When is the best time to get the best value on airfare? It's the most-asked question travelers pose, and as spring break approaches, it helps to know that a recent study puts the average answer for a domestic trip at roughly seven weeks.
何时才是抢得高性价比机票的最佳时机呢？这是旅行者问得最多的一个问题。随着春假临近，了解这个问题的答案对你会有帮助。最新的一项研究发现，对于美国国内游而言，一般提前七周左右的时间订票最划算。
'Of course, a million caveats apply,' says Jeff Klees, chief executive of CheapAir.com, an airfare-shopping engine. 'If you're more flexible on your travel dates and time, you can get away with waiting closer to the time to travel.'
机票订购网站CheapAir.com首席执行长杰夫•克里斯(Jeff Klees)说，"当然了，有百万种告诫建议可以适用于此。如果你在出行日期和时间段上更灵活的话，你可以等到快走的时候再买票出发。"
In a study of 'every possible trip combination' over 11,000 routes, CheapAir dissected more than 560 million fare-search records from 2012's 366 days. 'For any given flight, the actual best time to buy might vary, depending on the market, the time of year, the day of week and other factors,' Mr. Klees says.
在一项名为"每一种可能的旅行组合"、涵盖了11,000多条行程路线的研究中， CheapAir仔细研究了2012年366天中总计超过5.6亿次的机票搜索记录。克里斯说："具体到某一趟航班，真正最佳的购票时间可能会根据具体情况而有变化，这取决于市场、出行的时节、出行日是在周几和其他一些因素。"
But the short answer is 49 days before your departure for domestic flights, while the sweet spot for international flights is 81 days.
但简而答之，在你动身前49天预定国内航班机票是最划算的，而国际航班机票则需提前81天预定才最合适。
Airlines will vary fare prices based on availability and preference. A typicalflight from Los Angeles to Chicago could carry as many as 20 possible price points when the ticket is purchased. If the flight is wide open, all price points will be available.
航空公司会根据空座率与乘客偏好调整机票价格。当机票开售的时候，一趟从洛杉矶飞往芝加哥的普通航班会有多达20个价格点。如果该航班空座率高，那么所有价位的机票都会对外出售。
As fewer seats become available, fares switch to higher levels and if the carrier sees flights filling briskly, it will spike the prices.
随着空座变得越来越少，机票价位也会随之调高。如果航空公司发现飞机空位被迅速填占，便会推高机票价格。
'You'll see crazy fares that are literally five times as much as what you would normally pay for a flight,' Mr. Klees says.
克里斯说："你会看到票价疯涨，比你平时愿意支付的价格高出整整四倍。"
Of course, if you want to sit in first or business class, plan to pay a premium for it no matter when you buy the ticket. Ditto if you want a seat in the first 10 rows of coach and, increasingly, if you want more leg room.
当然了，如果你希望乘坐的是头等舱或者商务舱，那不管在什么时候订票你都得准备支付额外的费用。如果你想坐在经济舱的前10排或希望拥有更宽敞的放脚空间，情况也是一样。
What's the priciest day to buy a ticket? The day before you fly, with the second worst, two days in advance and the No. 3 spot, three days ahead of time. That pattern sticks through 11 days out, underscoring the need to buy tickets as soon as you can.
哪一天买机票最贵？你出发前一天。第二贵和第三贵的购票日子分别是你动身的前两天与前三天。依此类推，在你出发前11天的日子里，这个规律都贯穿始终，这又凸显了你得尽早买票的必要性。
The real trick to getting cheap fares is to travel during the so-called shoulder season, according to Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com. The industry ranks travel into three seasons, high, low and shoulder. High, of course, is when the kids are out of school and the weather is great, or summer, while low is during the depths of winter, when fewer people are traveling, with the exception of the holidays.
SmarterTravel.com网站的执行主编安妮•巴纳斯(Anne Banas)说，真正难办、需要点窍门儿的是在所谓的平季期间买到出门旅游的便宜机票。业界将旅游期分为旺季、淡季和平季三个季节。旺季当然是指孩子们放假、天气好的时节，或者说是夏天。而淡季则指隆冬时节，这时几乎没有什么人出门，但节假日除外。
'The best time to travel is in the middle of all that, spring and fall when prices are discounted, the weather is mostlydecent and seasonal places and events are still open,' she says.
她说，"最佳的旅游时节是夹在旺季与淡季中间的春秋两季，这时机票都会打折，大多数情况下天气也不错，季节性的景点和活动也仍对外开放。"
Because spring break tends to spread out over a four- to six-week period in March and April, Ms. Banas says there are still deals to be found. It's Easter week, which this year falls on March 25-31, that's tricky.
巴纳斯还称，由于3、4月份的春假一般都长达四到六周，所以还是能搜罗到一些优惠的机票。在复活节周（今年是3月25日至31日）就能找到这类机会，但需要些窍门儿。
Though she warns to watch for blackout dates on some packaged deals, she has seen offers to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands with $300 airfare credit if you book six nights or more and similar airfare credits for the Bahamas. The Atlantis, the biggest resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, has a $69-per-adult, per night deal plus other bonuses, though there are booking deadlines.
