QF Intl Award Flight: Taxes and Charges Hike

[ScotchDrinker]

Hi Folks,

After trying to get a decent explaination from QFF with no luck, I thought I would try here.

Last year I paid AU$280 for fees and charges on a return award flight to the UK (ex Brisbane and one UK internal transfer - no stopover, 110K points). This year, I'm paying AU$480 for the same itin (and 130.5K points ).

Is Qantas doing more than passing on the legitimate taxes and charges?

Thanks for any insight.

The Scotch Drinker

 

[straitman]

Hi Folks,

After trying to get a decent explaination from QFF with no luck, I thought I would try here.

Last year I paid AU$280 for fees and charges on a return award flight to the UK (ex Brisbane and one UK internal transfer - no stopover, 110K points). This year, I'm paying AU$480 for the same itin (and 130.5K points ).

Is Qantas doing more than passing on the legitimate taxes and charges?

Thanks for any insight.

The Scotch Drinker

I'd suggest that the fuel surcharge is one that has risen significantly.

 

[dajop]

On flights from BNE-LHR you can't use the same flight number all the way through, that means you have four international sectors and four international fuel surcharges ie. 4 x $60 = $240. Then 2 internal fuel surcharges in UK (domestic) = 2 x $20 = $40 (assuming the internal transfer was both on inbound and outbound sectors). Therefore you're paying $280 in fuel surcharges + other taxes and charges.

Only way to reduce this is fly via SYD or MEL on then on direct flight to LHR (QF 1, 9 or 31) which would replace 2 international fuel surcharges with domestic ones (ie you'd pay $200 in fuel surcharges instead of $280), and reduce taxes to $400.

 

[NM]

The current Qantas fuel surcharges relavant to your flights are:

Sectors withing Europe: US$19 (~A$26)
International Sectors: A$60

So for BNE-SIN-LHR-xx_-LHR-SIN-BNE, you are looking at $292 just in juel surcharges.

When you booked last year, the international fuel surcharge was likely A$29.

Then add the A$38 departure tax. And two lots of the London Air Passenger Duty charge at 20GBP and 10GBP for international and domestic departures (A$48 + $24 = A$72). May be less for the Europe flight, depending on the destination. And two of the UK Passenger Serivce Charge of 10.40GBP (2 x A$25 = A$50)

So just with fuel surcharges, Aussie departure tax and UK movement fees, I make it A$452. So $480 is ballpark with the addition of other passenger movement fees etc.

 

[Platy]

Fuel surcharges on award flights

This all begs the question - are they within their rights to charge us fuel surcharges for so called award flights?!

I can understand the airport taxes etc, but surely the airline decides what the fuel surcharge is so can effectively secure income at a level of their choice for supposed award seats!?

Is this something they can do - has the ACCC given the OK?

 

[NM]

Re: Fuel surcharges on award flights

This all begs the question - are they within their rights to charge us fuel surcharges for so called award flights?!

Guess who wrote the QF FF program rules that you agreed to when you joined? Hint: it was not the ACCC.

 

[danielh]

As an added bit of info, I redeemed 2 FF return flights MLB-LAX direct on 1 Jan 2005.

Looking through my records it cost me AU$159.62 per person in taxes.

At the time I thought that was a bit steep but looking back...

Regards
Daniel

 

[Rick93]

You guys think you paid some taxes and charges....

I'm doing Syd - LAX - Nadi - Syd in Jan 08, and paid $2,300.00 in T & Cs for my wife and four kids !!! (not to mention burning my 648,000 points .....)

regards,

 

[NM]

You guys think you paid some taxes and charges....

I'm doing Syd - LAX - Nadi - Syd in Jan 08, and paid $2,300.00 in T & Cs for my wife and four kids !!! (not to mention burning my 648,000 points .....)

regards,

Compare that with a 2002 award (i.e. pre-Fuel Fines) for 5 people on a ATW itinerary wher I paid a total of $707.20 in taxes (and 650,000 QFF points). It was a much more complicated itinerary as well!