漢譯英

空中的交通暴怒

航空公司與長期遭罪的客戶們都在提及急劇攀升的空中沖突事件。有些事件的發生顯然是由許多常客所熟悉的問題造成的。美國報道的一個案例就是源于無休止的延遲起飛：乘客被關在飛機里，在停機坪上等了四個小時，期間沒有食物、飲料和信息。

大規模騷亂比起個人行為不當要少見些。一個已經宣判的案例里乘客在飛機上突發癲狂。他攻擊機組人員，并試圖在飛行途中打開艙門。

空中暴怒的心理是一個新的研究領域，對此的解釋與案例幾乎同樣多。大多數分析家都將此現象歸咎于酒精，但現在許多人認為航空公司對此負有責任。

為了削減成本，他們把更多的乘客塞進機艙，同時又減少機組人員、縮減培訓時間和降低服務質量，所有這些都令乘客更加沮喪。此外，在美國人們越來越關注另一個削減成本的做法：客艙通風問題。這很可能會嚴重損害乘客的健康。

現代飛機都配備了完備的空調裝置——但要使其以最佳狀態運行就會耗盡寶貴的航空燃油。許多航空公司通常指示飛行人員以最低設置來運行系統。要求改善空氣質量的人士聲稱這就會導致煩躁不安，并令人不知所措。

在美國，涉及廣泛問題的乘客投訴數量飆升反映在了許多新的互聯網網站上。這些網站批評航空公司，要求提供更好的服務。其中一個網站還要求給予一個空乘版的“人權法案”。

面對破壞和空中危險行為，戰斗在一線的客艙和飛行機組人員要求給予肇事者更嚴厲的懲罰。也有聲音呼吁管理立法，不過同時否認其削減成本的做法也是問題發生的一個誘因。

但也有跡象表明，至少在美國，航空公司終于試圖回應顧客的不滿。一些主要航線已宣布向最常見的投訴做出讓步：拆除一些座位，給乘客留出更多的空間。

參考譯文

Road rages in the sky

Airlines and their long-suffering customers arc reporting a steep climb in air rage incidents. Some incidents are apparently caused by problems which are familiar to many regular travelers. One case reported from America stemmed from an interminable delay in takeoff, when passengers were cooped up in their aircraft on the tarmac for four hours, without food, drink or information.

Mass unrest is less common than individual misbehaviour, as in the case of the convict who recently went crazy on a flight, attacked the crew and tried to open a door in mid-flight.

The psychology of air rage is a new area of study, and there are almost as many explanations as examples. Most analysts of the phenomenon blame alcohol, but many people now think that the airlines are at fault.

To cut costs, they are cramming ever more passengers into their aircraft, while reducing cabin crew, training and quality of service, all of which increase passenger frustration. In addition, there is increasing concern in the US about another cost-cutting exercise, which could seriously harm passengers' health: cabin ventilation.

Modern aircraft are equipped with sophisticated air conditioning devices - but running them at optimum capacity burns up valuable aviation fuel. Many airlines routinely instruct their flight crews to run the systems on minimum settings. Campaigners for improved air quality claim that this can lead to irritability and disorientation.

In the US, the soaring number of passenger complaints across a wide range of issues is reflected in a number of new Internet sites which criticise the airlines and demand better service. One of the sites is demanding an air passengers* Bill of Rights.

Cabin and flight crews, who are in the front line of the battle against disruptive and dangerous inflighti behaviour, have called for stiffer penalties against the offenders. Management have also called for legislation - while denying that its cost-cutting practices have contributed to the problem.

But there are some signs, in the US at least, that the airlines are at last attempting to respond to customer dissatisfaction. Some major lines have announced concessions to the most frequent complaint of all, and are removing seats to make more room for their customers.