"Free" classic flight actually costs $1000 more - and no one knows why?

[GaryBne]

Immediate impressions on this are the same as Markis10- pricing as 2 one way fares. This could be confirmed by just checking the one way fare on the QF site.

I guess that's a point I made above. The one way fare is in Phil pesos but comes out at about $712. much much less than $1600. But the catch is I could forfeit the fare or penalty when I don't appear at QF Mnl within 14 days

 

[GaryBne]

Hang on a minute, you asked for a fare, they offered it to you, you declined and have thus lost no actual money or points. What case does QF have to answer?
It is well known around here that points can be either very good value, or very bad value, they no longer use the term "free flights" have haven't done so in the last 14 or so years (about the time they introduced excl taxes)...

Fair enough comment based on the abbreviated story in my opening post. What you read above does not account for the many hours invested.

Further, the advice of my friendly Res staff was to make bookings with payment that i didn't want to make: just so the seats were held. The once he found a solution to the silly prices issue he would refund the initial booking and replace it with the reward booking I was seeking. ( albeit on the same flights etc)

But after 3 weeks he came back with no solution ... I am stuck with flights/payments I did not seek, and would not have made without teh undertaking to fix what was a pricing that confused him too.

So I have made a loss per se.

 

[harvyk]

Fair enough comment based on the abbreviated story in my opening post. What you read above does not account for the many hours invested.

Further, the advice of my friendly Res staff was to make bookings with payment that i didn't want to make: just so the seats were held. The once he found a solution to the silly prices issue he would refund the initial booking and replace it with the reward booking I was seeking. ( albeit on the same flights etc)

But after 3 weeks he came back with no solution ... I am stuck with flights/payments I did not seek, and would not have made without teh undertaking to fix what was a pricing that confused him too.

So I have made a loss per se.

Unfortunately many hours lost doesn't usually cut it with complaints to fair trading (annoying). I typically don't pay anything until it's the price I want (or am willing to accept) since once you make payment that's it, they have little incentive to continue helping.

I think you'll need to simply chalk this one up to experience, of course if you haven't yet actually made payment on anything, perhaps now is the time to start looking at other (non QF) options? If they are going to be silly with the price, exercise your right as a consumer and take your business elsewhere, and save FF points for something where they'll do good.

 

[bdruce]

My guess is that QF is displaying the revenue fares that are applicable if you book revenue fares in both directions to satisfy the fares rules. Unfortunately they are displaying a reward fare on the outbound that is not combinable with the displayed revenue fare on the return. From the consumers viewpoint (and anyone else who isn't an airline pricing expert), you would expect to be able to select any of the outbound fares offered (including the reward fare) and combine it with any of the fares offered on the return portion. If QF has fare conditions on their rewards fare that don't satisfy combining with the displayed return revenue fare, you would think they would display the outbound fare options first, and not display the return fare options until the customer has selected their outbound product. This would avoid the fare suddenly changing for the return portion. QF needs to see things from a consumer point of view rather than an airline-centric viewpoint. This kind of stuff is soooo frustrating for the average consumer and just makes QF look incompetent. Not only does it confuse and frustrate customers (thus degrading trust in QF), but also ties up QF resources for over 9 hours! There is a big cost involved.

 

[froggerADL]

I went to book BNE-MNL-BNE 6 Dec / 5 Jan and the best price for economy was $524 +626 = $1140 per Adult pax

So I click left and choose the classic reward seat for 30,000 points + $292 in taxes.

Hi Gary,

As we are cousins I can help you out here. You were prepared to spend 30,000 points to save $232 which works out at a little less than .08 cents per point.

[-]I would be happy to give you $232 if you transfer the 30,000 points to me. You could then purchase the return fare for $1140. You would be in front because you would earn points (and SCs) on the outbound flight and you still save $232. And I will be in front because I'll get a much higher return on the 30,000 points. Win/win![/-]

 

[GaryBne]

Hi Cousin!

