They charge what they can. A lot of business travellers book and go at short notice, and go with the big carriers as they book through travel agents. C'est la vie.
Jim (Oxfordshire and Manche)
How can you compare a short notice, early Monday morning, full service flight to CDG with a mid afternoon flight from Luton. Factor in ALL the associated costs for the target audience and they don't bear comparison.
I've managed to book a return flight with KLM (Air France's partner) from Manchester to Madrid via Amsterdam for £120 in late May. None of the budget airlines could beat the price or match the convenient flight times - and that includes the transfer !!!