VOA慢速英语--Flying This Summer Means Longer Security Lines

AS IT IS 2016-05-28 Flying This Summer Means Longer Security Lines

Thousands of travelers have missed their flights due to long security lines.

The lines are likely to get worse at U.S. airports with 231 million travelers expected to fly this summer.

This weekend, also known as Memorial Day weekend, is the start of the summer travel season in the U.S. Americans will fly to visit families or go on vacations.

On Thursday, Kerry Philipovitch of American Airlines told U.S. Congress that 70,000 American customers missed their flights the last 12 months due to long security lines.

“We have never seen TSA wait times that affect airlines and passengers throughout the United States like we’ve seen in recent months,” Philipovitch said.

Peter Neffenger is the head of the U.S. Transportation Security Agency, or TSA. He said, “We cannot and will not compromise on the security of the traveling public.”

Neffenger told Congress that he will not reduce security checks to reduce waits. But he is hiring more officers and moving bomb-detection dogs to large U.S. airports.

Neffenger also removed TSA’s security head and put in new leadership at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. On several days, there were reports of security waits of two to three hours in Chicago.

How do travelers deal with delay?

The TSA offers tips for summer travel, including arriving at airports up to two hours before domestic¹ flights and up to three hours before international flights.

At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday, some passengers arriving or flying out of the airport were surprised their waits were not longer.

“I was worried about it, but the lines moved quickly today,” said Kellie Artis of Alexandria, Virginia.

“I guess I’ve been lucky,” said Odd Steinar Haugen of Norway. Haugen said he waited only 20 minutes to clear security in Phoenix², Arizona, for his Wednesday flight to Washington.

Passengers have strong opinions on how to keep waits short.

John Rafferty of North Dallas, Texas, said a big problem is that “more passengers are carrying luggage or bags onto airplanes instead of checking them."

It takes longer, he told VOA to complete checks of people carrying luggage filled with “everything but the kitchen sink.” By “everything but the kitchen sink,” Rafferty means people who bring lots of things, including things they do not need.

Rafferty said one fix would be separate lines for people who paid $25 or more per bag to check their bags with the airline.

“Let the people who brought along all these bags wait, not those of us who paid $50 to check our bags,” he said.

Some members of Congress have called on airlines to drop their checked baggage charges -- at least for the summer travel season.

“Without charges for checking their bags, passengers will be far less likely to carry them on,” which “slows the inspection³ process,” said Senators⁴ Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut in a letter.

But some passengers at Washington’s Reagan Airport said people avoid checking bags so they won’t have to wait for checked bags to arrive at baggage claim.

“I think people would continue to carry bags on planes, even if there was no charge,” said one passenger, carrying two bags off a flight from Albany, New York.

And U.S. airlines, which made $3.8 billion in baggage fees during 2015, do not want to give up that money.

More People Flying

Airlines for America expects 231 million people to fly this summer in the United States, up from 200 million in 2009. The group represents U.S. airlines and warns of long lines this summer unless more security officers are hired.

Paul Hudson is president of Flyersrights.org, which represents airline passengers. He said the major reasons for long security lines are: the continued threat of terrorism, along with fewer airport security officers and 97 million more people flying in 2016 than three years ago.

Shortages⁵ of TSA workers is partly due to “low morale,” he said.

Pauline Frommer is editorial⁶ director of Frommer Media, which publishes travel guides. She said it is understandable so many TSA officers quit.

“It’s such an awful job. You are underpaid, people hate you, and if you make a mistake, the consequences are huge,” she said.

Some passengers are sharing their frustrations⁷ on Twitter under hashtag #hatethewait. Among them this passenger flying from a New York/New Jersey⁸ airport to Paris:

“@AirlineReporter @TSA 90 minutes in line @NY_NJairports. Nearly missed my flight to Paris. #iHateTheWait”

“Would you rather wait shorter times in @TSA than the possibility of a BOMB being smuggled⁹ onto your plane? #iHateTheWait Stop whining¹⁰! #9/11,” tweeted one passenger.

Words in This Story

bomb-detection dogs -- n. dogs trained to detect bombs

check – v. to give your bags or suitcases to a worker so that they can be loaded onto a plane or train

luggage or bags – n. the bags and suitcases that a person carries when traveling

editorial director – n. the person who heads the department where books and other publications are written

awful – adj. extremely bad or unpleasant

consequence – n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions

post – n. to put out written statement

whine¹¹ – v. to complain in an annoying way

1 domestic   

adj.家里的，国内的，本国的；n.家仆，佣人

参考例句：

• This is domestic news.这是国内新闻。
• She does the domestic affairs every day.她每天都忙家务。

2 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

3 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

4 senators   

n.参议员( senator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When the senators vote, the ayes will have it. 参议员投票时，投赞成票的人将占多数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The committee concluded that the senators had engaged in improper conduct. 委员会断定议员们从事了不正当活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 shortages   

n.不足( shortage的名词复数 )；缺少；缺少量；不足额

参考例句：

• Food shortages often occur in time of war. 在战争期间常常发生粮食短缺的情形。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• At the same time, worldwide food and fuel shortages eased. 同时，世界性粮食和石油短缺的现象终止了。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 editorial   

adj.编者的，社论的；n.（报刊的）社论，重要评论

参考例句：

• For a full hour they argued over the wording of the editorial.他们为社论的措辞争论了一个小时。
• We now bring you the full text of the Renmin Ribao editorial.现在全文广播《人民日报》社论。

7 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

8 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

9 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

10 whining   

n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚

参考例句：

• That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。
• The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着（要进来）。

11 whine   

v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣

参考例句：

• You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
• The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。