asarious

asarious t1_iqurgzc wrote

There’s one very large flaw in the chart’s caption.

Factoring out government taxes and fees, ticket prices are largely a function of supply and demand rather than fuel cost, contrary to what the chart suggests.

The actual fuel burn and passenger loads contribute significantly to profitability and absolutely shape business decisions… but ticket prices remain highly detached from that component.

A somewhat simplified but relevant example is how non-stop fares are often higher than connecting options, with airlines understanding that passengers will pay a premium over the alternative, even if it costs less fuel to carry that passenger.

Actually, if I’m going to nitpick more… in English, the plane was typically referred to in the aviation industry as just “Concorde” without “the”, also contrary to what this chart suggests.

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