英伦广角 Issue 109 西斯罗到底怎么了

Service levels at Heathrow airport are a national embarrassment¹ according to the international aviation chief Giovanni Bisignani. He said that UK regulators should never have allowed the airport to increase charges by a massive 86 percent over the next five years, saying that only happens in monopoly land. Airport authorities insisted the money was needed for modernization², and said £4 billion would be reinvested. But it is more bad news for Heathrow bosses, so soon after the Terminal 5 fiascos, Katie Razzall now reports.

Heathrow debating isn't exactly new. The airport and its owners BAA were under fire long before the fiasco that marked the opening of Terminal 5 after that, opposition³ to a third runway and the criticism is loud and fierce.

The goal is to raise the bar on safety.

Today, the head of the International Air Transport Association added his voice. At the IATA AGM in Istanbul, Mr. Bisignani dubbed⁴ Service levels at London's Heathrow airport a national embarrassment. The heavily indebted British Airport's Authority owns 7 UK airports including Heathrow. And that's the issue, says the head of the parliamentary committee that has recommended BAA be broken up.

There is a very real problem with Heathrow. And the major problem appears to be the monopoly ownership of BAA. Now controlling around 90% of flights in the Southeast, there have been many complaints from the airlines and from passengers alike.

So is Heathrow all that bad? A rating's website by travelers gives it an average 2.5 out of 5 for everything from punctuality and reserve through layout all the way to the lavatory⁵ facilities. Worst scores include Miami international with 2.3 out of 5 and Paris Charles de Gaulle. But above Heathrow, Nairobi's Kenyatta International, Athens, Bogota, New York's JFK, Rome's Fiumicino, Berlin's Tegel, Madrid's Barajas and even Chávez International in Lima amongst many others. Mr. Bisignani today also set his sights on Britain's Civil Aviation Authority, giving it the worst regulator award. His deed based on the CAA's decision to increase the charges airlines pay to use Heathrow over the next five years by 86 percent when service as he says is so poor. A decision that CAA today defended as necessary to pay for modernizations⁶ that will benefit passengers. He also represents almost all the world's major airlines. British carriers have been laying into BAA and the CAA for some time. Hardly surprising then the Virgin⁷ Atlantic for one were in agreement.

It's probably the last nail in the coffin⁸ for the regulatory system we have in this country. It is not the right system. It doesn't act in the consumers' interests. It certainly doesn't act in the airlines' interests. And as far as Heathrow is concerned, it doesn't make BAA any better, it doesn't improve standard of service.

With rising oil prices already adding to costs, the airlines say they will pass higher airport charges onto passengers. The government is reviewing airport regulation to ensure travelers aren't being overcharged. Today, BAA told Channel 4 News: BAA is committed to improving services for passengers. Over the next five years BAA will be investing over 4 billion pounds to improve and transform Heathrow's facilities. The vast majority of this will be spent on improving existing terminals and that will mean faster check-in, improved security, better baggage connections, and superior terminal facilities.

It may be immaterial, the Competition Commission is investigating the authority. In its interim⁹ report in April it said BAA's airport ownership is anti-competitive and it has the power to force a sell-off. Katie Razzall reported...

1 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

2 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 lavatory   

n.盥洗室，厕所

参考例句：

• Is there any lavatory in this building?这座楼里有厕所吗？
• The use of the lavatory has been suspended during take-off.在飞机起飞期间，盥洗室暂停使用。

6 modernizations   

n.现代化，现代化的事物( modernization的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Let's pull together for the early realisation of the four modernizations. 为了早日实现四个现代化，让我们齐心协力地干吧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Stability and unity are a prerequisite to the four modernizations. 安定团结是实现四个现代化的前提。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

8 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

9 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。