The Throwaway Ticketing Hack Airlines Don't Talk About But Travelers Love
Briefly

The Throwaway Ticketing Hack Airlines Don't Talk About  But Travelers Love
"Throwaway ticketing is a simple concept wrapped in complicated airline logic. It happens when a traveler books a round-trip flight, but only uses the outbound leg throwing away the return. Here's an example: You want to fly from New York to London one way. The one-way ticket costs $850. But a round-trip from New York to London and back costs $620. So what do you do? You book the round-trip and skip the return flight."
"Why Airlines Price Flights This Way To understand why throwaway ticketing exists, you have to understand how airlines price their seats. Unlike most products, airfares aren't based purely on cost or distance. They're based on market demand and customer behavior models. Airlines use sophisticated algorithms to predict what you're willing to pay. Business travelers tend to buy last-minute one-way flights, so airlines charge them more."
Throwaway ticketing involves buying a round-trip fare and intentionally using only the outbound segment while skipping the return. Airlines sometimes price round trips lower than one-way tickets, particularly on international routes, to incentivize round-trip bookings. Pricing reflects market demand and customer behavior models rather than pure distance or cost. Business travelers who buy last-minute one-way flights are charged more, while leisure demand drives cheaper round-trip fares. The pricing gap can allow travelers to save hundreds by discarding returns, but airlines view the practice negatively and treat it as a significant contractual or policy concern.
Read at www.wanderwithjo.com
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