So I can't imagine that there isn't an existing post for this already but my search came up empty handed....

I recently started flying into Charlotte from the NY area often and for that US Air is no doubt the king with all the scheduling from all the NY airports. Newark airport is a bit more convenient from my home so I do prefer EWR over JFK or LGA. LGA and JFK always seems to be very decently priced, often below the $200 mark for a round trip. However, move that to EWR and prices sky rocket well above the $1000 mark! I mean seriously, it's probably a 20 to 40 minute drive depending on NYC traffic from EWR to JFK or LGA. So what am I missing? Who are the people that are purchasing these flight tickets and why? Is it not worth the drive to the ny airports for an extra grand? So are they better planes? Do they serve caviar and lamb on these flights? I'm dumbfounded.