Qantas Frequent Flyer Award Flight Bookings - Fees and Charges

[xco]

I'm trying to understand Qantas logic behind the fees associated with a Frequent Flyer award booking, hopefully you can help. If I book return economy flight Melbourne to Los Angeles the associated fees and charges are $417.51, however if I book one way from Los Angeles to Melbourne the fees and charges are $494.08. Qantas can't the cost difference other than to say they offer deals to get people to fly return. I understand this with passengers who pay for a fare, but for frequent flyer award bookings it does make any sense. Are Qantas just exploiting their customers or is there a reasonable explanation behind this difference?

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Number of factors in play not least that each port can have different taxes. Try pricing a SYDLHR F award on QF and then examining the taxes for the return leg, I can assure you it's far more than the $76 difference you quoted in your example (LHRSYD being an order of magnitude higher).

 

[phily]

I understand this with passengers who pay for a fare, but for frequent flyer award bookings it does make any sense.

IIRC, "fees & charges" still include the fuel surcharge, and my assumption is that it's a percentage of the base fare. So if QF charge different base fares depending on the starting point of a flight, then the fuel surcharge and thus the "fees & charges" will change.

In the UK, their "Air Passenger Duty" also factors in the passenger's cabin class as well as the length of the flight, to determine what is payable.

 

[cjd600]

QF (semi) recently reduced the fuel surcharge on economy award flights, on some routes, that originated in AU.
Flights ex USA had no such luck....neither did premium cabins.

 

[xco]

Normal economics would dictate that if a return trip has fees of $417.51, then a one way trip should be half that price. I've been a loyal Qantas passenger but no longer find them transparent or competitive. When I raised this question with their online chart today it took 90 minutes just to get the cost breakdown, but they were unable to explain why the difference.

 

[mannej]

Normal economics would dictate that if a return trip has fees of $417.51, then a one way trip should be half that price. I've been a loyal Qantas passenger but no longer find them transparent or competitive. When I raised this question with their online chart today it took 90 minutes just to get the cost breakdown, but they were unable to explain why the difference.

Normal economics have never applied to airfares.

 

[RooFlyer]

Normal economics would dictate that if a return trip has fees of $417.51, then a one way trip should be half that price. I've been a loyal Qantas passenger but no longer find them transparent or competitive. When I raised this question with their online chart today it took 90 minutes just to get the cost breakdown, but they were unable to explain why the difference.

I understand your frustration, and don't wish to be argumentative, but if you got a cost breakdown, why can't you see the difference?

Travel between countries is not symmetric with respect to costs. Airports and government charge airlines (who charge their passengers) a raft of different fees for security, customs & immigration. For instance, there is no out-bound immigration leaving from the USA, but leaving Australia, you get the whole drill (that should work in your example's favour, I know!). Fuel surcharges are different - as cjd600 said, the level of these as charged by Qantas is different going different ways.

And as mannej said,

Normal economics have never applied to airfares.

To answer your question:

Are Qantas just exploiting their customers or is there a reasonable explanation behind this difference?

.. I would say 'both'. The charges are not the same each way AND Qantas is exploiting its passengers with their fuel 'fines' and other charges for an Award flight.

Because they can.

 

[NoName]

Number of factors in play not least that each port can have different taxes. Try pricing a SYDLHR F award on QF and then examining the taxes for the return leg, I can assure you it's far more than the $76 difference you quoted in your example (LHRSYD being an order of magnitude higher).

I think you may have misread the OP. It said MEL-LAX-MEL was $76 cheaper than the one way LAX-MEL which unless government/airport/whatever else imposed charged are greater for one way passengers (is this the case??) makes no sense whatsoever.

I had the same experience when booking my recently completed trip to US. When originally booked as one ways it was approx $700 more for 2 pax (F one way and Y the other) than if booked as a return. I asked them to rebook as a return. Suggest anyone encountering the same issue should do likewise.

 

[xco]

You're correct NoName. Qantas fees for a one way flight LA-MEL are more expensive than a return MEL-LA-MEL. Below is the explanation from Qantas.

MEL-LA-MEL tax and charges cost breakdown
Carrier Charges (Fuel tax) AUD$240.00
Transportation Tax AUD$23.50
Immigration User Fee AUD$9.30
Safety and Security Charge AUD$4.22
Passenger Services Charge Intl AUD$42.00
Passenger Civil Aviation Security Service Fee AUD$7.40
Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) AUD$55.00
Customs User Fee AUD$7.30
Transportation Tax AUD$23.50
APHIS User Fee AUD$5.30.
TOTAL $417.52


One Way LA-MEL
Carrier Charges (Fuel tax) USD$340.00
Passenger Services Charge Intl USD$17.80
Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) USD21.51
This comes to the total of USD379.31 / $494.08 AUD

 

[empressjo]

It may have to do with mathematics, economics or playing dice - it all feels like dirt to me!

 

[serfty]

All the more off putting when you realise the ÷÷÷ ex Oz includes the $55 AU tax wich is not on the ex LAX fare. ..

 

[Mattg]

As someone has already mentioned, the taxes used to be (roughly) the same. Quite a few months back Qantas reduced fuel surcharges for Economy flights departing from Australia. However, if you book a flight originating outside Australia (or in a premium cabin), you still need to pay the higher rates.

No, it's not fair and should not be the case.

 

[Dr Ralph]

I'm trying to understand Qantas logic

There's your problem.