Yep that’s about the going rate for points - they are worth about 0.8 cents ($0.008) when buying tickets.

I recall there were detailed posts her on that topic…

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

Hi Cousin!

Yep that’s about the going rate for points - they are worth about 0.8 cents ($0.008) when buying tickets.

I recall there were detailed posts her on that topic…

If you log in to the QF website and search for a fare in $, when you click on "View in points", the conversion makes each point worth roughly 0.78 cents each

 

[GaryBne]

CORRECTION: I write that I had to appear at the QF MNL office within 14 days. Thats incorrect - its actually within two (2) business days or the ticket will not be issued.

As an aside - the visa on arrival requires the pax holds a valid return ticket. So even if the 2 days was extended until after I arrive, I would not get through immigration. catch 22


Below is the warning screen you have to acknowledge before the QF web reservations takes you to prices and availability.

Important Information

After you have completed your booking you will need to visit our office below within two working days for credit card and signature verification. Your ticket will be issued once your credit card has been sighted.
Manila Office
HT&T Travel Philippines#, 10th Floor Salustiana D Ty Towers, 104 Paseo de Roxas, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Open hours: 8.30am-5pm Mon to Fri
Phone: +63 2 812 0607
# Qantas representative

 

[craven morehead]

I have had a similar experience when trying to book an ASA from point A to B. I had found a day departing that was way less points than the rest , so I click on that and the original intended return leg jumped 100k points approx from what was on screen at the start. Same but different. Was a normal return fare however not 2 x One way. :mrgreen: Good Luck

 

[legroom]

CORRECTION: I write that I had to appear at the QF MNL office within 14 days. Thats incorrect - its actually within two (2) business days or the ticket will not be issued.

As an aside - the visa on arrival requires the pax holds a valid return ticket. So even if the 2 days was extended until after I arrive, I would not get through immigration. catch 22


Below is the warning screen you have to acknowledge before the QF web reservations takes you to prices and availability.

Important Information

After you have completed your booking you will need to visit our office below within two working days for credit card and signature verification. Your ticket will be issued once your credit card has been sighted.
Manila Office
HT&T Travel Philippines#, 10th Floor Salustiana D Ty Towers, 104 Paseo de Roxas, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Open hours: 8.30am-5pm Mon to Fri
Phone: +63 2 812 0607
# Qantas representative

Have you PM Red Roo here for an advice ?

That's what I would be thinking of.

 

[GaryBne]

I guess I was thinking redroo.would read this and pass on the learning ; that while QF may be legally correct, they destroy confidence trust and loyalty...

 

[craven morehead]

I guess I was thinking redroo.would read this and pass on the learning ; that while QF may be legally correct, they destroy confidence trust and loyalty...

RedRoo been very quiet lately !! :mrgreen:

 

[legroom]

RedRoo been very quiet lately !! :mrgreen:

? 1/5,000

Hope not - sincerely

 

[medhead]

You are booking two one way fares, one a classic and one a revenue, which is why it changes price. Yes you can book an award and a revenue fare, but at no time do Qantas say that award complies with the cheaper return revenue fare conditions.

I've only just found this thread. Not saying this isn't the case, but I have seen dramatic changes to the available return leg fares after selecting an outbound fare. In that case both were in paid fare classes, not classic and paid. I couldn't reproduce this but I think there is something not exactly right with the qantas booking system. It is also a bit of an issue that advertising the ability to book classic and paid fares on the same booking implies that the cheap revenue fares should be available.

 

[craven morehead]

? 1/5,000

Hope not - sincerely

Hadn't even considered that. Who knows where the enhancements will go

 

[GaryBne]

I have since found similar $1000 anomalies but only on BNE-MNL i found no such problem on domestic flights.

