Internationally, round-trips and different fares than one-ways. And SFO-SYD is a different fare altogether from SYD-SFO.
A fare might say:
- Originates in SFO, destination SYD
- Books into economy class
- Requires S-code inventory
- Requires a round-trip
- Can be combined on a half-round-trip basis with any other fare USA-Australia fare (e.g. you could combine two fares SFO-SYD and NYC-MEL to get a SFO-SYD/NYC-MEL round trip)
- Can use any flights that have S-code inventory
- Except no stopovers
- And only 1 transfers in Area 1 (USA)
- Can be reissued for 400 USD
> They aren’t tied to distance traveled—fees are often the same for flights from Europe to New York and Los Angeles. They vary wildly by direction of travel. Business-class tickets on British Airways between New York and London have a $1,006 carrier-imposed charge if the round-trip begins in New York, but only $381 if the round trip originates in London.
- Originates in SFO, destination SYD - Books into economy class - Requires S-code inventory - Requires a round-trip - Can be combined on a half-round-trip basis with any other fare USA-Australia fare (e.g. you could combine two fares SFO-SYD and NYC-MEL to get a SFO-SYD/NYC-MEL round trip) - Can use any flights that have S-code inventory - Except no stopovers - And only 1 transfers in Area 1 (USA) - Can be reissued for 400 USD
Similarly, once upon a time you could arrive at the airport 5 minutes before the flight, frantically check-in at the counter[1], and race to your gate while the check-in counter phoned the gate to ask them to hold the door (at the pilots discretion). That kind of stuff causes delays and the airlines were already putting policies in place to stop that before 9/11. If you arrive late today they'll simply tell you that you missed the 30 minute window imposed by the TSA to ensure proper inspection procedures, but in the absence of the TSA rules the same policy would almost certainly have existed anyhow. Market competition forced airlines to more efficiently manage gate resources, and random passengers boarding at the last minute can be extremely costly.
[1] I forgot to add: check-in baggage might either be sent through the system (urgently) or you might check it in at the gate. These days I think you can still arrive inside the 30 minute window if you don't have any check-in baggage, but don't expect any courtesies.
The original Eastern shuttle service on the east coast did that in the 1960s, for example.
Also, smoking was allowed. Now seems so bizzare.
Nowadays, KCI has got to be one of the most hated airports in the country. I've met several people who've come away with a true and real disgust for Kansas City after being "trapped" in a five-gate sterile span with 200 people, a juice cart, and a bathroom. Exiting that small enclosure necessitates another pass through security.
It's a sad story, and may be a good case study for why one shouldn't try too hard to optimize that next project.