Has Swiss International Airline been snorting fermented milk-maiden lactate?

“Dear Consumerist,

Imagine my surprise when I tried to book a one-way flight from Berlin to Zurich using Swiss International Airlines (www.swiss.com/web/) for the 18 April (that’s next Tuesday) and discovered that they are charging the extortionate amount of $779.12 Imagine my further surprise when I discovered that if I book a return flight using the same departure date, it costs “only” $484.87.

Now, apart from the extortionate cost, considering this particular route couldn’t possibly be under-subscribed, the idea that effectively throwing away a flight from Zurich to Berlin saves me nearly $300 is absolutely outrageous. This is the sort of business practice I would have expected in 1996, before the advent of Low Cost Carriers, but certainly not nowadays.

The only question which remains now is which train route I’m going to take.

-Stephan”

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