Originally Posted by
issepower
Hi,
I was searching for business flight Air France from Paris to Bogota. Why is it cheaper to book Madrid Bogota with layover in Paris? Can I book that instead and just board the Paris-Bogota flight? Because it's the same Paris-Bogota flight...
Thanks !
Airfares are based on market demand as a city pair and competition factors, not what it cost to transport the passenger from A to B. Madrid to Bogota is a different market than Paris to Bogota. Additionally, Air France flies Paris to Bogota nonstop, giving AF a competitive edge over most competitors on the route, which AF capitalizes on. AF only faces nonstop competition from Avianca on CDG-BOG. All other competitors require a connection, making them a less ideal option than AF. Conversely, on MAD-BOG, AF has to compete with 1-stop options against 4 airlines offering nonstop flights from MAD to BOG while also having to compete with numerous competitors who offer 1-stop competition. AF knows that it is a less ideal option due to the connection being required on MAD-BOG and has to price its product accordingly.
There are also numerous other factors. You may find if you put in MAD-BOG on Iberia, it's more expensive than CDG-MAD-BOG on Iberia. That said, IB is also weighing its own factors and comparing expected demand to actual demand (bookings) to determine if it should raise or lower fares.
ETA: To answer your other question, no, you cannot skip MAD-CDG and try to board in Paris for the CDG-BOG leg. Your entire ticket will be canceled once you no-show for MAD-CDG. You could try on the return, assuming you don't have bags because if you have checked-baggage, those would be tagged BOG-CDG-MAD. Do this too often though and the airline can take action against you because this is known as "Skip-lagging" or "Hidden-city ticketing" and is against the Contract of Carriage.