How a round-trip ticket with a transfer is cheaper than a round-trip ticket to the transfer city itself? [duplicate]

(Couldn't find an appropriate topic that answers my question. I understand why round-trip tickets are cheaper and why non-direct flights may be cheaper as well, but this is just ridiculous)

I was planning a trip to Germany with Lufthansa the next week and was searching for tickets between LED and TXL. I found out that it will cost 21k RUB and there is a transfer in FRA. As you can see, a trip consists of LH1439+LH176 and LH193+LH1438.

Okay, so I guess I could just have a nice trip to FRA and save myself money and time? Like just use LH1439 and LH1438. Nope, it actually costs 70% more.

How is that even possible?

air-travel fares

Best Answer

This is how airlines do business. They charge more for the shorter fare because they believe the route is more popular and people will pay more for this. Not only that, they know that people are aware of the practice and so they disallow people not to complete the journey.

On the other hand, some people find it is worth the risk and buy such tickets intending to only fly part of the journey (without checked luggage) which is called hidden city ticketing. Basically you add a city you do not intend to go to in order to reduce the price. This works for one-way tickets since once you miss a segment, the remainder of your flights reservation gets cancelled.

The situation you describe is very common as I often make the check in order to see if a stopover is worth it. Many times I can drive to a small airport an hour or two away and get a flight through the one that is close for lower price than it would be to go directly from the closer airport!

Pictures about "How a round-trip ticket with a transfer is cheaper than a round-trip ticket to the transfer city itself? [duplicate]"

How a round-trip ticket with a transfer is cheaper than a round-trip ticket to the transfer city itself? [duplicate] - Crop unrecognizable African American friends holding small paper tickets in hands on street in daytime

How a round-trip ticket with a transfer is cheaper than a round-trip ticket to the transfer city itself? [duplicate] - Side view of crop unrecognizable female in stylish clothes using credit card while buying metro ticket via electronic machine

How a round-trip ticket with a transfer is cheaper than a round-trip ticket to the transfer city itself? [duplicate] - Content couple using ticket machine in underground

Is a round trip ticket cheaper than two one ways?

When traveling within the U.S., airlines typically price one-way flights at exactly half the cost of a round-trip. There certainly are exceptions, especially for those that fly out of smaller, regional airports.

Why are transfer flights cheaper?

In a very basic sense, the airlines try and forecast supply and demand as best as they can for every single ticket, and then price each one accordingly so as to sell for the highest possible profit. This results in price discrimination, or charging different prices for the equivalent seat on an airplane.

Why is it cheaper to buy round trip than one-way?

One of the main reasons that one-way tickets can be so expensive is because they're often purchased by business travelers who have rigid date/time requirements and are less sensitive to price.

Are transfer flights cheaper?

Connecting flights are generally not more expensive than direct ones. In fact, they are generally cheaper as some passengers may wish to pay more in order to get to their destination quicker with a direct flight.

HOW TO FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS - My Best Tips After Booking 500+ Flights

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Ono Kosuki, Uriel Mont, Ono Kosuki, Samson Katt