Why would a plane ticket from Birmingham to Atlanta be $449?

Question

Why would a plane ticket from Birmingham to Atlanta be $449?

Answer 1

Without getting into a deep discussion of market forces, there are 3 main factors in airline pricing..

1> Demand.  The airlines (and any other business by definition) want to sell their product at the highest price they can get for it.  They will price the seats at the highest possible number that will fill the plane.  

2> Airport costs.  There are different fees and costs associated with different airports (such as gate fees, landing fees, and even how long you have to sit on the runway before leaving the ground).

3>  Competition - How many other carriers fly the same route.

In the case of your flight, its a popular route, most planes are running at 90% to 100% capacity, so the airlines will charge as much as the market will bear before that number drops.

Answer 2

The airlines probably is routing you through a number of out of the way cities to get you into a hub that goes to Atlanta.  They will cite fuel cost to add an additional baggage fee.  This is the airline industry not rocket science.  Can you rent a car or catch a train?

Answer 3

Its called supply and demand, combined with the continuing rise in fuel and labor costs = everything is goin up.

Also suggest to the idiot that responded as the "worse president ever" below, must not be old enough to remember Jimmy Carter, and as a result of his blatent stupidity, he also has no idea what this forum is all about much less why the cost of fuel is goin up.

  

Answer 4

because...

our president is the worst ever