航空旅客用來省錢的一種常見購票方式最近成為德國漢莎航空公司與一名乘客官司的焦點。
Lufthansa has taken a passenger, who didn't show up for the last leg of his ticketed journey, to court in an apparent bid to clamp down on "hidden city" ticketing.
德國漢莎航空公司起訴了一名棄乘最后一段航班的乘客,顯然是為了打擊“隱藏城市”購票方式。
所謂“隱藏城市”購票("hidden city" ticketing)適用于這樣的場景:從A到B的直飛航班票價高于從A經(jīng)B中轉(zhuǎn)到C的機票價格,因此,乘客選擇購買從A經(jīng)B中轉(zhuǎn)到C的機票,然后在B中轉(zhuǎn)時結(jié)束自己的旅程。
The practice involves passengers leaving their journey at a layover point, instead of making a final connection.
用這種方式購票的乘客在中轉(zhuǎn)站離開,而不是繼續(xù)搭乘中轉(zhuǎn)航班抵達終點。
Anyone can do it, providing you travel only with carry-on luggage.
只要你出門時只帶了隨身行李,任何人都可以這樣做。
For instance, someone flying from New York to San Francisco could book a cheaper trip from New York to Lake Tahoe with a layover in San Francisco and get off there, without bothering to take the last leg of the flight.
比如,如果乘客要從紐約飛往舊金山,可以訂一張從紐約飛往太浩湖(在舊金山中轉(zhuǎn))的聯(lián)程機票,并在舊金山下飛機,不再繼續(xù)第二段航程。
According to a court document, an unnamed male passenger booked a return flight from Oslo to Seattle, which had a layover in Frankfurt. But he did not catch the Frankfurt to Oslo return flight. He instead flew on a separate Lufthansa reservation from Frankfurt to Berlin.
法院文件顯示,一名不具名的男性乘客預(yù)定了從西雅圖飛往奧斯陸的航班,在法蘭克福中轉(zhuǎn)。但他卻沒有登上第二段從法蘭克福飛往奧斯陸的航班,而是購買了漢莎航空另一架航班的機票,從法蘭克福飛往柏林。
Lufthansa saw this as a violation of their terms and conditions and is seeking €2,112 in compensation.
漢莎航空公司稱,這一行為違反了該公司的條款和協(xié)議,并要求乘客賠償2112歐元(約合16118元人民幣)。
A Berlin district court dismissed the lawsuit in December, but Lufthansa's spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the company has "already filed the appeal against the decision."
雖然去年12月柏林一家地方法院駁回了該訴訟,但公司發(fā)言人向美國有線新聞網(wǎng)證實,漢莎公司“已對此提出上訴”。
Back in 2014, United Airlines and Orbitz filed a civil lawsuit against 22-year-old Aktarer Zaman, who founded the website Skiplagged.com, which helps travelers find cheaper flights by using the "hidden city" strategy.
早在2014年,美聯(lián)航和旅程網(wǎng)就曾對當時22歲的阿克塔爾-扎曼提起民事訴訟。扎曼創(chuàng)建了Skiplagged.com網(wǎng)站,幫助航空旅客通過這種方法尋找更便宜的航班。
Gaming the system within the US may cost airlines a few hundred dollars, based on the company’s ability to re-sell the seat that wasn’t used, but with international fares running into the thousands, the stakes for the airlines are significantly raised.
在美國境內(nèi)使用該系統(tǒng)訂票可能導(dǎo)致航空公司損失數(shù)百美元,具體數(shù)額基于航空公司轉(zhuǎn)售空位的能力,但由于國際航班票價高達數(shù)千美元,航空公司的損失會大幅增加。