Airline pricing oddity
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Anonymous
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So I’m searching for international flights for 2015 spring break and come across the following pricing:
- Dulles to a European city with KLM, layover in Amsterdam, ie 2 flights = approx. $750 - Dulles to Amsterdam with KLM (exactly same first leg of above journey), only 1 flight = $1100 Then I tried with another airline….. - Dulles to a European city with SAS via Copenhagen, 2 leg journey, approx. $750 - Dulles to Copenhagen (same flight as first leg of above journey), approx. $1100 How come a shorter trip (with flight being exactly the same as first leg of a longer journey) cost more than a 2 part longer trip? |
Anonymous
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This is true in the US, too. I remember pricing a flight to Pittsburgh from DCA years ago on US Airways (which is a Pittsburgh hub).
It was $750 to fly and stop in Pittsburgh, but just $400 if I continued on to San Francisco. Absurd. |
Anonymous
| Supply and demand, my friend. |
Anonymous
| People will always be willing to pay more for a direct flight to whereever they are going especially on flights to Europe. So a flight to Stockholm with a stop in Amsterdam will sell for less than the direct flight to Stockholm. A direct flight to Amsterdam will sell for more than that because the person who just wants to go to Amsterdam is getting the premium of having a direct flight and is willing to pay more for that. |
Anonymous
I wonder if you could have bought the SF-ticket and then just gotten off at Pittsburgh airport.....assuming you did not have any checked-in luggage... |
Anonymous
I've been told your return ticket is cancelled. |
Anonymous
| The second airport may be subsidizing the flight in some way. You may also not be paying the same landing fees for a flight ending in Copenhagen as you are for a flight landing in City 2. |
Anonymous
Thanks, that's interesting. So you're saying its possible that landing fee is only for the final destination airport, vs paying landing fee's for both airports? |
Anonymous
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OP here, just updating this thread with a relevant article in today:
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-12-31/united-and-orbitz-lawsuit-against-skiplaggedcom-raises-ethical-questions |
Anonymous
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United is suing a 22 year old for starting a website to help travelers with this very issue:
http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/31/news/companies/skiplagged-raises-money-united-lawsuit/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 |
Anonymous
Thanks, I may post this on off-topic to get more traction and funding.... |
Anonymous
You can do this is you buy 2 one way tickets. (not not too often. 
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Anonymous
| Yes they will cancel your second leg- you need two one ways. Not worth the hassle or worrying about- airline pricing stinks but it is what it is. |
Anonymous
| Does it increase your chances of being on an airport terrorist watch list if you buy one way tickets or you don't complete all legs of your flight? |
Anonymous
| I can't understand how it breaks the rules to miss a flight. It's like not eating part of your meal. Why are you required to take it? |