飛夏威夷打疫苗超便宜？誘人票價背後原因曝光

【看CP學英文】大家都想趕快打疫苗得到保護，不管是青少年可以施打的輝瑞(Pfizer)，或是其他受歡迎的莫德納 (Moderna) ，嬌生(Johnson & Johnson)，現在夏威夷疫苗數量充足綽綽有餘，而許多台灣人也將目標放到國外，希望能一邊渡假，一邊接種疫苗。

During the pandemic, everyone is eager to get protection with Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson-Johnson vaccines. However, anxiety over long waits in Taiwan has now led many to set their sites on getting vaccinated in the U.S., hoping to kill two birds with one stone by “vacationing and vaccinating.”

美國聯合航空也抓準了時間，近期推出了台北到夏威夷檀香山的超級超級優惠機票，經舊金山轉機，不管是現在七月、還是八月的暑假旺季，來回機票價格是新台幣27,000元起。

United Airlines recently began offering fares between Taipei and Honolulu, with wide availability throughout July and August.

Based on fares at the time of publication, roundtrip flights connecting in San Francisco start at around NT$27,000.

相較於搭乘美國聯合航空的台北飛美國西岸的經濟艙票價54,000元，或是長榮航空的台北飛美國西岸的經濟艙票價(新台幣64,000元到78,000元左右)，票價砍半成吸引台灣民眾的亮點。

Compared with the previous price of flying to San Franciso through United Airlines or EVA Air (ranging from NT$54,000 to NT$78,000) the new deal has become a great opportunity to some.

不過，大家可能會懷疑，為什麼同樣飛到舊金山，再加飛到夏威夷的里程，可以搶到僅僅半價的機票？

However, how can it possibly be so much cheaper overall to take an additional flight to Hawaii, when taking the same flight only from Taipei and San Francisco costs twice as much?

原因就在每家航空公司以收益管理(revenue management)的考量，對每種飛行旅程的定價所參考的關鍵。

The answer lies in several crucial factors that an airline company’s Revenue Management considers when deciding how to price certain trips.

航空公司第一考量為「市場需求」。航空公司決定票價的高低，會以「乘客願意付多少錢來買這張機票」為最主要考量，而不是「航程多遠」或「實際的成本」。

The first is market demand. Airlines like United price flights based on how much people are willing to pay for travel, rather than the distance of the flights themselves.

台北和舊金山之間的航段，是一個票價可以調得較高的市場，因為許多商務人士及家庭，都必須經常往返兩地，而對機票有高的需求。

Taipei to San Francisco is a premium market, with various business executives and expatriate families making essential trips between the two cities.

相反的，對於台灣跟夏威夷之間的航段，機票的的需求是旅行觀光客為主，因此在疫情下這樣旅遊處在低谷的期間，機票的價格相對會拉得較低以促進機票的銷售。

In contrast, demand for leisure travel, such as for tourism between Taiwan and Hawaii, is low at the moment.

Thus, despite it costing United less to transport customers merely to San Francisco, they know they can charge more because of market characteristics.

相同的道理套在各航段都能運用，如香港飛倫敦的機票的價格，會遠遠高於台北經香港飛倫敦的機票價格。

To understand this pricing strategy, you need to look at normal airfare pricing between Hong Kong and London, where prices are often significantly higher than essentially traveling on the same flight but connecting from Taipei.

這一切就是因為香港有大量的商務人士往返英國倫敦的大量乘客需求，而且往往是由任職的公司提供機票、給付機票費用。上述理由，形成了香港地區的乘客端，願意負擔較為高價的機票價格，航空公司也會對此航段，擬定出較高的機票價格。

Such a phenomenon is due to the fact that Hong Kong-London is another premium route with significant business travel.

Since international corporations, paying for their employees’ travel, are less sensitive to prices compared to leisure travelers, airlines know they are able to price tickets higher for increased revenue.

第二個考量為「便利性」。航空公司知道旅客喜歡直達航班超過轉機航班，因此購買單純直飛的班機通常都會比較貴。

The second is convenience. Major airline cooperations charge a premium for nonstop flights, as travelers are once again willing to pay more to avoid the hassle of having to change planes.

在這種情況中，美國聯合航空台北跟舊金山之間是直飛的，相當方便。然而前往夏威夷的旅客，還需要在舊金山轉機一次，會花費較多時間。為了吸引旅客，航空公司對需要轉機的行程會推出更低的票價。

In this case, United’s direct flight between Taiwan and San Francisco is the most convenient option. In contrast, some travelers may dislike the idea of having to transfer to San Francisco to fly to Hawaii, while others are attracted by the low fares.

總而言之，了解航空公司怎麼決定機票的票價可以幫助找到像這樣極其划算的行程。

In conclusion, the ability to comprehend how airline pricing works unlocks many amazing deals like this.

因此若民眾尚未能在台灣接種疫苗，這可能會是一個選擇，以比飛到其他地方遠為便宜的價格打疫苗，順便還能在漂亮的夏威夷島嶼渡假。

So if you are not yet eligible to get a vaccine, this opportunity may not only let you enjoy a vacation on the Hawaiian islands but also let you get vaccinated at a much more affordable price than flying somewhere else.

相關連結 | Sources:

美國聯合航空網站 United Airlines Website

夏威夷新冠肺炎疫苗資訊 | Hawaii COVID Vaccination

※【The China Post】提醒您：機票價格是隨時變動的。疫情中出國請注意相關限制規定。本文章並沒有接受任何美國聯合航空的贊助或參與。

Disclaimer: Airfare is subject to demand and is subject to change. Travel restrictions may apply. This article is not sponsored, endorsed, or compensated by United Airlines.

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