美国国家公共电台 NPR After Travel Ban, Airlines Scramble To Reroute Crew Members

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 

After initially¹ saying that everything was fine, Trump² administration officials now acknowledge there have been problems implementing³ the president's executive order which temporarily prohibits travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations from coming into the United States. The question, though, is how widespread those problems have really been. Caught in the middle are airlines, which are dealing⁴ with passengers denied entry and also with employees who might be seen as violating the travel ban, too. NPR's David Schaper reports.

DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE⁵: Imagine getting on a plane half a world away bound for the United States, knowing at the time you boarded it was perfectly⁶ legal for you to come here. But by the time you get off the plane, the rules have changed, so you're question for hours and possibly denied entry. Now imagine that you're not just a passenger on that flight but a crew member.

SARA NELSON: So we actually did have some flight attendants who were detained in the process, flight attendants who can legally fly in and out of the country today for U.S. airlines or who are based in the U.S.

SCHAPER: Sara Nelson is president of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents more than 50,000 members in the U.S.

NELSON: These flight attendants - we have to remember that they are subject to background checks. They are subject to a security clearance⁷ that is required for them to be able to do this work.

SCHAPER: Not only are there stringent⁸ post-Sept. 11 screening requirements for airline employees, but non-U.S. citizen flight crew members already need a special visa to enter the U.S. Nonetheless, airlines are now scrambling⁹ to juggle¹⁰ staffing to assure that no flight crew members working U.S. bound flights are from those seven nations that are singled out in the executive order.

JOHN STRICKLAND: I think the order really came out as something as a surprise, both in its breadth and its speed, to the airline community.

SCHAPER: John Strickland is an independent airline industry consultant¹¹ based in London.

STRICKLAND: Airlines are, by their nature, global businesses. They employ people from many countries and passport origins.

SCHAPER: Strickland says the executive order is especially difficult for airlines that are based in the Middle East, such as Emirates and Qatar, that now must quickly check the birthplaces and backgrounds of all of their crew members to make sure that any from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are not working on flights heading into the U.S.

STRICKLAND: When you're talking about a long-haul airline with crews in different parts of the world and aircraft in different parts of the world, that's really somewhat like jelly trying to get your hands on it.

SCHAPER: Airlines had no advance notice of the president's actions, says Jason Sinclair, spokesman for the International Air Transport Association.

JASON SINCLAIR: The executive order was issued without prior coordination¹² or warning, causing confusion among airlines and travelers. It also placed additional burdens on airlines that comply with unclear requirements, to bear implementation¹³ costs and to face potential penalties for noncompliance.

SCHAPER: Costs like having to refund¹⁴ airfares paid by customers who are told they cannot board or who cancel because of the chaos¹⁵. Airlines want clarity from the administration. And Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly tried to provide some of the new travel restrictions¹⁶ in a news conference yesterday. Kelly denies reports that even he wasn't given details of the executive order until the president signed it, and he says it will remain in place.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN KELLY: We cannot gamble with American lives. I will not gamble American lives.

SCHAPER: And Kelly suggests some of the new restrictions could be extended, saying some of the countries currently on the list may not be taken off of it anytime soon.

David Schaper, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF RUSSIAN CIRCLES' "MLADEK")

1 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

8 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

9 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 juggle   

v.变戏法，纂改，欺骗，同时做；n.玩杂耍，纂改，花招

参考例句：

• If you juggle with your accounts,you'll get into trouble.你要是在帐目上做手脚，你可要遇到麻烦了。
• She had to juggle her job and her children.她得同时兼顾工作和孩子。

11 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

12 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

13 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

14 refund   

v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款

参考例句：

• They demand a refund on unsatisfactory goods.他们对不满意的货品要求退款。
• We'll refund your money if you aren't satisfied.你若不满意，我们愿意退款给你。

15 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

16 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制