Conclusion: it seems surprising that now is the time that airports are going ahead with plans to expand their passenger terminal facilities.
Why? We are told that passenger volume in the airline industry has declined dramatically over the past two years, and so fewer travelers and fewer planes are using airports. Airport expansion can only be warranted by increases in air traffic volume, and it will most likely be at least five years before passenger volume returns to and then exceeds its previous level.
We are looking for the answer choice that provides the best reason in favor of the airports' timing of their planned expansions.
(A): This does not provide us with a good reason because we have no information on whether the economy is in a period of decline or not. We cannot assume that it is merely because passenger volume in the airline industry has declined dramatically over the past two years.
(B): This is the correct answer because it provides us with an explanation as to why the timing of the airports' planned expansions makes sense: since there is lower passenger volume in the airports, this allows expansion to occur with relatively little inconvenience to the public. So, we now have a reason in favor of the airports' timing of their planned expansion.
(C): This does not provide us with a good reason because having a rise in fuel cost expected in the near future that will drive up the cost of all forms of transportation has no impact on why the timing of the airports' expansion makes sense or not. We do not know what a rise in the cost of all forms of transportation, including airline travel will do, or whether that creates a conducive environment for airport expansion.
(D): Again, this has no bearing on the information given to us in the passage. Whether most airlines can or cannot initially absorb the increase has no real bearing on what we know. If anything, one could argue that this could support the idea that the expansion is surprising because there is no need to expand since "most airlines" can "initially" absorb the increase without adding new routes or new planes.
(E): This, also, has no bearing on the information given to us in the passage. Knowing that a sustained decline in passenger travel could lead to the failure of many airlines and the absorption of their routes by those airlines that survive does not help us in deciding whether the timing of the airports' expansion makes sense or not.
Hope that clears things up! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Gabby_teixeiraMarch 31, 2020
For E, my thought process here was that the airline in the stimulus is a major airline and was being proactive in expanding its airport due to the timing of the other airlines who would be failing. Can you correct my thinking here so I can avoid having this thought process in the future? Thank you!
