Beterblocker,
It may seem unhelpful, but, they may unwittingly help our flight out as a consequence.
Look at it this way, when someone looks at the LPL-AUH offering and sees the times/prices, they may well think 'sod that', but, they may also think, 'I wonder if MAN has any better flight times?', and then stumble on the direct options, and go for that flight?