I’m considering getting one of those cheap tickets you see which is a direct round trip from MSP to Orlando for $60 including fees (it wasnt the date i wanted but it was cheap). How does that make economic sense for the airline? Sure the plane is making the trip anyway, but how can hauling my 200lbs of man meat 1500miles for $30 each direction not more than offset the fuel?
In: Economics
Whether the flight is completely full or only has 3 passengers, the airline incurs basically the same cost. It might be *sliiiiiightly* cheaper to fly with fewer passengers because there’d be less fuel consumed, but not enough to actually make it worth it to make the trip.
Selling tickets on the cheap puts more butts in seats. If 30 people buy $50 tickets, that’s $1500 the airline wasn’t getting at full price. Then there’s bag fees and other amenities that people might buy…like wifi service, cocktails, meal, etc. None of that stuff is getting discounted, so even if the airline has to charge less to get you on the plane, they’re still making out with what you spend in flight.
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