No, it's because airline ticket pricing is simply based on the maximum amount of money they can get out of you. Some examples: A one way ticket nearly always c

No, it's because airline ticket pricing is simply based on the maximum amount of money they can get out of you. Some examples: A one way ticket nearly always costs more than half the amount of a round trip ticket. So to prevent people from using one half of a round trip, they cancel your entire ticket. Even better: when Delta had a huge hub here in Cincinnati, they owned something like 80 - 90% of the flights at the airport. They jacked the prices up to the point this was the most expensive destination in the country. However flights out of the Dayton airport 50 miles away were $100s cheaper - including on Delta. And the Delta flight would connect in Cincinnati! When I asked what would happen if I just flew out of Cincinnati and ignored the Dayton - Cincy leg, I was told they would cancel the entire ticket. Same thinking as the first example. A study at one point showed something like 1,500+ people a day were flying out of Dayton rather than Cincinnati because of the cost difference. While the lost jobs hurt when Delta merged with Northwest and pretty much moved their hub away, I was happy to see them go.