Riddle me this, Batman!

[cyrano]

So I just got through planning some non-traditional travel, involving flights that were not round trip. By happy coincidence, I discovered that plotting each leg one at a time as opposed to 'multi-stop' meant my ticket price reduced by fifty percent on every single leg.
Twice the cost for planning them all at once.

Comments

[amanda_lodden.livejournal.com]

Airlines charge for convenience. Have you not learned that yet?

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

This wasn't even the carriers--this was through a collective website. They weren't going to make me stick with a single airline.

[evilmagnus]

Let me tell you of the time it was cheaper for me to buy another ticket on a different airline than change an existing ticket. Not because the segments I wanted were any more expensive - just from the stupid fees.

So a seat went empty that could have been re-sold by the airline, and they lost the opportunity to get more money from me.

I have no sympathy for the domestic US carriers.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

That's the weird thing. Travelocity wasn't going to make me stick with a single airline through all three legs. They were weighing each segment individually.

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

However, your cost savings will be countered by 50% extra TSA scrutiny BS because you're flying on one-way tickets.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Really? I figured that just flying a non-round-trip would get me that. Ah well. I'll make sure to bring the non-liquid lube. (:

[zdashamber.livejournal.com]

I have found that sometimes it is cheaper to do it as oneways and sometimes it is cheaper to do it as a linked unit. Just in case you were like Woo I have discovered the secret! :)

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Hee.
Nah, it was more like "Evidence has arisen which contradicts my previous assumptions!" "Um. Woo!"

(I still think it's less expensive to do a simple round trip, though.)

[nutty-irishman.livejournal.com]

Round trip vs circle vs open-ended vs one-way is all so arbitrary. If you need to fly one way, you can often save money by buying a round-trip ticket and burning the second ticket.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

....I had not even thought to try that.

[nutty-irishman.livejournal.com]

You have to be careful though. Many ticket contracts will have some language along the lines of, “This is a package deal. If you don't accept the entire package, just like we say, we reserve the right to screw you.”

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. Now that you mention it, I was there on one occasion when the airline invoked that rule. But he was also a constant traveller.