Hi

I just did some searches using Kayak.com
In both cases the search was for a round trip leaving on November 18th 2011
and returning on the 23rd
The first search was from Newark to Atlanta, The best price was $427 on
either Delta or United
The second search was from Newark to Wilmington, NC. The best price was $295
on Delta, and the trip goes through Atlanta

The first leg on both routes is the same

Why is a route that uses one flight more expensive than a route that uses
two flights?

Gadi