Fare Structures

[radeng]

I have a US business trip coming up. So out to San Diego. BA want me to go via Chicago or Dallas, rather than the sensible route of via Los Angeles. After all, BA fly me further that way......From Los Angeles to San Diego, and a week later to Minneapolis and then home from Minneapolis via Chicago costs over £1000 more on BA for a World Traveller Plus LHR - LAX and ORD - LHR when booked together. So it's far cheaper to fly west from Minneapolis to LAX and then home.

The 45 minute flight from LAX to San Diego on American adds about $250 to the trip San Diego - Dallas - Minneapolis - Dallas - Los Angeles. The trip without the San Diego leg is is around $600. A limo from LAX to San Diego is $300.

So the short flight is extremely expensive, and it's cheaper to be flown the long way round.....To me, it seems crazy.

[davidjohnson6]

While distance flown will always be a factor as to the price, it is not the only factor - supply and demand for seats on a particular flight may well completely dominate the pricing function

[TightSlot]

Just a thought - If you feel you'll be up to it, the drive from LAX to SAN is about 100 miles and will take about 100 mins. Hiring a car would be about $80, plus gas.

[MathFox]

Or you could take the train... Amtrak operates a regular connection between LA and San Diego, You would have to find a way to get from airport to railway station in each city. (I looked at it, but was able to hitch a ride with a friend.)

BTW, about fares, shouldn't there be a link to an explanation in the main sticky?

My (SLF only) take on fare computation is:

1. Route (from, to, one-way/return/multi-hop)
2. Restrictions (advance booking, minimum stay, stopovers, special (student) fares)
3. Availability (does the airline offer seats in that fare class)

If you are routed via a different hub there is almost no influence on tne fare, quite often direct flights are made more expensive.

[jubilee]

Don't know your dates,but how about LHR-LAX direct,then take one of the options
in the previous posts to San Diego. Return from Minneapolis, book a internal flight to
New York,and then direct to London.
Just another way.
Jubilee

[HandyAndy]

Personally I would go with TS's suggestion. Three weeks ago flew to LAX and then drove down to Phoenix. A very nice peaceful drive and I didn't need to take the interstate all the way. I allowed an extra day and just took my time.
LAX to San Diego is a piece of cake to drive.

[radeng]

Thanks for the suggestions. We have a company rule that after a flight exceeding 5 hours, you do NOT drive yourself - especially as it will be after midnight UK time, and rush hour on the West Coast. Very sensible, too, although I gather it came in after some guy flew back to the UK from the West Coast and crunched the hire car after he fell asleep - fortunately without injury to himself. The other point is that the limo takes me to the hotel: AMTRAK takes me to downtown, and then it's another $70 for a cab out to the hotel.

I don't think demand can be the factor, because pricing LHR - ORD - LHR is still appreciably cheaper on the desired flights than LHR - LAX and ORD - LHR.
The price for LAX to San Diego is a real rip off, even return, for a 45 minutes flight.

I don't object to AMTRAK, though. We're going on holiday in September. Start with a weekend in Chicago at a ham radio event, then train to Albuquerque, drive to Durango for the Durango and Silverton steam railway, then via the petrified forest in Arizona to Williams, and the Grand Canyon railway, hauled by an ex- Chicago, Burlington and Quincy steam loco. Then drive to Scottsdale, go to the McCormick ranch steam park and stay with friends before coming back. Intended to go World Traveller Plus and upgrade with miles, but no seats, so splurged the miles and we're going First on BA. It is wedding anniversary weekend, though!

[MathFox]

Thanks for the suggestions. We have a company rule that after a flight exceeding 5 hours, you do NOT drive yourself

Very sensible rule... I've made several business trips to the US; the one time I had to pick up a rental car I was very happy to arrive at the hotel. It helped that I had been in the area before and the sun shone in my face, helping me to stay awake. If the weather was worse, I would not have done it.

[PAXboy]

The limo is 100% the answer to the short haul. As to the long haul, we wil never unravel the mysteries of ticketing and I suspect (some) of the factors are:

• Accretion of multiple rules in the computer system but thinning them out takes human time
• Possible competition on the ORD route or the LAX route or some other route that marketing wants to target!
• Loadings are light heavy
• Applied rules that the computer has change by time of day and whether the booking is made from the UK or the USA
• Changes by competitors in the past 24 hrs or week
• etc.

Unfortunately, no one knows the full answer even, I suspect, the people who run the system, because they are very complex and designed to react daily.

[sea oxen]

We have a company rule that after a flight exceeding 5 hours, you do NOT drive yourself

Very wise too, although the pilots I know will drive home if it's their base. We SLF need to dry out - sorry - rest up before getting behind the wheel.

To that end, the best of both worlds would be taking TS's suggestion after a night at a convenient hotel. Limo at $300 sounds good, but with a $50 tip it all adds up, and it depends upon your outfit. At my place, it's not a problem and it's J all the way. Quite an improvement on the 2006 'let them eat cake' edict.

I shave money from my expenses where possible, using trains instead of taxis, all that sort of thing. BATEOTD it will cost to get you to San Diego.

SO

[Desk Jockey]

Sounds like a good trip, I was going to ask if I could carry your bag until I saw the wedding anniversary bit!

[radeng]

The flight back will be the the 43rd this year........and at least 10 more to go.

Still, it's better than being unemployed.