Originally Posted by
Bear96
Nope.
1. Airlines are not selling a bundle of specific flights, and (despite the disingenuous denials in this thread) consumers know this when they purchase transportation services from A to B. So any analogy along the lines of multiple apples is inapt.
So what are the airlines selling?? They are selling a specific series of flights: a proffer of Zurich-Timbuktu-Durban which is accepted and paid for by a Buyer ais not the same product as a realised journey of Zurich-Dubai-Durban, unless you live an airline fares departments.
Originally Posted by
Bear96
2. Pricing is not based on the cost to the provider, so that is irrelevant. It is based on what the market will bear. People are willing to pay more for direct itineraries (if they weren't this thread wouldn't exist), so the airlines legitimately charge accordingly, and gaming the system costs them the opportunity to sell direct capacity at the higher prices - those are the damages.
I didn't say pricing was based on cost, I said cost was based on cost - so consuming less meant a lower cost and therefore a nil loss to the producer of underconsumption Read what I wrote: which is that that extracting "convenience premiums" is a hallmark of Monopoly Pricing. Just because someone is willing to pay more doesn't mean they are "legitimately charged" more! What's a "legitimate" subway fare for a billionaire if it is the fastest journey from where he is to his his next meeting?
Originally Posted by
Bear96
To those arguing to the contrary and are so sure you are legally correct, I really wish one of you would put your money where your mouth is by skipping the first segment of an ex-EU itinerary, try to board in LHR and then take legal action against the airline after it cancels your other segments.
Please be so kind as to read what I've posted above: all my postings are around the legal issues of missing the last segment of a journey, and I make it clear that the BA-Passenger contract gives BA the legal right to cancel all segments after one segment is not flown.