Originally Posted by
Kacee
I suspect they also prefer to discourage broken fares, because they cause problems when pax want to make changes.
Multi-city search does not create a fare break, and United.com will return broken fares on simple one-way or round-trip searches.
Airlines take HIPs. Were they 'supposed' to be more expensive. HIPs haven't eliminated . . . to my knowledge.
This has nothing to do with faring or HIP checks, which UA doesn't generally use. One of the reasons UA uses a hub-and-spoke system is to try to create fortress hubs where they can demand a nonstop premium. Adding HIP checks would destroy their business model by making connecting flights extremely expensive. (It would fight hidden-city ticketing, though).
The reason that multi-city search can result in a cheaper price has to do with UA's application of married segment inventory. It has nothing to do with faring, or it wouldn't work in the first place.