Destination unknown: cheap ‘blind box’ plane tickets become trendy choice for travel in China
随机目的地：廉价“盲盒”机票成为中国旅游的潮流选择
A promotion offering 98 yuan ($15) domestic plane tickets is being advertised by Chinese online travel platform LY. COM. While such a low price sounds amazing, there is just one catch: The purchaser is not told where the flight is heading, nor when it will take off.
中国在线旅行平台同程（*LY旅游）近日打出一则促销广告，称98元（约合15美元）即可购买国内机票。虽然价格之低听起来让人惊讶，但问题是：购票者不知道航班目的地以及起飞时间。
The promotion has become a trending topic on Chinese social media as some netizens have been attempting to book them ahead of the upcoming May Day holiday, which is expected to be a major travel period now that travel restrictions in China have almost completely lifted.
这一促销一度登上中国社交媒体的热搜榜，一些网友已经试图为即将到来的五一假期预定这样一张机票。由于中国几乎完全取消了旅游限制措施，五一假期有望再现旅游热潮。
Labeled as a "destination blind box" on the site, tickets are purchased through a rather hassle-less booking procedure, in which passengers provide their travel information, select a departure airport and then pay their 98 yuan. If the randomly chosen date and destination are unsuitable, users may ask for a refund, but once they "lock in" their tickets, there is no going back.
同程的网站上设有一个“目的地盲盒”的入口，订票过程十分简单，乘客只需提供他们的个人信息，选择出发机场，然后支付九十八元即可。倘若航班随机挑选出来的日期和目的地不合适，用户可以申请退款。不过一旦他们锁定了机票，就无法退票了。
"Plane ticket blind box" is now a hot topic on China's online platforms such as Little Red Book, a lifestyle-sharing online app, and Douyin, the Chinese regional version of TikTok.
“机票盲盒”如今成为了中国在线平台（比如生活方式分享在线应用小红书以及TikTok中国版抖音）上的热门话题。
"I believe young people are a big target demographic for this promotion, because they not only enjoy the thrill of the unknown, but also like to show off their lives through these types of commercial activities. Like this one for instance, it doesn't matter if they finally go or not, booking a ticket and posting about it on social media can still suggest that one has "adventurous" and "life-loving" qualities. That's why it is on Little Red Book, a lifestyle-sharing community," said Mr Fan, a marketing expert who has worked with civil aviation clients.
方先生是一名营销专家，曾与民航客户有过合作，他说：“我认为年轻人是此次推广的主要目标人群，因为他们不仅仅享受未知的刺激，还喜欢通过此类商业活动炫耀自己的生活。就好比这次活动，他们最后到底有没有去成旅行并不重要，把自己订的票晒在社交媒体上就能展示出这个人的“冒险”以及“热爱生活”的品质。这也是为什么机票盲盒会出现在小红书这样一个生活分享社群。”
Many netizens not only shared the screenshots of tickets they drew, some even came up with a tutorial to teach the booking procedure under the free cancelling policy. Some others claimed it is too rare to draw a ticket that is ideal.
许多网友不仅分享他们抽到的机票截图，有些人甚至想出了教人如何免费取消机票的教程。有些人则表示，很难抽到理想的票。
"If it wants to be a profitable activity, the release of the tickets must have been planned ahead and is not as random as it seems. It will not have popular airlines. The marketing campaign may also be aimed at the fast sale of some tickets from less popular airlines that were originally not that expensive. If they sell a large quantity of tickets, the company may still earn a profit even though the price is 98 yuan," said an expert in tourism.
一位旅行业专家表示：“假如想让盲盒机票成为一项有利可图的活动，就必须提前做好机票发行计划，而不是表面上看起来那样随机。它不会包含热门航线。这种盲盒的营销活动可能旨在快速销售非热门航空公司的机票，而这些机票本来就不贵。假如航空公司能大量卖票，那么即使机票是以98元的价格卖出的，公司仍然会盈利。”
Similar campaigns have been introduced before, such as a controversial special package called "Wild Your Weekends" that allowed passengers to book an unlimited number of domestic flights to most cities in the Chinese mainland /within a specified period.
此前也有过类似的活动，比如颇受争议的特殊包价旅游“周末随心飞”。该活动允许乘客在特定时间段内不限次数地乘坐前往中国大陆大多数城市的国内航班。
The service was launched by several major airlines such as China Eastern Airlines in 2020, but it soon became the target of criticism as passengers complained about issues such as frequently canceled flights and "poor ticket changing and canceling services".
诸如东方航空之类的数家中国主要航空公司在2020年都推出了该项服务，但很快就招致了大量批评，乘客们抱怨道他们的航班屡受取消以及“差票改签和取消服务”等问题。
"Though it is odd, I take a risk for fun for the holidays. And I don't have to go somewhere special, I’m excited to see just what I will get for my May Day holiday in the post-pandemic period when life has returned to normal," said Mr Qin, a resident of Wuhan.
武汉市民秦先生说：“虽然很奇怪，但我愿意为了假期乐趣而冒险。我不需要去特别的地方，我只是对自己疫情后生活恢复正常的五一假期所能得到的东西感到兴奋。”
A previous promotion was launched by LY. COM close to the three-day Qingming Festival holiday in April. The next promotional event is set for late April, almost a week before the upcoming May Day holiday.
此前同程在四月为期三天的清明假期来临之前推出了机票盲盒促销活动，而下一波机票盲盒活动定于四月底，也就是五一假期前一周推出。”
•词/组
catch 陷阱
hassle-less 省事的
demographic 特定年龄段的人群
draw 取得
package 包价旅游
•翻译点
1.根据语境翻译词汇purchaser 购买者/买主➡️购票者
draw 得到➡️抽到
2.根据语言习惯翻译
has become 一度成为
become a trending topic 登上热搜榜
have been introduced 有过
3.主语变化
restrictions in China have lifted中国取消了限制措施
the release of the tickets must have been planned （公司）必须提前做好机票发行计划
4.根据语境增加程度副词
as...as... 那样
•感想
从介绍机票盲盒（具体描述以及火爆程度）到展示各方对此类活动的意见（大多是贬义）。即使最后轻飘飘地补了一个秦先生的美好期望，但也看得出作者对这一活动并不看好。
机票盲盒的火爆一定程度上反映出了人们生活水平的提高。虽说98元并不是什么大数目，但要没钱没闲，想必多便宜也不会有人买账。营销专家方先生的想法我部分同意，盲盒的目标人群一定主要是年轻人，但并不仅仅是因为他所说的“炫耀”，即使是不玩小红书和抖音这类软件的年轻人（比如我）也对这种活动十分心动。年轻人的优点，尤其是学生的优点，就在于生活关系还比较简单，负担也比较小，做得到“说走就走”，因此可以没什么顾虑地就买票出发。
但价廉背后所带来的服务和旅行问题就会成为一个大阻碍，假如航空公司用心地对待这个活动，那么它就是双方互利的美好局面。但假如航空公司只做开头而不投入更多完善的服务，那么它的营销泡沫总会破。
因为卖家的消费能力提高的同时， 鉴别能力也在提高。
