So I just recently flew across the country from top to bottom and from left to right…’cause I’m a jet-setter, yo! But I had a weird moment of clarity while making my reservations for my final flight home from Boston…

Why is it cheaper to fly somewhere with a layover than with a direct flight? Why is it more expensive for me to get on a plane and then get off where I want to go than it is for me to get on a plane, get off somewhere I have no interest in being, get on another plane and finally fly to where I wanna be?

The airline company now has to pay two flight crews, fill two planes with fuel, plus give me two bags of those peanuts. How does that save them money that they can then pass those savings along to me? Seems to me like they’d have to spend more money.

But wait it gets weirder…if I just wanted to take the flight to the place I didn’t want to be…the EXACT same flight…it costs more than the two flight combo that will take me all the way to where I want to be.

Someone needs more oxygen to their brain

Let me break this down for the absurdity that it is (The below numbers are all for the SAME airline on the SAME day):

Me taking a direct flight from LA to Boston: $174
Me flying from La to Denver to Boston: $100
Me Flying just from LA to Denver: $119 (same flight as the first flight above)

So If you want to fly to Denver, it’s CHEAPER to tell them that you want to fly to Boston…but then just never get on the second plane. You’ll save almost 20 bucks and give some lucky passenger some extra elbow room.

I guess common sense is not among the things available for sale in the Sky Mall catalog.