Why are airlines so stupid?

[doubleup]

Although a pipedream at the moment, I'm thinking of going to Vienna then the Monte Carlo Ept in March.  So I'm trying to work out the cheapest way to travel glasgow/vienna/nice/glasgow.  Virtually every airline charges way more for a single than a return (although i did find a way to get lufthansa online to apparently offer edinburgh/vienna then nice/edinburgh for a low price - don't know whether it was a bug in there website or genuine).  Anyway - why do they bother?  Obviously anyone wanting a single is just going to book a return and then errrrr miss the second leg.

[thetank]

They're probably like this because people are stupid too.

Some will book the single and not think about the price or compare it to a return fare, so will have no idea they are getting ripped off.

[Rod Paradise]

not an answer to your question... but the trains in Europe are great... get the train from Nice to Lyon, Lyon - Geneva (BEAUTIFUL journey), Geneva - Vienna.... Probably as cheap - slower, but I find them far nicer than plane trips which knacker me out - suppressing the desire to murder the parents of the inevitable annoying little (or not so little) child is wearing.

[Div]

Glasgow to Vienna (via Stansted) with www.airberlin.com will probably be quite cheap. £100 should be attainable dependent on dates.

I'd suggest investigating trains, as per Rod's recommendation, to get from Vienna to Nice and back.

[Graham C]

When I was went travelling, we decided in Seattle that we didnt have enough cash to stay for the 3 weeks when our flight home was so we enquired about getting a one way ticket from Seattle to London and was told it would be cheaper to get a return but under US laws, it would be illegal not to make the return trip!   Now that's wierd too.

Anyway, we got a return and went back to Seattle for a long weekend flying home on our original tickets

[thediceman]

Although a pipedream at the moment, I'm thinking of going to Vienna then the Monte Carlo Ept in March.  So I'm trying to work out the cheapest way to travel glasgow/vienna/nice/glasgow.  Virtually every airline charges way more for a single than a return (although i did find a way to get lufthansa online to apparently offer edinburgh/vienna then nice/edinburgh for a low price - don't know whether it was a bug in there website or genuine).  Anyway - why do they bother?  Obviously anyone wanting a single is just going to book a return and then errrrr miss the second leg.

Because if you don't check in for the return flight the airline will sell your seat and get paid twice for it.