Humorously expensive airline flights that don't seem to make sense

RussR

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Oklahoma City, OK
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Russ
I was on kayak.com/explore earlier, which if you don't know, lists airfares from whatever city you pick, to many, many other locations across the world. Perfect if you want to take an adventurous vacation and don't care where you go - maybe just looking for the cheapest flight available, and you'll make a reason for going once you get there. I've done this kind of thing a few times, and it's pretty fun.

Anyway, one of the flights it shows me out of OKC is to Lawton, OK on American Airlines. This flight is at the bargain price of $1103 for the main cabin. It goes through DFW and the journey takes about 3.5 hours total, not including TSA lines and such.

DRIVING from airport to airport, however, takes about an hour 15 minutes - 1:15. And the most expensive Uber option I could select right now costs about $162 (each way).

So I found this pretty funny. Who would willing spend over 3 times as much to take 3 times as long to get somewhere, in (presumably) less luxury? You'd have to REALLY like air travel.

I'm sure it's a random quirk of the pricing software at the airline, piecing together two separate flights, because I can't believe they're pricing that specific flight based on actual customer demand.

What other examples do you know of like this? I think to be considered, the flight would have to:
1. Take longer than another available method (driving, ferry, etc.).
2. Be more expensive than that other method.
3. Be more hassle than the other method.
4. Not offer additional benefits (like, you could use a cruise ship to get from Florida to the Bahamas if you wanted to, but at least you'd have the cruise-ship benefits on the way).
 
I was on kayak.com/explore earlier, which if you don't know, lists airfares from whatever city you pick, to many, many other locations across the world. Perfect if you want to take an adventurous vacation and don't care where you go - maybe just looking for the cheapest flight available, and you'll make a reason for going once you get there. I've done this kind of thing a few times, and it's pretty fun.

Anyway, one of the flights it shows me out of OKC is to Lawton, OK on American Airlines. This flight is at the bargain price of $1103 for the main cabin. It goes through DFW and the journey takes about 3.5 hours total, not including TSA lines and such.

DRIVING from airport to airport, however, takes about an hour 15 minutes - 1:15. And the most expensive Uber option I could select right now costs about $162 (each way).

So I found this pretty funny. Who would willing spend over 3 times as much to take 3 times as long to get somewhere, in (presumably) less luxury? You'd have to REALLY like air travel.

I'm sure it's a random quirk of the pricing software at the airline, piecing together two separate flights, because I can't believe they're pricing that specific flight based on actual customer demand.

What other examples do you know of like this? I think to be considered, the flight would have to:
1. Take longer than another available method (driving, ferry, etc.).
2. Be more expensive than that other method.
3. Be more hassle than the other method.
4. Not offer additional benefits (like, you could use a cruise ship to get from Florida to the Bahamas if you wanted to, but at least you'd have the cruise-ship benefits on the way).

I don't know about OKC to Lawton, but there are plenty of similar examples. These are not really intended to be used by anyone. For example, I can drive from Dayton to Cincinnati in 1 hour, but the nonstop airline option is $400. I can shave $75 off that fare if I am willing to do layover in Chicago or Washington, DC. That takes about 6 hours.
 
Pretty much any SAT-AUS pairing. About a 90 min drive airport to airport. Lyft says $113
4d52fc86f6664048d8dbb600a3482169.png
 
54 minutes from GRR to LAN by car.
$1088 Via American.
Depart GRR 0608
Connect in DCA
Arrive LAN 1646

Kayak does offer the bus option for $91 and it takes 1hr 10m
or Amtrak through Chicago Union Station for the same price and that only takes 14hr40m
 
I was on kayak.com/explore earlier, which if you don't know, lists airfares from whatever city you pick, to many, many other locations across the world. Perfect if you want to take an adventurous vacation and don't care where you go - maybe just looking for the cheapest flight available, and you'll make a reason for going once you get there. I've done this kind of thing a few times, and it's pretty fun.

Anyway, one of the flights it shows me out of OKC is to Lawton, OK on American Airlines. This flight is at the bargain price of $1103 for the main cabin. It goes through DFW and the journey takes about 3.5 hours total, not including TSA lines and such.

DRIVING from airport to airport, however, takes about an hour 15 minutes - 1:15. And the most expensive Uber option I could select right now costs about $162 (each way).

So I found this pretty funny. Who would willing spend over 3 times as much to take 3 times as long to get somewhere, in (presumably) less luxury? You'd have to REALLY like air travel.

The fare seems to be a simple addition of the two fares for OKC-DFW and DFW-LAW.
 
I experienced this for the first time in 1992 when I was interviewing for academic teaching jobs. I was shocked that a short return flight from Toronto to Chicoutimi QC cost about double flying return from Toronto to the UK or Germany. Those local flights are $$$ because they don't have the economies of scale that the hub-to-hub flights have.
 
