Slow and Steady Wins the Race!
ECONOMICS REPORT - Adding Up the Costs of Lost Travel in Europe
欧洲旅行因滞留而费用增加
From: http://www.unsv.com/voanews/specialenglish/scripts/2010/04/23/0041/
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
Air traffic over much of Europe came to a halt for six days because of the huge cloud of ash from a volcano in Iceland. Now the economic costs are still being counted as airlines try to get everyone to where they were going.
由于冰岛火山喷发产生的巨大火山灰云团，致使途经欧洲大部分地区的空中交通受阻达 6 天之久。现今，随着航空公司尽可能地将每位乘客送往目的地，经济损失仍在进一步计算当中。
At its worst, the crisis affected nearly a third of world air travel. About one hundred thousand flights were cancelled or delayed.
此次危机至多影响了全球近 1/3 的空中交通运输。大约有 10 万次航班被取消或延误。
The International Air Transport Association estimated the cost to airlines at nearly two billion dollars.
国际航空运输协会估计，航空公司的损失达到近 20 亿美元。
But that does not include costs like the tons of flowers that growers in Kenya and Israel had to destroy. Or all the fruits and vegetables that could also not be flown to Europe.
但这一数字并不包括产于肯尼亚和以色列的数吨待销毁的花卉。以及无法运抵欧洲的水果和蔬菜的损失。
Other businesses that depend on air travel, including hotels and vacation places, also suffered. The crisis affected airports from Washington to Pakistan.
其他依赖于空中交通的行业，包括酒店和旅游景点，也遭受到了损失。此次危机影响了从华盛顿到巴基斯坦的机场。
The crisis came just as Europe is trying to recover from its worst recession in generations. Greece -- a popular travel place -- continues to face a debt crisis that has sharply raised its borrowing costs.
此次危机恰逢欧洲试图从最为严重的经济衰退中恢复的时期。希腊 ---- 作为广受欢迎的旅游胜地 ---- 持续的债务危机使其借贷成本陡升。
The United States halted air travel for three days after the terrorist attacks in two thousand one. The travel ban this past week lasted twice as long in some European countries.
美国于 2001 年遭受恐怖袭击之后，空中交通被暂停了 3 天时间。而刚刚过去的一周，欧洲一些国家航空禁令的持续时间则是上次的两倍。
Critics accused European air transport officials of being slow to react, then overreacting to the possible risk to airplanes. And there could be more delays as the Eyjafjallajokull volcano continues to release ash.
批评人士指责欧洲空中交通官员反应太慢，而随后又对飞机可能的风险反应过度。并且 埃亚菲亚德拉冰盖火山继续喷射火山灰，会有更多的航班延误。
Last week's eruption cost time and money for travelers. Hundreds of thousands were stuck. Some had no place to stay except the airport. Others tried to make their way by train, bus, boat or car.
上周的火山喷发耗费了旅行者的时间和金钱。数十万人被滞留。一些旅行者除了机场无处可去。其他人试图改用火车、公交、轮船或汽车出行。
Vacationers have had to change or cancel plans. And not all businesses have been sympathetic.
度假者不得不改变或取消计划。但并不是所有商家都表示同情。
An American stuck in London, already one of the world's highest priced cities, found that her hotel had doubled its prices. Some embassies offered emergency loans to their citizens.
一位美国人滞留于伦敦，作为全球最昂贵的城市之一，其宾馆价格上涨了一倍。为此，一些国家的大使馆为本国公民提供紧急贷款。
Passengers delayed on European airlines may be able to get back at least some of the money they had to spend.
滞留于欧洲航线的旅客，其必要的花费，或许能够获得至少部分的补偿。
The crisis brought new attention to the billion-dollar market for travel insurance. About thirty percent of Americans buy policies to cover unexpected problems when they travel. Some credit cards offer a form of insurance and could also face claims.
此次危机重新引发了对价值数十亿美元的旅行保险市场的关注。有近 30% 的美国人购买了保险单，以应对旅行遭遇的无法预估的意外。一些信用卡提供了一种保险，也能受理索赔。
The volcanic eruption was the second time in two years that Iceland has shaken its neighbors to the east. The first time was the near-collapse of Iceland's banks and currency during the world financial crisis.
此次火山喷发，使冰岛两年内第二次震惊了其东部的邻国。而第一次正是全球金融危机期间，冰岛银行和货币体系的濒临崩溃。
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.
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该帖于2010年4月29日被版主推荐为精华帖。
