Airline Companies Struggle to Persuade Public to Fly
航空公司仍在艱難求生翹首企盼
The U.S. airline industry continues to face major financial losses after a sharp drop in air travel caused by the coronavirus crisis.
冠狀病毒危機導致航空旅行量大幅下降後，美國航空業面臨的巨大財務虧損仍在持續。
The airlines are attempting to persuade Americans that it is safe to fly even as COVID-19 infections have been rising in some areas. The companies say measures such as requiring face masks and operating hospital-quality air cleaners make sitting in an airplane safer than many other indoor settings.
儘管某些地區新冠肺炎的感染率還在不斷上升，但航空公司仍試圖說服美國人民乘坐飛機旅行是安全的。這些公司稱，航空公司要求乘坐人員佩戴口罩，使用醫院同等質量的空氣淨化器等各項措施的實施使其比其它許多室內環境都更加安全。
Public opinion studies, however, have suggested that many people still do not feel good about getting on a plane. In a June study by Consumer Reports of 1,000 people, 70 percent said they believed flying was either very or somewhat unsafe. Those questioned said they thought going to a hospital emergency room or standing in line to vote was safer than getting on a plane. In another study requested by an airline trade group, the biggest concern of travelers was the possibility of sitting next to an infected person.
然而輿論研究表明，許多人仍然對乘坐飛機感到不安。6月份消費者報告對1000人進行的一項調查顯示，70%的人認為乘坐飛機要麼非常不安全，要麼有點不安全。被調查者說，他們認為去醫院急診室或排隊投票都比坐飛機更安全。在另一項由航空貿易集團要求進行的研究中，旅客們最擔心的是遇到鄰座被感染的機率。
John Kontak is a schoolteacher from Phoenix, Arizona. He told The Associated Press he had this fear as soon as he stepped onto a crowded American Airlines flight this summer to Ohio.
約翰·康塔克是亞利桑那州鳳凰城的一名教師。他告訴美聯社記者，今年夏天他一踏上美國航空公司飛往俄亥俄州的擁擠的航班時就有這種恐懼。
「I don’t know anything about this person who is sitting a foot away from me,」 Kontak said. 「They took the bottom line or the dollar over the safety of passengers. Next time, I』d rather drive back to Ohio than fly — it’s safer because I can control it.」
康塔克說：「我對這個坐在離我僅一英尺遠的人一無所知。他們守住了乘客安全問題的底線。下一次我寧願開車回俄亥俄州也不願坐飛機——開車更安全，而且一切在我掌控中。」
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says sitting within 2 meters of other passengers, often for hours, may increase the risk of getting COVID-19. But the CDC also notes that most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates on planes.
美國疾病控制和預防中心稱，座位距離其他乘客兩米遠且一坐就是幾小時可能會增加感染新冠肺炎的風險。但是疾病預防控制中心也指出，由於飛機上空氣的流通方式，大多數病毒和其他細菌在飛機上不容易傳播。
Public fears about airplane infections have resulted in major financial difficulties for the airlines. Several leading carriers have already sought bankruptcy protection and others could follow if the current economic climate continues.
公眾對坐飛機感染病毒的擔憂致使航空公司面臨巨大財政困難。幾家領先的航空公司已經尋求破產保護，如果當前的經濟環境繼續下去，其他航空公司可能也會效仿。
The four largest U.S. airlines lost a combined $10 billion from April through June. While company leaders say they think they will survive, they have lowered their expectations for a quick recovery.
從4月到6月，美國四大航空公司總共損失了100億美元。雖然公司領導們表示他們認為自己能挺過去，但他們已經降低了對迅速復甦的期望。
「We were all hoping that by the fall the virus might run its course,」 said Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly. 「Obviously, that has proven to be dead wrong.」
西南航空執行長加裡·凱利表示：「我們都希望到秋天病毒會終止。但顯然這一期望已被證明是大錯特錯的。」
Effect on international carriers
對國際航空公司的影響
Internationally, air travel is down more than 85 percent from a year ago, industry data shows.
國際航空業數據顯示，與一年前相比航空旅行下降了85%多。
The International Air Transport Association has predicted air carriers will lose $84 billion this year, making it the worst year in the industry’s history. The group says traffic will likely not fully recover until 2024.
國際航空運輸協會預測，航空公司今年將虧損840億美元——成為航空業歷史上最糟糕的一年。該組織稱，航空交通可能要到2024年才能完全恢復。
Asia, where coronavirus outbreaks were brought under control earlier, is doing better than the U.S. and Europe. Air travel within China has recovered to about two-thirds its level from a year ago. In the U.S., air traffic is less than one-third of 2019 levels.
亞洲的情況比美國和歐洲好——那裡的冠狀病毒疫情早就得到了控制。中國國內的航空旅行已恢復到約達一年前的三分之二的水平。而美國的航空交通量還不到2019年水平的三分之一。
Air traffic at Europe’s more than 500 airports has dropped sharply, down 94 percent in June compared with the same month last year. There were about 4 million passengers, compared with 217 million a year earlier.
歐洲500多個機場的空中交通量急劇下降，與去年同期相比下降了94%。乘客人數約為400萬人，而一年前為2.17億人。
Travel began rising when many European countries reopened borders in early July. But virus cases are now rising in several nations, leading to the restart of restrictions. This week, Britain placed a 14-day quarantine requirement on travelers — even Britons returning home — from France and the Netherlands. Travel from outside Europe, including the United States, is still restricted.
當7月初許多歐洲國家重新開放邊境時，旅行量開始有所增加。但由於幾個國家的病毒病例正在上升，導致限制措施又重新開始實施。本周，英國對從法國和荷蘭來國的遊客(甚至是回國的英國人)提出了為期14天的檢疫隔離要求。歐洲境外地區，包括美國來自的旅客仍然受到限制。
I’m Bryan Lynn.
布萊恩·林恩報導。