Why are flights with layovers in the opposite direction cheaper than direct flights?
In: Economics
It costs roughly the same amount for the airline to fly between 2 points no matter how full the plane is. More people do add more weight which requires more fuel, but the cost increase for each additional person is negligible compared to the baseline cost to staff and fly the airplane itself. If they cannot fill a direct flight between points A and B on a regular basis, they can either raise the price to compensate, or send you on a full plane from point A to point C, and then on a full plane from point C to point B.
The easiest way to do this is a hub and spoke system: they collect as many travelers from all over the country into one airport as they can, and route them from there to their final destination.
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