Where to travel?
Blind Box Decision
Our reporter She Ying
"Ah, it's out, it's Mianyang!" At 14:03 on April 22, Wu Qingqing, who works at BOE Suzhou, Jiangsu, issued an economy class ticket from Wuxi to Mianyang, Sichuan by Zhejiang Changlong Airlines on May 15. .
Why is it called "open" instead of buying it?
Because she spent 98 yuan in the blind box of the ticket on the same journey travel platform.
The ticket blind box is a popular game in the travel circle recently. As long as 98 yuan, you can buy a real "random" flight-don't know when to leave, don't know where to go, which flight the blind box opens, and to which destination All places are random.
Moreover, there are regret medicines that do not cost money-if you give up within half an hour, no penny will be charged, and the full amount will be refunded.
During the Qingming Festival this year, more than 20 million users snapped up ticket blind boxes on the Tongcheng Travel platform, which once caused the Tongcheng APP server to be overwhelmed.
In the upcoming "May 1st" holiday, OTA (online travel agency) platforms such as Ctrip, Qunar and Fliggy have launched their own blind boxes. They want to give people who love to travel a walk-and-go trip.
What is the magic of the blind ticket box?
Is it really a bargain?
Are there any safety hazards?
The reporter did a small survey.
There is a sense of freshness to let yourself go
April 22 is already Wu Qingqing's second time to participate in the same flight ticket blind box.
“The first time I knew that the ticket blind box was the Qingming holiday, because someone in the group of girlfriends posted an order for a ticket blind box from Shanghai to Qingdao on Sunday. Everyone thought it was novel, so they all went to smoke it.” Wu Qingqing told Reporter, she got a ticket from Wuxi to Guiyang on April 19, departing at 18:10 and arriving at 21:00.
Wu Qingqing remembered that on the same journey platform, the lowest price for a flight from Wuxi to Guiyang on April 19 was 589 yuan. With taxes and fees, the blind box ticket was almost 500 yuan cheaper.
At the same time, Tongcheng also provided 98 yuan vouchers for users who locked their tickets, including vouchers for 30 yuan air tickets, 30 yuan hotels, taxi rides, and scenic spot tickets.
According to Zhang Chao, the person in charge of ticket products of Tongcheng Travel, except for some destinations affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the ticket blind box of Tongcheng covers almost all domestic cities with routes under 1,000 yuan, such as Chengdu to Xi’an, Zhengzhou to Qingdao, Guangzhou to Changsha and so on.
Because it is a blind box, the reporter also found that many netizens said in the pictures they posted that they had drawn to unfamiliar cities, such as Zhangye and Ordos.
Ms. Kang, who works in a Beijing media, got a ticket from Beijing to Yongzhou, Hunan.
"It's the place in "Snake Catcher"!" Ms. Kang found it very strange.
She checked the air ticket for that day. There is only one flight from Beijing to Yongzhou. The ticket price is 504 yuan, plus infrastructure and taxes are 554 yuan, which is nearly 500 yuan more expensive than blind box tickets.
The blind box is a familiar toy for young people, but the ticket blind box still gave her a different surprise.
Except that the destination is random, starting randomly within 3 to 30 days reinforces this sense of uncertainty.
"There is a kind of excitement that disrupts routine life, like an adventure." Wu Qingqing likes this bold feeling.
Wu Qingqing's friend who was drawn from Shanghai to Qingdao took a leave of absence on Monday and really flew to Qingdao.
"On the Qingming time, because my best friend couldn't ask for leave, I had to give up." Wu Qingqing felt a bit regretful, so when the second batch of blind ticket boxes were opened on the same journey on April 22, she came again.
Seems "cabbage price", discounts need to be distinguished
Blind ticket boxes can bring obvious user participation, and have excellent results in attracting new customers and acquiring customers. It has quickly become a favorite of major tourism companies.
