The cost of transatlantic air fare has nearly doubled over

Question

The cost of transatlantic air fare has nearly doubled over the past five years, yet airlines are doing a booming business. Clearly, people today have more money to spend on vacations than they did five years ago. 

All of the following, if true, would weaken the argument above EXCEPT:


 
 (A) Most people buying transatlantic tickets today use them for business trips, so air fare is refunded by their companies. 
 (B) There are fewer airlines in existence today than five years ago. 
 (C) People are taking shorter vacations and staying in cheaper hotels than they used to. 
 (D) Crossing the Atlantic by ship requires more time than most people can afford. 
 (E) Domestic airline flights have seen a steady increase in passengers.

Yurik79 · Answer

E for me
  transatlantic air 
 Domestic airline  no connection

aikido_fudoshin · Answer

I pick D. It's still cheaper to fly than it is to take a ship. It's not that people have more money to spend, it's that they still have a significant need to travel overseas.

hkm_gmat · Answer

Clearly (C)

" People are taking shorter vacations and staying in cheaper hotels than they used to " => people have less money to spend !

vivek123 · Answer

"E" for me.

Bhai · Answer

I would go with E here.

ATLiens073 · Answer

I think people are forgetting that all answers weaken the blurb save one, the right answer, all others but E help to weaken the argument.

Answer, I believe is  E .

sperumba · Answer

mY ANSWER IS d.

ps_dahiya · Answer

I also go with D.

D talks about time not the money.

ceointhemaking · Answer

The stem asks for something that dos NOT weaken the arguement.

I would vote for D, since D centers on time, not money. D is irrelavent, so it is the correct answer.

Bhai · Answer

Matt break the silence. will you :?:

vivek123 · Answer

This is how I eliminated 'D'.

 (D)  Crossing the Atlantic by ship requires more time than most people can afford.

 Conlcusion:  Clearly, people today have more money to spend on vacations than they did five years ago


'D' means =>  Since people don't want to waste time in ship, they use plane. It is not that they have more money to spend.  Hence WEAKENS the argument.

Any disagreements? Comments?

GMATT73 · Answer

Tricky CR because it uses the despised  EXCEPT .

OA is (E)

OE:

The idea that domestic flights are also booming doesn't sever the connection between booming business and vacation money, but shows more booming business. 

The fact that most of the flights presented as evidence aren't bought by vacationers (A) breaks the connection between booming business and vacation money. Airlines can do a booming business even if business as a whole is down, as long as (B) there are fewer airlines. If people are skimping elsewhere (C), then even if they're paying a lot for air fare, they needn't have more vacation money. And if in many cases people have no choice but to fly (D), they must pay the higher fares no matter how little money they have.

andy_gr8 · Answer

I would go with E.
It says that "domestic passengers are increasing " means that people have more money and thats why they r spedning more on domesticc flights and international flights

The cost of transatlantic air fare has nearly doubled over

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