双语对照 - 一个数学公式帮你买到最便宜的机票

原文

A MATHS FORMULA TO HELP YOU GET CHEAPEST FLIGHTS

A maths formula to help you get cheapest flights

Japanese economists have come up with a formula that will help youbag the cheapest holiday flights. It is simple - buy tickets exactlyeight weeks in advance and book in the afternoon.

The mind-boggling maths formula "A = gUG + min(k - g, (1 - g)(1 - r)"has been prepared by Makoto Watanabe and Marc Moller and published inthe latest edition of The Economic Journal.

Japanese economists said that to get the most for your money, bookexactly eight weeks in advance and buy the tickets in the afternoon.

Daily Mailreported that when we book our flight weeks ahead, we have to accountfor the possibility of unforeseen events which make our trip impossible.

In order to makeconsumers take their chances, airlines have to offer advance purchasediscounts. As a consequence, ticket prices increase as the travel dateapproaches.

If buying ticketsmore than eight weeks ahead look like the best option, it could,however, mean that the consumer risks having to pay to alter booking ifthe plans change.

But, if one leaves it for later, there's an increased risk that prices may go up or the flight could be fully booked.

Regarding booking theticket in the afternoon, economists explained that business travellers,who are less concerned about price, tend to book trips from the officeearlier in the day.

They suggested that holidaymakers will book at home later on.

The report states:"The purchase of airline and theatre tickets are both examples whereindividual demand uncertainty and rationing risks interfere."

"However, there isempirical evidence which shows that airline ticket prices typicallyincrease over time while theatre tickets are often sold at a discount onthe day. When we purchase our theatre ticket last minute, there existsthe possibility that the event has sold out. In order to make consumersbear this risk, theatres implement a clearance sale by offeringlast-minute discounts."

译文

一个数学公式帮你买到最便宜的机票

      日本经济学家得出了一个帮你买到最便宜节假日机票的公式。很简单，在出发前整整8周的时候购买，并且在下午预定。

      这个令人惊奇的数学公式 "A = gUG + min(k - g, (1 - g)(1 - r)" 是由Makoto Watanabe和Marc Moller得出的，他们将其发布在了最新一期的《经济学杂志》。

      日本经济学家指出，如果想要用最少的钱办最多的事儿，在出发前整整8周的时候订票，并且要在下午购买。  

      《每日邮报》报道说，当我们提前订机票时，会想到将来有可能会遇到令我们无法按原计划出行的事情。

      为了吸引消费者碰运气，航空公司得为提前购票提供折扣。因此，离出行日越近，票价越高。

      提前8周以上买机票似乎是个绝佳的决定，但是这意味着消费者得冒险为更改飞行计划支付费用。

      不过如果晚些买票，票价升高或者航班被订满的风险就会增加。

      关于在下午买票，经济学家解释道，那些不太在乎票价的商务旅行者们会倾向于在每天早些时候从办公室订票。

      经济学家们还说，度假者会倾向于每天的晚些时候从家里订票。

      这个报告指出，“购买机票或是戏票都体现了个人需求的不确定性与定量供给风险的冲突。”

      “然而，事实证据表明，机票价格往往是随着时间增加，而戏票总是在上演当日打折出售。如果我们在戏将要开演的时候买票，有可能票已经卖光了。为了让消费者承担这个风险，剧院会在开演前最后一刻提供清仓票价。”

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