> Also, the flights all departed fairly early in the morning. An 8:30
> am flight could mean leaving home at 6:30 am, a bit earlier than many
> probably want to get up, given a choice.
But fairly standard for business travellers, if not even earlier.
Fare pricing and occupancy is a fairly interesting (in an abstract sense) LP exercise; airlines keep OR analysts on staff for the purpose of updating their pricing and availability plans. In any case, I wouldn't consider a half-empty flight unusual; they're almost certainly profitable due to the high prices levied against that particular market.
Marco
,--------------------------------------------------------------------------.
> | The world today is made, it is powered <
> Marco Anglesio | by science; and for any man to abdicate <
> mpa at the-wire.com | an interest in science is to walk <
> http://www.the-wire.com/~mpa | with open eyes towards slavery. <
> | --J. Brownowski <
`--------------------------------------------------------------------------'