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Travellers on a flight to Spain last month found themselves in a stinky situation.
上个月，一架飞往西班牙的航班上的乘客发现机舱内臭气熏天。
An ailing passenger had trailed diarrhoea down the aisle, forcing the plane to return to Atlanta.
一名生病的乘客在过道上腹泻，迫使飞机返回亚特兰大。
For those flying into or out of America these days, poop is not the only hazard they may face.
对于这些天飞进或飞出美国的人来说，大便并不是他们可能面临的唯一危险。
International air travel has soared since the covid-19 pandemic.
自2019冠状病毒流行以来，国际航空旅行激增。
This has created a jam at airports, with long queues in immigration halls.
这在机场造成了拥堵，移民大厅排起了长龙。
According to Customs and Border Protection (cbp), the agency charged with patrolling America’s borders, at airports as well as land frontiers, some passengers have waited for over two hours this month to enter the country.
海关和边境保护局(cbp)负责在美国边境、机场和陆地边境巡逻，据该机构称，本月一些乘客要等两个多小时才能进入美国。
Those who make it past immigration may then find overflowing security queues for connections.
那些顺利移民的人可能会发现转机的安检队伍排得满满的。
Twice this year your correspondent has had to sprint through Miami airport to make her domestic flights.
今年，本台记者不得不两次匆忙通过迈阿密机场来搭乘国内航班。
Technology (including increasing use of biometric data) can help speed things up.
技术(包括越来越多地使用生物识别数据)可以帮助加快进程。
And for those willing to pay, signing up to Global Entry is an option.
对于那些愿意付费的人来说，注册“全球入境”是一种选择。
It allows pre-cleared passengers to sail smugly past the long lines.
它允许预先通过安检的乘客洋洋自得地穿过长长的队伍。
However, even that avenue is clogged up: those applying now should prepare to wait nearly a year for approval.
然而，即便是这条路也堵塞了:那些现在申请的人应该准备好等待近一年时间才能获得批准。
For some the delays begin long before they reach an international airport.
对一些人来说，在到达国际机场之前很久就开始延误了。
According to the State Department, Americans who apply for a passport this month may have to wait for between eight and 11 weeks.
美国国务院表示，本月申请护照的美国人可能需要等待8到11周。
That is an improvement: those who applied between March and October this year waited for up to 13 weeks.
这已经进步了:那些在今年3月至10月间申请的人等待了长达13周的时间。
Non-citizens who need interviews for visas to visit America face far worse backlogs.
非美国公民访问美国需要面谈签证，面临的积压情况要严重得多。
