Award Ticket Fees on the Rise?

[fiscal]

I just looked at some FF seats for a PER-LHR-PER in March. Only real alternative was Economy Class, as everything else was gone. So, the result would be 112,000 points and $1082 fees! When you can get a $1600 flight with Malaysia or Qatar the fees seem a little excessive on QF.

 

[ozmille]

I just looked at some FF seats for a PER-LHR-PER in March. Only real alternative was Economy Class, as everything else was gone. So, the result would be 112,000 points and $1082 fees! When you can get a $1600 flight with Malaysia or Qatar the fees seem a little excessive on QF.

Taxes and charges these days are often more than the actual ticket. In your example from PER to LHR:
AUD760 for fuel surcharges
AUD152 UK APD
AUD57 UK passenger Service Charge
and some other smaller taxes and fees

(MH only charges AUD575.60 for fuel)

 

[dajop]

I just looked at some FF seats for a PER-LHR-PER in March. Only real alternative was Economy Class, as everything else was gone. So, the result would be 112,000 points and $1082 fees! When you can get a $1600 flight with Malaysia or Qatar the fees seem a little excessive on QF.

Oh come on that's still good value. When you see tickets on (the QF code on) JQ for 60,000 pts + $460 and you can get the same seats on the Jetstar flight for $500 that's when you see how excessive the fees really are.

Back to your equation, 112,000 pts can get you $875 worth of vouchers, so the cost of the QF flight is $1950 ......

 

[drron]

Which is why I still am glad I chose to jump ship to Aadvantage.Last Aaward-2x F NRT-BOS.Total cost 125000 points + $A105.32.

 

[travelislife]

I wonder what is going to happen with the EK and QF tie up? EK dont charge a fuel surcharge on their paid or redemption tickets (it is just the fare + taxes as it should be as fuel is part of the operating cost, soon they will have an airplane lease cost!). They have said they are going to align their FF programmes, hopefully it means using points on EK metal should be less surcharges!

 

[travelislife]

Wow, I am amazed I am the only one interested in this maybe I should start a new topic on it. Interesting if an EK FF is paying say $350 in taxes and fees for that PER-LHR-PER flight and a QF FF is paying $1100 for exactly the same seat on the same plane! I know many frequent flyer programs have different fees and taxes but they are saying they are meant to become more aligned, so which is it, QF reducing and scrapping fuel surcharges (highly doubt it) or EK adding fuel surcharges to awards?

 

[serfty]

I'd speculate that QFF redemption rates will rise to offset the removal of fuel fines.

(hence the recent alteration to the T&C's regarding notification of changes)

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

 

[scwappy]

Oh come on that's still good value. When you see tickets on (the QF code on) JQ for 60,000 pts + $460 and you can get the same seats on the Jetstar flight for $500 that's when you see how excessive the fees really are.

Back to your equation, 112,000 pts can get you $875 worth of vouchers, so the cost of the QF flight is $1950 ......

How is this good value ? Maybe I'm missing something ?

 

[dajop]

How is this good value ? Maybe I'm missing something ?

Probably my wink, or other smiley indicating I wasn't being serious. I should have included one of those!

But compared to using 60,000 pts to save $40 or something of that order of magnitude ( which I really hope no one has ever done) the OP's scenario is much better value per point !! Of course, compared to other options, including gift vouchers, very poor value.

 

[fiscal]

On a side note, after April 13, the present options being offered for this flight are either QF and BA (from SIN) or CX via HKG. CX are certainly nice, but they do come with a premium with extra points on top of usual the usual PER-SIN-LHR route. I wonder when EK will enter the equation, or will BA stay on as a preferred FF partner?

 

[aikman]

I wonder what is going to happen with the EK and QF tie up?!

Maybe redemptions will only be available on the QF codeshare, not the EK code, therefore QF YQ rates will still apply.

 

[The Rok]

Surely there will be an EK award option out of PER though?

 

[fiscal]

Surely there will be an EK award option out of PER though?

I certainly hope so. The options available at present are very limited, and the number of premium seats (apart from CX) seems to be almost non existent even looking at September/October 2013.

 

[bushtuckerman]

I wonder what is going to happen with the EK and QF tie up? EK dont charge a fuel surcharge on their paid or redemption tickets (it is just the fare + taxes as it should be as fuel is part of the operating cost, soon they will have an airplane lease cost!). They have said they are going to align their FF programmes, hopefully it means using points on EK metal should be less surcharges!

Whether QF manages its FF alignment with EK by adjusting points per flight or in other ways, one thing is a certainty. Qantas will find a way gouge its FF customers within an inch of their lives, and call it an enhancement.

Cheers
Bush

 

[JohnK]

I'd speculate that QFF redemption rates will rise to offset the removal of fuel fines.

Just great.

Can you tell I am a big fan of this merger?

 

[casanovawa]

Well if QF drop their fuel surcharges but increase their point redemptions in the program, will this mean the 140/280k OW award redemptions become even better value as the fees/taxes should drop?? Is it Qantas who controls the point value of these awards or are they a standard OW award across all OW airlines??? If the latter and QF don't get mean enough to do their own thing i would be very pleased as these are pretty much about all i accumulate points for...

 

[deadfish]

Well if QF drop their fuel surcharges but increase their point redemptions in the program, will this mean the 140/280k OW award redemptions become even better value as the fees/taxes should drop?? Is it Qantas who controls the point value of these awards or are they a standard OW award across all OW airlines??? If the latter and QF don't get mean enough to do their own thing i would be very pleased as these are pretty much about all i accumulate points for...

From a glance, they all appear to be slightly different, for example the CX version of this charges 150k/225k/335k for 25k-50k miles - amongst other differences. So the airlines themselves probably regulate this.

I'm going to guess EK codes won't be allowed on a classic award where QF codes are available (like with LA on the SYD-AKL-SCL routes). More than happy to be proven wrong here.

 

[casanovawa]

From a glance, they all appear to be slightly different, for example the CX version of this charges 150k/225k/335k for 25k-50k miles - amongst other differences. So the airlines themselves probably regulate this.

I'm going to guess EK codes won't be allowed on a classic award where QF codes are available (like with LA on the SYD-AKL-SCL routes). More than happy to be proven wrong here.

No EK flights wouldn't be allowed on a OW redemption, but Malaysian would when it joins as will QR when it joins... I think the AA version of the 35,000 mile OW award is also 140,000 AA miles... So anyway, if the points costs don't go up much, but the fees and taxes do come down, that will suit me fine...

 

[foxpro]

Just booked a SYD-FRA RT award.
Fees/Taxes for SYD-SIN-FRA-SIN-SYD all on QF5/6 showed up as $997.40
Booking SYD(BA)-SIN(QF)-FRA(CX)-HKG(CX)-SYD brought them down to $824.98. Easy $170 saved. Flight times are also 10 minutes quicker then going QF direct.

Finally I got rid of my QFF points now. Qantas excessive award surcharges are a real killer. Will go elsewhere for points now.

 

[aikman]

Finally I got rid of my QFF points now.

Ha ha. I had to chuckle at this comment. It also took me a while to find good value redemptions to be able to get rid of my Qantas points. Most of it anyway. It’s so hard to find an international destination to redeem points on that is better value on QFF compared to other programs.