The Thrifty Traveler Podcast · Thursday, August 13, 2026
A listener pointed out a peculiar pricing strategy by Delta, where a one-way flight from Minneapolis to Athens, Greece, including a layover in Atlanta, was cheaper than a direct flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta. This highlights how airlines can significantly alter prices based on destination, even when a segment is unused.
“check out that same route from Minneapolis to Atlanta, but onward, you know, 10 plus hours to Athens and Greece. And low and behold, that one way flight by adding on that 10 hour segment across the Atlantic Ocean, dropped the fair by over by basically $120 one way.”
“I mean, this is just a textbook case of again, how gross some of these, you know, hub to hub routes can be.”