Originally Posted by
Bear96
Sure it can. UA would have lost the opportunity to sell the ORD-MKE and MKE-ORD seats at a higher fare than what the OP paid for those segments.
By not showing up with no notice, UA would assume those seats were taken and would not sell them to someone else (aside from whatever their overbooking algorithms might permit).
You hit on something there. I've seen the overbooking levels in some hidden city markets get pretty high. I've seen flights be boarded 20 min prior to dptr time, and sit and wait for other passengers (lots) that are checked in, and not misconnecting, that never show, thus making everyone wait an extra 10 min. I've seen the times where the overbooking lvl is high due to no shows, and everyone shows up. There are many costs associated with not showing up for a flight, that don't have a direct dollar value but add to the costs of an airline doing business, that are beyond the ticket price.
Of course on irrop days, there are people who want those seats, yet can't be confirmed because they have been booked by someone who has no intention of showing up, as he has already taken the blue line to his Chicago address. Some of these people then take the buss to MKE, which is not their 1st choice, but would rather be confirmed on a flight that eventually goes out with open seats.