We live near a hub airport. Some years ago, the cost to go from here to another hub was $XXX. But I could drive to a smaller airport about 60 miles away and get on the same plane I would have taken from here for about 70% of that $XXX fare.
The plane made its only stop here at this hub, where more passengers got on (the stop was so short that I didn't even have to get off the plane) and continued on to the other hub.
The cost of driving to and from the smaller airport was so trivial compared to what you saved that I did it routinely.
Needless to say, so many people learned that trick that the airline eventually rationalized the fares, but it was a great mystery to all of us.
The plane made its only stop here at this hub, where more passengers got on (the stop was so short that I didn't even have to get off the plane) and continued on to the other hub.
The cost of driving to and from the smaller airport was so trivial compared to what you saved that I did it routinely.
Needless to say, so many people learned that trick that the airline eventually rationalized the fares, but it was a great mystery to all of us.