Why doesn't booking site offer a reasonable onward domestic flight?

Question

My title might not be the best and may need the editorial touch of a veteran traveler.

I will be entering Australia in the late afternoon, on an Australian passport, from the Middle East. The fare from the Middle East to my point of entry is quite reasonable, but when I have tried to book the journey to my true domestic destination (rather than my point of entry), the booking site does not indicate any sensible connection and the price for the connections that it does show is not only exorbitantly high but implies a very very long lay-over at point of entry.

However, if I treat the international and domestic legs separately, I can see that the two domestic carriers (Virgin and Qantas) both have (relatively) low cost flights 2 hours 20 minutes after, and 2 hours 55 minutes after, the ETA for the international flight.

Questions

1. Why the huge disparity?

My naive guess is that the lay-over issue (but not the price!) is somehow related to connection guarantees and the fact that the booking site does not know that my passport is likely to allow me to clear Customs/Immigration more quickly than someone on a foreign passport.

2. Is it worth trying to get an onward ticket after clearing Immigration/Customs, at the risk of maybe having to stay at an airport hotel overnight?

I've never tried this, so I don't know whether it's even feasible.

3. Or would you, instead, suggest booking the low-cost onward domestic journey at the risk of missing the connection and losing the fare?

Answer 1

Why the huge disparity?

Airline prices are not based on cost but on an estimation of "what can we squeeze out of a customer". This partially based supply and demand: if there are multiple providers for DOH to SYD and multiple providers for SYD to DRW, but one provide for DOH to DRW, then a single provider will crank up the price.

"Why" is not an answerable question. A lot of pricing is based on automated algorithms which sometimes defy all logic.

Whether a specific connection is available depends on whether it meets "Minimum Connection times" requirements, on codeshare agreements and on fare class constructions rules, availability in "allowable" fare classes., etc. Again it's hard to predict.

Is it worth trying to get an onward ticket after clearing Immigration/Customs, at the risk of maybe having to stay at an airport hotel overnight?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean. I would NOT try to buy a ticket on the same day you want to fly. Same day tickets tend to be VERY expensive since the airline knows you are in a bind.

Or would you, instead, suggest booking the low-cost onward domestic journey at the risk of missing the connection and losing the fare?

That's called a "self connection". It can be done but it is certainly risky. The risk varies on a case by case basis and depends on a lot of different factors: likelihood of delay, anticipated wait times are customs and immigration at time of arrival, checked baggage or not, airport layout, class of service, status, known traveler programs, cost and options for alternative ticket (if you need them) etc.

Personally my guideline for a self connection is 4 hour minimum unless there are mitigating circumstances to adjust this up and down.

EDIT:

Examples of mitigating factors:

• Bad: Transferring in Delhi from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3. Arrival delays are common, it's a long bus ride, the bus doesn't go very often, you may have to figure out how to pay for the bus (if you don't have a connecting ticket) and terminal 3 has ticket checks at the entry to the terminal which can be very clogged up and slow. Status and class of service doesn't help here since there are no extra lines.
• Bad: arriving in the US with checked luggage during a very busy arrival time slot and with a "difficult" passport or recent history of being questioned by CBP.
• Good: Arriving in the US with Global Entry, TSA PreCheck and without checked luggage.
• Good: Most domestic to domestic connections that are in the same or walkable terminals and without checked luggage.