( )
延伸型旅游产业发展模式的基础是()。
甲烟草公司提供烟叶委托乙公司加工一批烟丝。甲公司将已收回烟丝中的一部分用于生产卷烟,另一部分烟丝卖给丙公司。在这项委托加工烟丝业务中,消费税的纳税义务人是()。
下图中的立体图形①是由立体图形②、③和④组合而成,下列哪一项能够填入问号处?
现在中央对安全生产很重视,但有的地方总会出现小煤窑倒塌、爆炸的事情,你认为主要原因是什么?
最新回复
(
0
)