As another commenter suggested, the two cities are only connected by these two airlines.

People saying "I literally have a choice" don't understand that some people are not on 500k a year Silicon Valley salaries and we have to manage our finances and make compromises. I cannot afford to pay 500 EUR randomly to fly through a connection in another country instead of 50 EUR multiple times a year just to avoid a shitty airline.

The alternative would be to refuse to see my family because I want to make a point about a shitty airline.