“Huge savings can be had by being flexible with routing. On certain international routes, airlines that have a monopoly tend to charge outrageous airfares.
For example, two markets that come to mind are Los Angeles-Hong Kong, and Los Angeles-Sydney. Business Class on Brand A for LA-HK non-stop will charge as much as $8000. Business class on Brand B using a one hour connection will charge $5200.
Business Class on Brand A on Los Angeles-Sydney route, non-stop, will charge as much as $9000. Brand B with a one hour connection will charge $6000.”