2026届高考英语一轮复习外刊精读与练习 Day 13 美国航空公司不靠机票赚钱，靠什么？

How loyalty programmes are keeping America’s airlines aloft

美国航空公司不靠机票赚钱，靠什么？

词数：349

Article

Main idea

America’s biggest airlines are not kept aloft by ticket sales alone. Last year Delta Air Lines reported an operating profit of $6 billion, yet without income from its loyalty programme, the company would have lost money. The same is true for American, Southwest and United; together the four earned about $14 billion, but only because their frequent-flyer schemes produced huge cash flows.

段落大意：揭示美国大型航空公司的核心盈利并非机票，而是常旅客计划；以达美为例，若无里程收入将亏损。

文章逻辑：以“出人意料的事实”开篇，提出全文中心论点，为后文展开说明作铺垫。

The business model is straightforward. Airlines sell “miles” to credit-card issuers; cardholders earn these miles by spending; later they exchange the miles for flights. Everybody wins. Banks gain devoted customers, travellers enjoy free trips and perks, and airlines collect steady revenue. In just one quarter, American Express paid Delta around $2.1 billion, an amount equal to Delta’s entire operating profit. Similar payments from Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase allow American and United to offer lower fares while remaining profitable.

段落大意：概括常旅客计划的三方共赢商业模式——航司、银行、旅客各得其所，并用具体数字证明其规模。

This partnership began in 1981 when American Airlines created the first large frequent-flyer plan to reward regular travellers. Credit-card companies soon joined, turning the schemes into powerful financial tools. Because airlines control when and how miles may be used, they can guide passengers toward empty seats and off-peak flights, smoothing demand and protecting revenue.

段落大意：回顾常旅客计划的历史演变，从1981年奖励常飞旅客到今日成为金融工具，强调航司通过控制兑换规则管理收益。

During the pandemic, when passenger numbers collapsed, airlines

段落大意：指出疫情期间航司以

did not mortgage aircraft to raise money; they borrowed against the future value of their loyalty programmes. Today these schemes are valued at tens of billions of dollars—sometimes more than the airlines themselves.

里程计划现金流作抵押借款，凸显其估值已超越航司本身。

Growth has been driven by an explosion of credit cards offering luxury travel perks. Delta and American Express now sell seven co-branded cards. Even cards that are not co-branded, such as Chase Sapphire Reserve, allow points to be converted into airline miles. Annual fees continue to rise—Chase recently raised its Sapphire Reserve fee to $795.

段落大意：说明信用卡激增与豪华福利推动计划扩张，同时年费上涨、贵宾室拥挤等问题显现。

Yet the system is under pressure. Airport lounges are overcrowded, fees keep climbing, and changes to reward rules anger some passengers. Regulators are also watching. An attempt to cut the hidden fees that fund the programmes was blocked in Congress, but it may return. The loyalty machine that keeps America’s airlines flying could one day face limits.

段落大意：总结监管威胁可能限制该体系继续膨胀。

基础版题目（90分档，蓝思值 900-1000L）

1. What is the main idea of the passage?
   A. Airlines are cutting ticket prices to attract more passengers.
   B. Loyalty programmes have become the main profit engine of big U.S. airlines.
   C. Credit-card companies are losing money on airline partnerships.
   D. The pandemic caused all airlines to close down their loyalty schemes.
2. Which of the following best describes the “win-win-win” model mentioned in Paragraph 2?
   A. Airlines lower wages; banks get cheaper loans; passengers fly free.
   B. Airlines sell miles; banks gain loyal users; passengers earn free flights.
   C. Banks sell tickets; airlines give discounts; passengers pay less.
   D. Passengers invest in airlines; banks earn interest; airlines buy new planes.
3. Why did airlines borrow against their loyalty programmes during the pandemic?
   A. To buy more aircraft quickly.
   B. To pay higher wages to pilots.
    

C. To raise cash when travel demand collapsed.
D. To fund new airport lounges.

4. What problem is mentioned in Paragraph 5?
   A. Planes are flying half-empty all year.
   B. Airport lounges are too crowded.
   C. Fuel prices have fallen sharply.
   D. Credit-card fees have disappeared.
5. What can be inferred about the future of these loyalty programmes?
   A. They will certainly be banned next year.
   B. They may face new rules that limit their growth.
   C. All airlines will stop using them very soon.
   D. They will replace banks completely.

【答案与解析】

1 主旨题
答案：B Loyalty programmes have become the main profit engine of big U.S. airlines.
定位句：Para-1 “Without the revenue from its loyalty programme, it would have operated at a loss.”
同义替换：main profit engine = only way to stay profitable
A 错因：文章未提“降价吸引乘客”，属无中生有。
C 错因：与 Para-2 “banks gain loyal customers” 矛盾。
D 错因：Para-4 明言“borrowed against” loyalty cash flow，说明计划并未关闭。

2 细节题
答案：B Airlines sell miles; banks gain loyal users; passengers earn free flights.
定位句：Para-2 “airlines sell miles … cardholders earn miles … redeemed for travel.”
同义替换：win-win-win = each party benefits exactly as listed in B
A 错因：出现“lower wages”，原文未提。
C 错因：把主体搞反——banks do not sell tickets.
D 错因：文中无“passengers invest”一说。

3 细节题
答案：C To raise cash when travel demand collapsed.
定位句：Para-4 “they borrowed against the future cashflows … when airlines faced a collapse in travel.”
同义替换：raise cash = borrow money; demand collapsed = travel dropped sharply
A/B/D 均与借款目的无关，且原文未出现。

4 细节题
答案：B Airport lounges are too crowded.