The reporter found that after Tongcheng pioneered this gameplay, OTA platforms such as Ctrip, Qunar, China United Airlines, and airlines also immediately launched their own ticket blind boxes, and even hotel blind boxes.
On the whole, the same way of playing is the simplest and the sense of surprise is the strongest.
"In the new event on April 22, each user can draw a blind box on the same journey travel applet and APP." Zhang Chao revealed that the new ticket blind box event is still 98 yuan. , Covering airports in more than 200 cities in China, but the travel time includes the most popular "May Day" holiday, and the most popular two-person air tickets, round-trip air tickets, business class and other "hidden payments", and infrastructure And fuel tax.
When Wu Qingqing brushed Weibo, she saw that someone had posted a blind box business class ticket, and it was from Shanghai to Chongqing on May 3; others won a double ticket from Xinzheng to Guilin on May 20.
"I really envy my real name!" Wu Qingqing said.
At present, the cheapest blind box ticket comes from the Fliggy platform. It costs 66 yuan one way, but you need to invite 3 friends to participate.
Qunar's blind box activity also requires 3 people to help.
On this basis, every 3 friends invited can unlock one more route, and up to 10 alternative routes can be unlocked. Consumers can finally choose one of their favorite routes.
Wu Qingqing is not interested in this kind of blind box.
In addition, the "Blind Box Pilot" of China United Airlines is a round-trip ticket, priced at 498 yuan, including tax.
Although you can only choose the route of China United Airlines, the victory lies in the high cost performance.
Although Ctrip has also launched a "hidden model" of 99 yuan, it is more focused on hotel blind boxes, with prices of 699 yuan and 999 yuan respectively.
Each blind box includes 1 hotel night.
Some are suitable for the "May 1st" holiday, and some need to be used off-peak.
After the hotel is booked successfully, a red envelope of air tickets will be given.
On the event page, it is constantly shown that consumers have selected hotels, including high-end hotels such as MGM Sanya Yalong Bay, Sofitel Beijing, and Conrad Dalian.
Blind boxes look like "cabbage prices" and are very cheap, but they are not really discounts. In fact, consumers need to be careful to distinguish them.
For example, in Ctrip, the reporter paid 999 yuan, took a blind box that was used on a staggered peak, and selected the check-in date and location, which showed that the reporter won the Beijing NUO Hotel.
If you don’t like NUO, you can change the hotel at a price difference. Alternatives include Wanda Vista, Hyatt Regency World Garden, Gubei Water Town Hotel and Yanqing clubmed.
According to the Ctrip platform, the hotel blind box saved 1162 yuan.
However, the reporter found after inquiring that it only cost 910 yuan to book the same room type through Ctrip that day, which is actually 89 yuan cheaper than the blind box.
Privacy and fund security need to be guaranteed
Regardless of whether the blind box drawn is satisfactory, whether it is lost or earned, consumers will not lose as long as they do not lock it, because according to the rules, all current blind box products are not refundable.
Wu Qingqing remembered that after she clicked on the refund, the platform refunded the 98 yuan she had paid almost in seconds, which made her feel quite at ease.
Zhang Chao told reporters that the safety of funds was the first thing they thought of when designing the product. "For the sake of insurance, we promised a refund within 3 to 5 working days. In fact, as long as the system allows, it will be refunded in seconds."
Blind ticket boxes are getting more and more popular, and some hidden worries have begun to emerge.
Because the real-name system is required to purchase air tickets, ID card information needs to be registered for the blind box of air tickets.
Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Protection Law Research Association of the Chinese Law Society, reminded that consumers should choose large reputable platforms to participate in activities and do not click on some unknown links to prevent criminals from forging pages and stealing personal information and funds. .
At the same time, he also reminded merchants that promotions should be more sincere and less routine, especially the blind box rules should be fair and reasonable, and inform consumers in a significant way so that consumers can make their own choices with full knowledge.
Our reporter She Ying
Our reporter She Ying