I used to work in the airline industry and I am glad I am out of it. It is a tough business to make any money. It is very complicated and pricing makes no sense to customers.
A couple of things struck me about this post:
1). There is a difference between a "direct" flight and a "nonstop" flight. A nonstop flight will take you from BDL to MCO without stopping somewhere. With a direct flight, your only guarantee is that the flight number doesn't change. I once took NW flight 49 direct from Detroit to London. We actually changed planes in Boston. The flight from Boston had three flight numbers (I think they were 45, 47, & 49) as that one plane was a direct flight from Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis. Airlines do this because direct flights show right after non stops in the reservation systems.
2). Airlines charge more for a nonstop because they are valued higher by customers. If you've been switched, you can get a full refund. Look to see if other airlines (or even Delta) are selling the route with a stop (hello Atlanta) for less.
3). The point about interline ticketing is a good one. The old line majors will interline ticket a passenger if there is a disruption. For example, you show up at the airport and the flight is cancelled. Delta will put you on American. Southwest and Jetblue don't. This is only relevant if there is a disruption and even so, no airline likes to do it as it costs them big bucks.
4). Orlando routes, as full as they are, aren't always that profitable. High fare business travelers subsidize leisure travelers. Everyone wants a cheap ticket to Orlando, Vegas, and Hawaii. Airlines are sophisticated at trying to fill planes. Once an empty seat leaves the gate, the Airline can't sell that seat. The costs of operating that flight are still the same.
5). Most of us want to spend our money where we feel valued as a customer. Will Delta gladly take your money for your twice yearly trip to Orlando? Sure. Are you that important to them? You fill a seat that would otherwise go empty at way less than the break even fare. They want you, but they want the consultant who finds out today that he has to be in Omaha much, much more. They just charged him $1000 for that last minute flight. While you might hate them today for what they did, their research tells them that you'll be back if they have competitive fares and flights in the future.
Remember, at the end of this, you're going on a
Disney Cruise. Have a great time.
