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I believe what the article explains is the reason why a plane ticket with a stopover is cheaper than a direct flight.

Airport are big shopping centres with captive and bored clientele. Even more, I find some airports (e.g. Gatwick in the UK) extremely oppressive. No natural light, closed space and the only way to escape is to expend money eating/drinking/shopping.

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I don't think that's the reason. First, airlines don't own airports. So they don't benefit from your spending there. Second, they pay to airports directly (as in gate/landing fees) and indirectly by having to hire staff at the airport.

Flights with connection may cost less for various reasons. I'd think route optimization and price discrimination (direct is shorter and more desirable) would be the most popular ones.

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