For example BNE-MNL-BNE 3Dec ret 14 Dec

- cash return ticket $559 + $471=$1030
- cash outbound and classic return = $1,591 + 30,000points +$240 taxes = $1831 ( assume points are worth 0.8cents then total 'price" = $2071

The exact same outbound flights that costs $1591 when combined with a classic reward, when purchased alone - as a one way ticket costs just $641


So for those who ( quite sensibly) argued above that I was splitting a return ticket when I book a classic one way and cash return i now say bunkum! ( with a smile please)

THE most expensive ticket is when you have a classic on one leg. somehow QF is charging $900 in this crystal clear example of how the Classic taxes us for the privilege. So I return to my original issue, now with a more clear cut case. ( and screen shots saved)

 

[mannej]

If you are comparing the Domestic (one way Cash, one way Classic) to the International fares (One way Cash, one way Classic) as your argument to why those who mentioned the one way fares being incorrect, you are actually incorrect.

Domestic fares are priced as one-way fares, so you can't use that as a comparison in this case.

 

[GaryBne]

If you are comparing the Domestic (one way Cash, one way Classic) to the International fares (One way Cash, one way Classic) as your argument to why those who mentioned the one way fares being incorrect, you are actually incorrect.

Domestic fares are priced as one-way fares, so you can't use that as a comparison in this case.

Perhaps i wasn't clear. I have only found the anomaly with International flights.


My comparison is valid in that I compared the identical set of International flights. ( BNE-MNL-BNE) Same dates, same class, same flights. please read it with a careful eye vis

option A was best cash flights..... showing an outbound leg costing circa $500

Option B was same flights, cash out, classic return ... showing an outbound leg costing circa $1500

Option C was same flights - but outbound one way only. ... showing an outbound leg costing circa $600



I hope this is clearer?

 

[Moopere]

So for those who ( quite sensibly) argued above that I was splitting a return ticket when I book a classic one way and cash return i now say bunkum! ( with a smile please)

Yes, I know it really seems that way - but you'd have to examine the fare rules to really get to the bottom of it. Lots of things might be changing in the background, that can't be easily seen from the simplified web front end presented to purchasers - the fare class might be changing, or, more probably, the fare is changing to align with fare rules.

matrix.igasoftware.com presents a lot of really technical information on fare classes used, rules in place, etc, etc. Expertflyer.com does too (though its subscription based).

I exactly get what you are saying and the frustration its generating - I have previously tied myself into knots trying to work out why its going to cost me $1000+ to fly PER-SIN-PER when SIN-PER-SIN can be as low as $400 (or even less occasionally!) on the same metal. Any amount of trying to manipulate things has failed (for me) because ultimately the 'loose ends' are tied up with arbitrary looking fare rules.

On the 'present credit card 2 days after booking' thing - I think I've hit this before for flights out of BKK ... can't remember a specific now as time has passed but I have the impression that using an online aggregator like expedia got me around that problem - don't quote me, but I think this is how I did it.

My first thought was that you have hit a web engine error - the test for this, unless its a system wide error would be to get a telephone based quote - if its the same price +- a bit then its probably real despite how ridiculous it appears. If it were me, and given you have a lot of good info now on price for booking single legs, I'd book as two separate legs, one out, one in, and try to find a method to get around the ridiculous present CC in 2 days problem (like using a travel booking site).... if that didn't work then I'd almost certainly just use a different airline to return ... I've done that before when things simply became too hard.

 

[GaryBne]

Thank you sincerely for your thoughtful response.

I just spent another 49 minutes talking to a very helpful John. It took him a while to get it but he did. In the end he replicated what I found with a supervisor over his shoulder.

They kindly offered to do the bookings as two separate bookings, and to waive the booking fee under the circumstances. But they could not overcome the problem of "show up at manila office" issue.

They could explain why the one way ticket jumped from 4500 to $600 - but were in agreement that the $1500 is just plain wrong and a system error. Which they will report.

The $1500 airfare exists nowhere else....

There are those here who want to apply the obscure rules and say I should give up. But we have Lawa of fair Trading and this bends them all out of shape.