Can anyone explain airfare rates?

[Sigarms]

So, flying up to Allentown to pick up my father and drive him down back to NC with me in a couple of weeks.

Airfare one way from Greensboro to Allentown, $244 with a short layover in Philly.

Call my cousin on the Jersey side of Philly to see if she might be able to pick me up and drive me to my dads place thinking I might be able to do better if I just fly to Philly (Allentown is about as far away from my dads place as the Scranton airport, so either way, it's a decent uber ride from Allentown worst case if I don't fly into Philly).

Look, and all one way trips from Greensboro to Philly is over $400!

Heck, the taxi to my dads place with airfare is cheaper from Allentown (which is closer than to my dads place than Philly by at least 30 minutes) than if I flew straight into Philly.

Why would a layover in Philly going to another city cost less than a direct flight to Philly?

 

[Snobdds]

Load Factor economics...Here is the short of it. Obviously it gets way more technical than this example...

Then if you think that is complex, you should see the linear algebra problems required to schedule all the flights. In college we did a 10 flight example for the final, it took me an entire week to solve.

Passenger load factor - Wikipedia

 

[smstonypoint]

This is an example of potential hidden city ticketing for those seeking the lowest fare for a direct flight to Philadelphia.

From Airline booking ploys - Wikipedia

Regarding how airlines price their tickets, here's an article that illustrates how simple it really is.

https://mcafee.cc/Papers/PDF/DynamicPriceDiscrimination.pdf

Steve

 

[Jchonline]

I fly at least twice a month, and for the past 10 years. In summary, the airline is going to do their best to set the highest price possible to fill the plane. This is dynamic and can even change in minutes. Think of it like a non-stock broker trying to play the stock market. We are a really small fish in a big pond, and will likely loose unless we get lucky. The algorithms airlines use to maximize profits are likely way beyond what you or I can do by searching the internet.

I will not bore you with examples. Just hope you get lucky and find an airline that is trying to fill the flight and happens to lower the ticket prices when you are looking.

 

[PILOON]

Air travel sure has chanced!
Back then----

With a full fare ticket the hostess said, we have a few vacances in first class, would you care to move up?

Leaving Las Vegas after a convention I walked to the ticket counter with a fellow convention attendee and when at the ticket counter said that here we had to part as I was on a cheep discount fare and he was first class.
The hostess suggested that as a courtesy since there was free space in 1st class that I could travel with him!
(food was great and free wine much appreciated)
That 3 hour flight actually brought me mega $$'s in contracts as he was CFO of a very desired client!

 

[bunyip]

Peak times seem to attract a much higher fare, we have flown from Melbourne to Sydney and the price variation can be from $49 one way to $200 one way, this is a 1200km trip in what we call cattle class (cram them in as tight as you can, bums in seats).
Tuesday and Wednesday are the cheap days and very early or very late will get you the cheapest fare.
Airfares are strange as I can get a return flight to San Francisco with accommodation for a week cheaper than a return flight to Western Australia, somewhere along the line someone is making money.
The biggest killer for us is airport parking which for a week is about the same as a deposit on a small house, well, they want about $90 a day, there is cheaper but you have to wait for the shuttle bus but it costs about $60 for the week.
I forgot the additional fees when booking with some airlines, you find a $50 fare then there is a booking fee, seat allocation fee, credit card fee, administration fee and anything else they can gouge you for so what looked like a cheap fare can blow out to another $100, hire a car and they get you again with all the extra fees.

 

[PILOON]

Me again. LOL.

We were on a vacation and needed to transfer in NY.

Me, wife and two offspring, Captain announced that the needed 9 volunteers (For some reason the flight was seriously over booked and all sorts of people were jamming the aisles since there were no seats) to give up their seats.

Well I quickly prompted them to stand up and grabbed the stewardess (she was real close) and said here!
Pilot announced 'thanks we have all we need' but that stewardess promptly told the pilot that we in fact had been the very first so the gave us the award!
That award was return flight to/from any where that American serviced for 1 year.
We really enjoyed that Virgin island Vacation as a family.

I could also relate a nice tale of 2 weeks in Hawaii for 2 due to 'frequent fliers' rewards. (LOL, 2 flights),

 

[Sigarms]

This is an example of potential hidden city ticketing for those seeking the lowest fare for a direct flight to Philadelphia.

View attachment 556509

From Airline booking ploys - Wikipedia

Regarding how airlines price their tickets, here's an article that illustrates how simple it really is.

https://mcafee.cc/Papers/PDF/DynamicPriceDiscrimination.pdf

Steve

The common sense thought did cross my mind just to take the trip to Allentown, and just get off in Philly for the $244 rate (no luggage checked in of course LOL). That said, Allentown is slightly closer to my fahters than Philly, and I didn't want to put my cousin out if I didn't have to for the drive, and I didn't think the rate was so bad one way, and looking online, taxi would be at worst $100 from Allentown which puts me out $344 without me or my dad driving for me to get there, which I didn't think was too bad.

 

[Turbys_1700]

If you can work their limited destinations Allegiant Air flys at much lower fares than traditional airlines. I know this doesn't address the fare issue but is an option if you can make it work.

 

[oosik]

Its been a wee bit since the last time I flew. Alaska Airlines - Anchorage/Seattle/Houston - - 1972. And for those who do not go back that far - the airplane DID have a cabin AND we did not have to flap our arms. The only real difference between coach and first class - mainly - was the food. Even in coach there was plenty of leg, rump, etc room. Not like it is today - I guess.