If airline gas is really, really expensive, wouldn't UAL be smart to start up a route to some MidEast country where gas is cheap, because the cheaper fuel would allow profitability even if the plane isn't completely full? JFK to Mecca, fill up the tanks there are 20 cents a gallon, come back quarter full and still make a profit.

Or otherwise, route flights using a virtual hub in some place like Qatar, to take advantage of cheap gas.