I am aware that some people believe that transport fares should be priced "fairly". Some want this "fair" pricing to be priced according to distance, while others think that there can be a premium for some routes but that it should not be possible to undercut a fare with another fare, and that it shouldn't be possible to go further for less, nor should it be possible to pay more for a single compared to a return.
I doubt there are many (if any) plane fares that are priced in a way that is intended to be "fair"; I suspect [nearly] all fares are based on 'market based pricing'.
I am aware that some plane operators use single leg pricing only, while others will offer cheaper return fares; sometimes the return fare will vary depending on how many days you are staying (with day returns potentially being more expensive) and/or on whether or not it includes a particular day of the week at the destination (e.g. a Saturday).
Some people think that such practices are unfair and should be stopped.
If such practices were stopped, it is unclear how a truly "fair" model could be developed, if at all. I suspect it would be impossible to achieve.
Moving away from market based pricing would surely result in many journeys being sold out a long way in advance, while other less popular journeys would struggle to sell many seats at all, as the price for high vs low demand flights on the same route would be the same. This would surely reduce in higher fares for many leisure passengers, as well as lower profits for airlines, and would therefore be bad for customers and the industry alike?
Journeys such as Dublin to New York via London being cheaper than London to New York, on the same flight, are quite common. I know people who found it cheaper to get the Highland Chieftain from London to Inverness, stay in a hotel, and then fly back to London then onwards to their destination, compared to the higher price of a direct flight.
When travelling from somewhere like London, if you do not want to double-back to somewhere like Dublin to get a cheaper fare, it may alternatively be cheaper to "split" at somewhere like Paris.
People who know the system can get a cheaper fare than those who don't. That is, of course, the case with any 'market based pricing' model!
Should this system be "simplified"? Should fares be made "fair"? If you think the answer to either of these questions is "yes", please do reply stating your proposals for how you would reform the fares.
I'd also be interested in hearing from anyone who thinks the answer to these questions is "no" for planes, but "yes" for trains! If your answer varies by mode, feel free to explain why
I doubt there are many (if any) plane fares that are priced in a way that is intended to be "fair"; I suspect [nearly] all fares are based on 'market based pricing'.
I am aware that some plane operators use single leg pricing only, while others will offer cheaper return fares; sometimes the return fare will vary depending on how many days you are staying (with day returns potentially being more expensive) and/or on whether or not it includes a particular day of the week at the destination (e.g. a Saturday).
Some people think that such practices are unfair and should be stopped.
If such practices were stopped, it is unclear how a truly "fair" model could be developed, if at all. I suspect it would be impossible to achieve.
Moving away from market based pricing would surely result in many journeys being sold out a long way in advance, while other less popular journeys would struggle to sell many seats at all, as the price for high vs low demand flights on the same route would be the same. This would surely reduce in higher fares for many leisure passengers, as well as lower profits for airlines, and would therefore be bad for customers and the industry alike?
Journeys such as Dublin to New York via London being cheaper than London to New York, on the same flight, are quite common. I know people who found it cheaper to get the Highland Chieftain from London to Inverness, stay in a hotel, and then fly back to London then onwards to their destination, compared to the higher price of a direct flight.
When travelling from somewhere like London, if you do not want to double-back to somewhere like Dublin to get a cheaper fare, it may alternatively be cheaper to "split" at somewhere like Paris.
People who know the system can get a cheaper fare than those who don't. That is, of course, the case with any 'market based pricing' model!
Should this system be "simplified"? Should fares be made "fair"? If you think the answer to either of these questions is "yes", please do reply stating your proposals for how you would reform the fares.
I'd also be interested in hearing from anyone who thinks the answer to these questions is "no" for planes, but "yes" for trains! If your answer varies by mode, feel free to explain why
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