中文雜誌館的部落格

biz互動英語(互動光碟版) 12月號/2012 第108期售完不補

博客來語言學習-英文分類站長推薦

Flying High with Low-Cost Carriers
廉價航空停看聽

廉價航空公司大舉打入台灣航空業市場，提供愛旅遊的你更多更新的選擇。打著比高鐵票價還便宜的機票到底是真是假？馬上就來一窺廉價航空的興起簡史與搭乘時須注意的眉角吧。

Low-cost carriers (LCCs) are not an altogether new phenomenon. As far back as the 1950s, Pacific Southwest Airlines was offering low-cost flights in the U.S. In the late 1970s, Britain’s Freddie Laker took on the established giants with his Laker Airway, the first no-frills service across the Atlantic.

However, it wasn’t until Time Warner exec Tony Fernandes reinvented AirAsia as a cut-price service that people in Asia were able to take advantage of the low-cost trend. When Fernandes purchased the company in 2001 in the wake of the September 11 attacks, many thought he had lost his marbles. It proved a shrewd move due to a massive drop in aircraft leasing costs and the availability of experienced staff who had been laid off because of the ailing industry. The Aussie airline Jetstar Airways followed suit and, more recently, Japan and Singapore have entered the market with Peach Aviation and Scoot respectively.
While dirt-cheap deals to destinations around Asia are now available, shoestring travelers should exercise caution.
LCCs often fly out of secondary, out-of-the-way airports. Other downsides include shorter check-in windows, inconvenient flight times and, generally, minimal in-flight service. Passengers should also be wary of cancellations. Where major airlines will often be able to get you on the next flight, LCCs usually offer no backup plan.
Perhaps the most contentious issue concerns extra charges, some of which are hidden to the point of deception. Most LCCs charge for meals, and if you don’t book them in advance, they can cost an arm and a leg on board. AirAsia also charges for blankets and, following RyanAir’s controversial model, automatically books you for travel insurance. Furthermore, while processing fees are standard for online credit card purchases, LCCs often charge each-way fees for individual passengers. At least AirAsia has abandoned its counter check-in fee, something that RyanAir clings to.
In summary, cheap international flights in Asia and elsewhere can only be a good thing. However, vacationers would do well to read the small print before clicking that button.

廉價航空（簡稱 LCC）並非全新的風潮。早在一九五○年代，太平洋西南航空就已在美國境內提供低價航班；一九七○年代末期，英國的佛萊迪?雷克和這些頗富聲望的前輩一較高下，成立雷克航空，這是第一家飛越大西洋的基本服務航空公司。
不過，一直要到時代華納的總裁東尼?費南德茲將亞洲航空改造為提供廉價服務的航空公司後，亞洲人才得以受惠。費南德茲於二○○一年九一一攻擊事件後購入該公司，許多人以為他失去理智了。但狂跌的飛機租賃價格，加上航空業重創後被資遣的許多資深員工，反而證明了他慧眼獨具。澳洲的捷星航空也跟上亞航的腳步，而最近日本的樂桃航空和新加坡的酷航也分別跟進加入這個市場。
儘管現在可以買到前往亞洲各地的便宜機票，口袋不深的旅客還是得多加注意。
廉價航空往往選擇次要、較為偏遠的機場作為起降地。其他缺點包括報到窗口較少、航班時間較為不便，機上服務通常也縮減到最低限度。旅客也應特別小心航班取消的情況。大型航空公司一般都能安排您搭上下一班飛機，但廉價航空通常不提供任何備案。
或許最容易引起爭論的是附加費用的問題，有些隱藏費用甚至達到欺瞞的程度。多數廉價航空的餐點要付費，你如果沒有事先預定，在機上點用可會讓你荷包大傷。亞航還會收取毛毯使用費，而且跟瑞安航空廣受爭議的政策一樣，會自動替你添購旅遊險。此外，雖然線上信用卡付款被加收手續費是標準作法，廉價航空往往會針對獨行旅客收取來回兩次的費用。不過至少亞航已停收瑞安航空所堅持收取的櫃檯報到費。
總而言之，有前往亞洲及其他地方的便宜國際航班是好事。不過，旅客在按下確認鍵前還是最好先仔細閱讀附加條款。