as auctions become a new way airlines around the world are selling upgrades.

因為目前全球航空正夯拍賣升級座位，成為了新的一種販售方式

Here with the story is WSJ's Middle Seat columnist Scott McCartney.

這位是華爾街日報航空旅行專欄作家史考特‧麥卡尼

Hi Scott, great to see you!

嗨史考特，真開心見到你！

Good to see you Tanya.

我也很高興見到你，唐雅

So Scott, how widespread is this practice of auctioning off upgrades?

那麼史考特，這種拍賣升級座位的風氣有多盛行呢？

Well, it's becoming much more widespread there and now,

這個嘛，這變得更加普及了

at least 33 airlines around the world that do this, some of the major European airlines,

全球目前至少有33家航空跟風，有些是主要的歐洲航空

some of the major Asian airlines, and it's starting to spread in the United States as well.

有些是主要的亞洲航空，而這股風氣也正開始在美國蔓延

And so how do these auctions work exactly, do they happen at the gate?

確切來說，這些拍賣是如何運作的呢？是在登機門嗎？

Well, some do.

有些是這樣

Most of them happen by e-mail in advance, and the airline can set how far in advance,

大部分都是事先用電子郵件進行販售，航空公司可以決定何時提前競標

the airline can set when the auction ends,

也可以決定何時結束競標

and whether or not they're actually gonna award a business class seat.

也不一定會確實讓成功競標者得到升級商務艙座位

For example, on a long-haul international flight, they may find that when they get to 24 hours before departure

舉例來說，長途國際航線，如果乘客在出發時間前24小時抵達的話

that even though you're the winning bidder, they've sold all the seats and they're not gonna do it.

即使贏得競標，航空公司也已經販售完所有座位也不會再次販售

But in most cases, they do have empty seats to sell.

但大多情況下，都還會有剩餘的座位可以販售

They would rather sell them than give them away to frequent flyers or to others,

他們寧願販售這些座位，也不願意給飛行常客或其他人

and so the auction is a way to create excitement and get people to spend more money than they probably would otherwise.

這時拍賣就會是個好方法，讓人們有興奮感，並花費比原先可能願意購買的價錢還要多

I can certainly see that generating a little excitement.

看得出來這確實激發出了一點興奮刺激感

Now, Scott, is this one way that airlines are trying to appease travelers now that

那麼史考特，航空公司會此用這種方式來安撫旅行的人們嗎？

the free upgrade has essentially disappeared even for flyers with elite status?

因為根本上來說，免費升級的政策已經消失了，甚至是對那些菁英會員也是如此

Yeah, there're several things at work.

是啊，有些事仍在運作中

On most airlines with long-haul international flights, you don't get those business class upgrades for free.

大部分有長途國際航線的航空公司，乘客無法再享免費升級商務艙

They're gonna cost even top-level frequent flyers in miles or a dollars to get the upgrade,

航空公司寧可犧牲飛行哩數高的頂級飛行常客，讓他們花錢得到升級

but domestic upgrades on most airlines are free, at least for the upper tiers of the frequent flyer ranks.

但國內航線的升級在多數航空公司仍是免費的，至少對那些頂級飛行常客是如此

The problem has been that by selling seats on discounted first-class fares by offering upgrades for fixed price at the kiosk,

問題是藉著拍賣固定價格的升級服務，以此來販售打折票價的頭等艙座位

airlines have done a lot more to sell seats, the lower levels of the frequent flyer tiers almost never get upgrades.

航空公司為了販售座位花費許多心思，而那些低層級的飛行常客幾乎永遠都得不到升級

And so if you're 39th on the upgrade list and you know,

如果你是升級清單上第39順位的人

there is one company that's now offering an app where an airline in Virgin America started testing this.

現在有間公司提供新的應用程式，由維珍美國航空著手測試

You can have an auction at the gate, you're looking at that upgrade list, you know you're not gonna get an upgrade,

你可以在登機門競標，觀看升級清單列表，就能得知是否排到升級服務

you get to participate in an auction at the gate against people standing there,

你可以參與在登機門的拍賣，與站在那的人們一同競爭

and there's a leaderboard, whose winning and that may be the only way you're gonna get upgraded.

會有一個拍賣競標板，誰贏誰輸，那可能將是你得到升級的唯一途徑。

Is that Plusgrade, the app you're talking about?

你說的應用程式是 Plusgrade 嗎？

No, that's SeatBoost, Plusgrade does the e-mail setup that most airlines are using.

不是，我說的是 SeatBoost。Plusgrade負責架設航空公司使用的電子郵件系統

Virgin America is the only one doing SeatBoost now, they're only doing it on flights to and from Vegas,

目前只有維珍美國航空使用 SeatBoost，在往返拉斯維加斯的航班上做測試

they think that's a population that's prime for bidding and gambling.

他們認為這部分的乘客對競標和賭博較有興趣

Who are in the gambling mode for sure.

確實是賭性較高的一群

Now Scott have you spoken to a lot of travelers who've used these auctions successfully?

那你有和成功得標的旅客們聊過嗎？

Yeah, some, more in the international arena, and you know, they really like it.

有一些，比較多是在國際航空上，他們滿喜歡的

I mean there's a whole strategy to it for many frequent flyers,

我的意思是，很多飛行常客都有一套策略

people who aren't going to pay thousands of dollars for a business class seat,

而有些人們不願意支付幾千元來購買商務艙

but they do want the upgrade and they find that they can buy a cheap coach ticket

但卻想得到升級，他們發現可以先買經濟艙的票

and strategize and ploy the upgrade well, and you know, one guy was winning about half of his auctions at a price

然後制定策略巧妙運用升級，有位乘客就用了將近原價一半的價錢贏得競標

that ultimately cost him less than half the full price of a business class ticket.

最後花了他比一半還低的商務艙票價

Not bad, I guess like real gambling, you've got to know your limit and stick to it.

聽起來不錯，真的像是賭博，知道了底線然後堅持住

Alright Scott, thank you so much for that!

好了史考特，太感謝你了！