她警告大家要注意一些套餐优惠中的有效使用日期，不过她自己已经看好了一些优惠活动：去美属维尔京群岛(U.S. Virgin Islands)圣克罗伊岛(St. Croix)旅游，如果你预定六晚或六晚以上的酒店就将享受三百美金的机票返现。去巴哈马群岛(Bahamas)旅游也将享受类似的机票优惠。巴哈马天堂岛(Paradise Island)上最大的度假村亚特兰蒂斯(Atlantis)则提供每人每晚69美金的酒店，还有其他一些额外优惠，但这些都得在截止日期前预定。
The best way to find an airfare deal that you consider a value is to track it closely. There are tools on websites such as Kayak.com, AirfareWatchdog.com and TripAdvisor.com that will do the legwork for you. And CheapAir has a price-drop payback offer that will pay the difference, as a travel voucher, if the price of your exact itinerary goes down.
找到一张你觉得划算的机票的最佳方式就是紧密追踪它。像Kayak.com、AirfareWatchdog.com和TripAdvisor.com这样的网站上都有工具帮你完成搜集情况的工作。CheapAir还提供降价返金的服务。如果你搭乘的航班价格下跌，它就会提供旅游券替你补上差价。
Here's a quick primer on when to find the best deals.
何时才能搜罗到最便宜的机票？下面就介绍一些快速入门指南。
Start early. Once you've got your plans in mind, even if you haven't decided if you can actually afford it, start tracking prices. That will give you a feel for the market conditions.
早点动手。一旦你在头脑里勾勒出了自己的出行计划，就算你尚不清楚自己是否真的能成行，也要开始追踪价格。这么做会让你对当时的市场行情有所了解。
If you see a great ticket price, be ready to pounce on it. Many times price cuts are short-lived, like 24 to 48 hours.
如果你发现了一张性价比高的机票，那就准备立马出手抓住机会。很多时候，减价让利活动都是短暂的，只持续24到48个小时。
If you're traveling during peak travel periods-and Easter week is one of them-give yourself more time. Those are likely to fill up fast with prices rising along the way. Best bet: Travel after Easter week.
As with any air travel, be flexible. Sunday and Friday flights are going to cost you more than a Tuesday or Wednesday. But during peak holiday travel like Thanksgiving, price will vary based on timing, Mr. Klees says. Last year, travelers flying Monday through Friday of the holiday week saved $114 over those who booked a Wednesday to Sunday flight.
不管乘坐哪趟航班出门，都要灵活机动。克里斯说，与周二或周三的航班相比，乘坐周日和周五的飞机就会让你掏更多的钱。而像感恩节这样的假日旅游高峰期，机票价格将会根据具体的时段而浮动变化。去年感恩节周期间，那些在周一出发、周五回家的游客就比在那些预定了周三、周日往返机票的人节省了超过114美元。
Another caveat: CheapAir's recommendations come from an in-depth analysis of what happened last year. The industry is long known for its penchant to shift pricing gears at any moment, reacting to the economy, rising fuel prices and declining travel demands.
还有一个说明：CheapAir的推荐都是基于对上一年实际情况作出的深度分析。长期以来，航空业都以随时调整定价机制而闻名，这样的调整是对当下经济形势、燃油价格上涨以及出行需求萎缩做出的反应。
JENNIFER WATERS
- domestic [də´mestik]
a.家庭的；本国的 (初中英语单词) - executive [ig´zekjutiv] a.行政的 n.行政官 (初中英语单词)
- waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
- flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)
- actual [´æktʃuəl] a.现实的；实际的 (初中英语单词)
- departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)
- international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
- available [ə´veiləbəl] a.可用的；有效的 (初中英语单词)
- exception [ik´sepʃən] n.例外；反对，异议 (初中英语单词)
- mostly [´məustli] ad.主要地；多半；通常 (初中英语单词)
- resort [ri´zɔ:t] vi.求助；乞灵；诉诸 (初中英语单词)
- paradise [´pærədais] n.天堂；乐园 (初中英语单词)
- actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)
- wednesday [´wenzdi] n.星期三 (初中英语单词)
- holiday [´hɔlidi] n.假日，假期，节日 (初中英语单词)
- analysis [ə´næləsis] n.分解；分析(结果) (初中英语单词)
- economy [i´kɔnəmi] n.经济；机制；组织 (初中英语单词)
- roughly [´rʌfli] ad.粗糙地；毛糙地 (高中英语单词)
- preference [´prefərəns] n.优先选择；偏爱(物) (高中英语单词)
- typical [´tipikəl] a.典型的；象征的 (高中英语单词)
- switch [switʃ] n.开关 v.转换 (高中英语单词)
- carrier [´kæriə] n.搬运工人；托架 (高中英语单词)
- literally [´litərəli] ad.逐字地；实际上 (高中英语单词)
- so-called [´sou ´kɔ:ld] a.所谓的，号称的 (高中英语单词)
- decent [´di:sənt] a.体面的，正派的 (高中英语单词)
- easter [´i:stə] n.(耶稣)复活节 (高中英语单词)
- virgin [´və:dʒin] a.处女(般)的 n.处女 (高中英语单词)
- decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)
- thanksgiving [´θæŋks,giviŋ] 感恩节 (高中英语单词)
- flexible [´fleksəbəl] a.灵活的，柔韧的 (英语四级单词)
- chicago [ʃi´kɑ:gəu] n.芝加哥 (英语四级单词)
- briskly [´briskli] ad.轻快地；活泼地 (英语四级单词)
- premium [´pri:miəm] n.奖励；奖金；保险费 (英语四级单词)
- increasingly [in´kri:siŋli] ad.日益，愈加 (英语四级单词)
- normally [´nɔ:məli] ad.正常情况下；通常 (英语六级单词)
- pounce [pauns] n.突然袭击；攻击 (英语六级单词)
京公网安备 11011202003401号
