Qantas Award Charges Outrageous

[seat11a]

Thanks for that blackcat20, guess I will have to put my charming voice on and see how I go then. At 12000 points for 2 passengers for a booking that is only 72000 points, a 17% booking fee seems rather steep. Especially when I would happily just book it online if Marrakesh where an option. Fingers crossed.

 

[travelislife]

Thanks for that blackcat20, guess I will have to put my charming voice on and see how I go then. At 12000 points for 2 passengers for a booking that is only 72000 points, a 17% booking fee seems rather steep. Especially when I would happily just book it online if Marrakesh where an option. Fingers crossed.

Definitely been successful with this for a Japan Airlines booking. Just stated it wasn't possible to book online, which she said 'yes it is', I said 'go check' and she waived the fee!

 

[junbugging]

Definitely been successful with this for a Japan Airlines booking. Just stated it wasn't possible to book online, which she said 'yes it is'

I get this almost every time.

 

[Limewood]

Thanks for that blackcat20, guess I will have to put my charming voice on and see how I go then. At 12000 points for 2 passengers for a booking that is only 72000 points, a 17% booking fee seems rather steep. Especially when I would happily just book it online if Marrakesh where an option. Fingers crossed.

It sure is a rort that should be stamped out but as usual its fallen on deaf ears. I have 400K points yet refusing to pay these exorbitant fees out of OZ fees looks like buying a cheap Y to HKG then J on CX out of there to USA with just a few shekels in fees. It is the long way around but plenty of award seats to anywhere, have friends in Hk and love the city anyway.

 

[seat11a]

I know this thread is mainly about fuel fines etc, but wanted to know if anyone had experience with the "Award assistance fee"

I'm looking to book 2 Iberia J class award seats from Madrid to Marrakesh, however Marrakesh isn't an option on the Qantas Website. I can find Casablanca but no Marrakesh.

So the only way to book these flights is to ring QF and make the booking with a consultant. Has anyone been able to get QF to waive the 6000 point per person "Award assistance fee" when the booking can not be made online?

Seems unfair to be slugged a fee when there is no other option.

Cheers

Just a quick update on my post the other day.

Rang QF about making my Iberia award booking to Marrakesh and the agent was very quick to waive the "Award assistance fee". The agent was very helpful and the booking made with little to no fuss. Thanks again for the information provided on this site.

Cheers

 

[Limewood]

Just a quick update on my post the other day.

Rang QF about making my Iberia award booking to Marrakesh and the agent was very quick to waive the "Award assistance fee". The agent was very helpful and the booking made with little to no fuss. Thanks again for the information provided on this site.

Cheers

Well done, but these posts are about the massive fees and charges Qantas are charging when booking an award ticket long haul, take SYD/HNL/SYD 140K in Y for 2 pax then fees & charges over $800, its wrong and should be reduced by at least half.

 

[Jleno]

Has anyone worked out if there's a more efficient way to work out which routes / carriers attract the lowest surcharge cost for J classic award redemptions using QF points (other than having to try each permutation to find out)?

 

[hossein_au]

Has anyone worked out if there's a more efficient way to work out which routes / carriers attract the lowest surcharge cost for J classic award redemptions using QF points (other than having to try each permutation to find out)?

It's not really that much to figure out. QF charges whatever they want in any route they want unless the fees are regulated. The only place that comes to mind is HKG. Even then, QF charges way more than actual taxes for reward flights to/from HKG.

 

[Limewood]

It's not really that much to figure out. QF charges whatever they want in any route they want unless the fees are regulated. The only place that comes to mind is HKG. Even then, QF charges way more than actual taxes for reward flights to/from HKG.

Flights out of any Asian city are next to nothing you mainly get whacked out of OZ.

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

Flights out of any Asian city are next to nothing you mainly get whacked out of OZ.

I find CX awards are minimal

QR and BA seem to charged like a wounded QF.

Since JL not avail online never tried booking with them.

At the end of the day QF does what the market will bare. Suppose as more leave to SQ they will eventually enhance their award scheme to better reflect the market and align themselves with the competition, just has Velocity has done recently.

The only thing that could make the taxes on a QFF reward look cheap is a J / F award on EY via velocity.

 

[dajop]

Flights out of any Asian city are next to nothing you mainly get whacked out of OZ.

Not really accurate. Maybe out of HKG and MNL. Not so much elsewhere. ex-OZ gets less carrier surcharges than ex-most of Asia. Although at ~$80, the genuine taxes are higher out of Australia than most of Asia.

Surcharges SIN-MEL-SIN on same flights are more than double surcharges on MEL-SIN-MEL. (Same flights, different order)

 

[Limewood]

I've only done out of HKG few times thought they were same fees.

Of course if going out of HKG to other cities in Europe and USA fees a near nothing.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I've only done out of HKG few times thought they were same fees.

Of course if going out of HKG to other cities in Europe and USA fees a near nothing.

Government regulation preventing excess award fees.
<3 HKG

 

[Limewood]

Government regulation preventing excess award fees.
<3 HKG

Pity its not mandatory here.

Some real award bargains out of HKG for sure. VA and AA OZ to USA from memory are about half Qantas fees n charges why is that?

 

[JohnK]

It's not really that much to figure out. QF charges whatever they want in any route they want unless the fees are regulated. The only place that comes to mind is HKG. Even then, QF charges way more than actual taxes for reward flights to/from HKG.

Out of MNL the fuel surcharge is ~AUD60.

I am not game to transit there again since finding out about the bullet in hand luggage scam recently.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

At the end of the day QF does what the market will bare.

To an extent - but there's probably a whole bunch more people who continued to save for their once-in-a-lifetime award actually believing QF's spin that fuel surcharges were a temporary measure which would drop when fuel dropped.

 

[junbugging]

there's probably a whole bunch more people who continued to save for their once-in-a-lifetime award actually believing QF's spin that fuel surcharges were a temporary measure which would drop when fuel dropped.

Suckers...

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

To an extent - but there's probably a whole bunch more people who continued to save for their once-in-a-lifetime award actually believing QF's spin that fuel surcharges were a temporary measure which would drop when fuel dropped.

yeah. but then SQ has been just as bad. QR seem to charge just as outrageously via QFF so I assume the money is going into fuel fines to them.

fuel fines seem like taxes. brought in on a temp basis, don't change much when circumstances change, and end up hanging around far longer than we were lead to believe they would.

 

[Jleno]

Would love to see an ACCC challenge on the basis of false and misleading claims https://www.accc.gov.au/business/advertising-promoting-your-business/false-or-misleading-statements

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Qr YQ is far less (about 50% better) than EK/QF but still very significant