Why are flights with layovers in the opposite direction cheaper than direct flights?
In: Economics
Something I haven’t seen is that Hubs allow for much more flexibility in case of irregular operations.
Like, just looking at Las Vegas to Cincinnati as an example, Delta operates a single flight each day, leaving LAS at 11:15 PM and arriving in CVG at about 6 AM, and in the opposite direction leaving CVG at 7:15 AM and arriving in LAS at 8:15 AM (all local time).
Alternatively, Delta runs 6 to 8 daily flights between CVG and Atlanta, and 9 or 10 daily flights between ATL and LAS.
So, if there is an issue with the direct flights, Delta has to send a different plane to service the route, or reallocate a different airframe that happens to be on the ground in LAS or CVG. On the routing through ATL, they can just rebook you onto the next flight, which will just be 2 hours later or so. Or, if the IRROPS occurs while you’re in ATL, Delta is pretty much guaranteed to have a spare airframe and crew that they can reallocate your flight to.
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