Can you get cheap one way flights?

omelette451

FH_Brit wrote: »

I livi in Florida but when I was looking earlier in the year to book our flights for this summer back home to Blighty, I checked out American Airways to London.

$ 650.00 Orlando to Miami then change and Miami to Heathrow.

Thinking that I could drive to Miami and see how much just the same filght was from there.

$ 900.00 for 1 flight less and flying on the same aircraft and fligh number!

Can anyone tell me where the logic is there?

I don't necessarily agree with it, but there is some logic in it. Plane fares rarely reflect the cost of transporting you somewhere; rather, they're set at the best level to balance custom and profit. They are set to undercut rival operators, whoever that may be, and because on some routes it is easier to find competitive fares than others, airlines have to reduce their own fares accordingly. For example, for the route you quoted, there are many airlines flying from Orlando to London, many of which are charter flights, and American Airlines wants business so it offers you a decent fare. From Miami there are fewer companies, fewer special offers, and passengers tend in general to be richer, so there is no need to offer such good value. It works the same the other way round: BA fares from Frankfurt and Paris to the US via London are often lower than fares bought from London itself. Of course it's against the rules to get one of these and only show up for the transatlantic part! It's all part of the mysterious and clever workings of airline fare systems.

PolishBigSpender

FH_Brit wrote: »

Can anyone tell me where the logic is there?

It's already been explained quite well, but.

You also have the issue of different fare conditions - it may be that the Miami fare was refundable, whereas the Orlando fare wasn't. Or perhaps their allocation of Miami seats were nearly all sold, whereas the Orlando seats still had plenty available.

Yield management is a very complex thing.