I was on kayak.com/explore earlier, which if you don't know, lists airfares from whatever city you pick, to many, many other locations across the world. Perfect if you want to take an adventurous vacation and don't care where you go - maybe just looking for the cheapest flight available, and you'll make a reason for going once you get there. I've done this kind of thing a few times, and it's pretty fun.

Anyway, one of the flights it shows me out of OKC is to Lawton, OK on American Airlines. This flight is at the bargain price of $1103 for the main cabin. It goes through DFW and the journey takes about 3.5 hours total, not including TSA lines and such.

DRIVING from airport to airport, however, takes about an hour 15 minutes - 1:15. And the most expensive Uber option I could select right now costs about $162 (each way).

So I found this pretty funny. Who would willing spend over 3 times as much to take 3 times as long to get somewhere, in (presumably) less luxury? You'd have to REALLY like air travel.

I'm sure it's a random quirk of the pricing software at the airline, piecing together two separate flights, because I can't believe they're pricing that specific flight based on actual customer demand.

What other examples do you know of like this? I think to be considered, the flight would have to:
1. Take longer than another available method (driving, ferry, etc.).
2. Be more expensive than that other method.
3. Be more hassle than the other method.
4. Not offer additional benefits (like, you could use a cruise ship to get from Florida to the Bahamas if you wanted to, but at least you'd have the cruise-ship benefits on the way).
I’ve seen some pretty ridiculous ones. Even not changing airlines. You get the option to sort by time so it’s not a hassle to pick. I think I remember seeing up to about 12 hour options for what would be just a couple hours direct. I remember doing about a 6 hour thing for a usual 3 hour flight once because I had to get there ASAP. Waiting for the next short flight to depart would have made my ETA at destination later.
 
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About 10 years ago I needed to go to LA. The flight on Southwest was $69 one way each way or $300 RT. On the same flights.

For people that have problems doing math.

We had one like that several years ago for a flight from Atlanta to Edinburgh, Scotland. No direct flight, so Atlanta - Newark - Edinburgh. Ticketing it as ATL - EDI was something like $400-500 / seat more expensive than buying two tickets, Atlanta - Newark and Newark - Edinburgh, for the same exact flights, by airline and flight number. o_O I was traveling with the family (four of us to visit the middle daughter studying outside of Edinburgh), so yeah, we bought the two tickets. Then the airline didn't want to tag the bags straight through, even though they would have if I bought them as one trip. It drove our youngest nuts that I stood there for 45 minutes politely not accepting "no" for answer; she was worried we'd miss the flight. They finally found someone, in another city, to print the tags for the luggage that way. :D

On the way back they couldn't print the tags right again, but someone there knew the secret recipe to print them. :rolleyes: So, didn't have to wait as long that time.
 
I was on kayak.com/explore earlier, which if you don't know, lists airfares from whatever city you pick, to many, many other locations across the world. Perfect if you want to take an adventurous vacation and don't care where you go - maybe just looking for the cheapest flight available, and you'll make a reason for going once you get there. I've done this kind of thing a few times, and it's pretty fun.

Anyway, one of the flights it shows me out of OKC is to Lawton, OK on American Airlines. This flight is at the bargain price of $1103 for the main cabin. It goes through DFW and the journey takes about 3.5 hours total, not including TSA lines and such.

DRIVING from airport to airport, however, takes about an hour 15 minutes - 1:15. And the most expensive Uber option I could select right now costs about $162 (each way).

So I found this pretty funny. Who would willing spend over 3 times as much to take 3 times as long to get somewhere, in (presumably) less luxury? You'd have to REALLY like air travel.

I'm sure it's a random quirk of the pricing software at the airline, piecing together two separate flights, because I can't believe they're pricing that specific flight based on actual customer demand.

What other examples do you know of like this? I think to be considered, the flight would have to:
1. Take longer than another available method (driving, ferry, etc.).
2. Be more expensive than that other method.
3. Be more hassle than the other method.
4. Not offer additional benefits (like, you could use a cruise ship to get from Florida to the Bahamas if you wanted to, but at least you'd have the cruise-ship benefits on the way).

I dunno, it sounds like 90% of GA flights to me.
 
Used to be that flying RT from SAT to CVG (non-stop) was more expensive than flying SAT-LGW or SAT-CVG via a connection at CVG. Same exact flights fromSAT-CVG.
 
Yeah, one time I had to go from my old house (near IAD) to my new house (30 miles north of CLT). IAD->CLT $1300. IAD->GSO $300 and it stops in CLT on the way. BWI->CLT $166.

Oh, and in order to get the $166 fare I had to return at 7AM. The 9AM flight was more expensive. When I got to the airport, the 7AM flight was oversold, so they gave me a $250 voucher and a seat on the 9AM. I just wished they'd have told me the night before so I could get two hours more sleep.
 
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