Aeroflot pricing logic...
I'm due to go to Irkutsk and Khabarovsk (Moscow-Irkutsk-Khabarovsk-Moscow) next week for a business trip. Due to the last minute nature of my work, I don't know exactly when I'm able to fly until just a few days before I'm needed there. My employer only books me onto direct flights on Aeroflot and subsidiaries (in this case, Aurora and Rossiya), which frankly is not a bad thing!
I've done a bit of groundwork about the available flights just in case I do get asked which flight I'd like to take (which sometimes happens):
SVO-IKT = 4 daily
IKT-KHV = 1 daily (Aurora)
KHV-SVO/VKO = 3 daily (2 Aeroflot, 1 Rossiya)
I've had a look at the prices (whilst looking up the schedules) and noticed that booking all 3 sectors as one booking (which, on the Aeroflot app, makes it look like Irkutsk to Moscow with a very long stopover in Khabarovsk) works out at 800-1200EUR (depending on which day out of 2 flights I take from KHV to SVO), whereas booking all 3 separately works out as little as 510EUR (it could be less but I wouldn't be booked onto any daytime SVO-IKT flights).
The question is...why?! Where is the logic in this?