Indirect Dom J routes jump in pricing

[mviy]

Indirect routes such as MEL-SYD-OOL and MEL-BNE-CNS have jumped in price a lot to be much higher than flying direct. Hope this is just a temporary change.

 

[JohnK]

Think maybe a spike in bookings for double SCs? Just saying.

 

[henrus]

I did some searches and explained what I found on AUSBT but it seems they are pricing them as two separate sectors to stop hidden city ticketing. Often a MEL-SYD-xx_ (where the xx_ is some other airport) ends up cheaper than just the MEL-SYD and my guess is people have been booking tickets and not flying the 2nd segment.

From what I put on AUSBT:

"Instead of pricing it as one single through journey for ~$600-700 they're instead taking the MEL-SYD and the SYD-OOL flights and adding the price of both journeys to create the final price.
An example of this is the 16 May (just a random date I picked). A Single ticket would be $1462 on the 4:15pm MEL-SYD flight then the 6:20pm SYD-OOL flight.

If you purchased these separately it would be $855 for the MEL-SYD flight then $620 for the SYD-OOL flight a grand total of $1475 and only $13 difference from a single ticket. Meanwhile, a direct MEL-OOL is $733 and the option via Sydney probably would have been a similar price.

My best guess is that because a MEL-SYD-OOL ticket is cheaper (by $122) then just the MEL-SYD people have been purchasing the ticket with the SYD-OOL flight included but actually have no intention to board the SYD-OOL flight. Qantas has obviously made the change to stop this as it would be upsetting the MEL-SYD fares."

 

[serfty]

Perhaps the routing rules have changed?

 

[jetpack]

MEL-SYD-MCY has jumped up in price as well even though there’s no direct flight. According to a Google Flights search, it is cheaper to go via AKL and SYD than it is just via SYD.

 

[henrus]

MEL-SYD-MCY has jumped up in price as well even though there’s no direct flight. According to a Google Flights search, it is cheaper to go via AKL and SYD than it is just via SYD.

It wouldn't make a difference if there is a direct flight or not but it just makes it easier to compare.

Perhaps the routing rules have changed?

Possibly but then it's also a bit odd that the change if only occurring on Domestic Business class flights.

 

[Mattg]

I'd hazard a guess that the spike in NOU runs may have something to do with this.

There are some instances where it makes sense to change the routing rules. But I suspect there will be unintended consequences where it makes routes with no direct flights available ridiculously expensive and uncompetitive. MEL-MCY is one such route.

 

[oz_mark]

Possibly but then it's also a bit odd that the change if only occurring on Domestic Business class flights.

it's nit hard. Just remove Sydney as a transit point on the published MEL-OOL business fares...

 

[blackcat20]

They've been like that since sometime last year, as least for NZ flights. Now far more expensive to connect via Sydney than go direct from Melbourne.

 

[ric_melb]

The question may well be if its intentional or a mistake. And is it done to stop people flying MEL/SYD then discarding the next sector, or really to to raise the cost of J seats to such points as OOL or MCY.
I just looked at the Flight Deals Page and it shows the J cost for flights to MCY at $714 virtually year round, but when you actually look up fares they come up at $1534. Obviously you cant fly direct so there is no flight at $714.
In respect to OOL the Flight Deals Page shows flights from $724, and this is the price for the direct flight. Flights through Sydney are priced at $1452.
There is obviously demand for business seats to both OOL and MCY, but in one case no direct flights are offered, and in the other I am sure there is more demand than 12 seats on the one direct flight a day offer.
Will be watching with interest.

 

[jetpack]

I’m not convinced about the hidden city argument. If someone was happy to pay $700-$800 for MEL-SYD, why would they bother buying a ticket to OOL/MCY just to save $100 or so, especially when bags won’t terminate in SYD. Not to mention it won’t work for the return flight. Even if people did do this, I can’t imagine there would be too many that they would want to stop it.

 

[mviy]

You can book two one-way flights for the same cost as return domestically so theoretically they could have booked e.g. MEL-SYD-OOL one way (just taking carry-on) and just SYD-MEL in the other direction.

 

[Mattg]

I'd be surprised if hidden city ticketing is the reason for the change. I may be wrong but I wouldn't have thought this was a common practice in Australia.

In any case, if the MEL-SYD fare is $800 and the MEL-SYD-MCY fare is $700, and QF was worried about hidden city ticketing, they would surely just increase the MEL-SYD-MCY fare to $801 and not $1,500?

 

[mviy]

I agree. It’s more likely that they expect to be able to sell the legs individually to different customers and make more revenue that way.

 

[RichardMEL]

oh ouch. this is nasty.

Come sale fare time it will be interesting to see how this applies.

Annoying given MEL-BNE-CNS was a route of choice for me - for a number of reasons

 

[cmon0005]

The Mel-Syd-Ool Y flex fares have gone up too, to $300~ they were previously $255-275~ somewhere in that vicinity.

 

[CaptJCool]

The Mel-Syd-Ool Y flex fares have gone up too, to $300~ they were previously $255-275~ somewhere in that vicinity.

ADL-xx_-OOL has now received the high fare treatment. And there's no DIRECT flights there....

From memory, segments were "Married At First Sight", an after that awful show divorced
What are Married Segments? | Australian Frequent Flyer

 

[RichardMEL]

It is a pity as for a long time MEL-BNE-CNS was actually slightly cheaper than the direct flight (baring sales).

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

Sadly OOL has stung me one last time on an international itinerary. Work had me on a promo F fare on QF2 this Friday to SYD as F was cheaper than J at late notice but adding OOL as the final point brings me back to J .

 

[Sdtravel]

Well this is terrible.
I guess my J status runs to CNS are over. DSC made them awesome. But i guess those days are over now.