Why does it cost more to fly less ?
Jan 24, 2012, 9:40 pm
#16
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Location: Calgary, Alberta
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I don't mind to pay slightly more for the direct flight but in this case its a 50% premium for the direct flight. I'm also thinking Delta is taking allot of pax from SAA direct flight to JFK with that price . Anyways i will have fly UA codeshare via Frankfurt to Atlanta not fun but worth the saving.
On the flip of the coin, I'm not saying all airlines charge more for more connections. The charges are slightly higher, but still a bit more..
For example, when jumping islands in Hawaii, it seems to cost more on HA, Island Air, and Mokulele to connect through an island than directly to the island ime.. I've also seen this looking for fares from YYC-MCO on multiple occasions, and other routes as well. The differences can range from a few dollars and up..
Jan 25, 2012, 7:20 am
#17
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Jan 25, 2012, 8:38 am
#18
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Pricing is in principle based on supply and demand between the origin and final destination. Presumably there's more demand for JNB-ATL than JNB-NYC, so the latter costs less even though it involves a stop in ATL.
You CANNOT just skip the ATL-NYC leg; your entire itinerary will be cancelled. However, if a separate roundtrip between NYC-ATL costs less than $500, you could save money by buying two separate tickets like so: JNB-ATL-NYC (ticket 1), NYC-ATL (ticket 2), ATL-NYC (ticket 2), NYC-ATL-JNB (ticket 1). Weird, I know.
You CANNOT just skip the ATL-NYC leg; your entire itinerary will be cancelled. However, if a separate roundtrip between NYC-ATL costs less than $500, you could save money by buying two separate tickets like so: JNB-ATL-NYC (ticket 1), NYC-ATL (ticket 2), ATL-NYC (ticket 2), NYC-ATL-JNB (ticket 1). Weird, I know.
The demand for JNB-NYC is more likely greater than that for JNB-ATL. The supply for JNB-JFK is higher too.
So the corre4ct reasoning is that the escess of supply for JNB-JFK is higher than that for JNB-ATL. Also JNB-ATL is a nonstop monopoly, which also commands a premium.
Jan 25, 2012, 3:57 pm
#19
Join Date: Sep 2006
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As Bear pointed out, the claim was that penalising mileage runners was the primary reason for charging more for multi-segment trips. That simply isn't a valid claim.
That's all I'm saying. A poster above asserted that some airlines upcharge for multi-segment trips "because some flyers look to book for more points and status," and I challenged this poster to cite evidence. It's a completely baseless, made-up claim.
Jan 25, 2012, 4:46 pm
#20
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Bulk of the cost of short haul flights is fuel for take of. Per segment YQ is better reflection of cost.
There is no indication that such pricing is motivated by the desire to curb mileage running.