King William it's called a captive market. if no one else is flying that route at that particular time, then they will charge what they like, in this case $mega!. Unfortunately there will be people who have to pay this price because of circumstances, which in this case will only add to the grief.
We have Ryanair in the UK who regularly rip people off for whatever reason, but people still come back for more. That's how these people survive. They don't care about anyone other than their greedy selves.