[rdmcall]

Hi .. Thanks for the input – good question .. hope someone out there can provide some input .. anyone from BA willing to comment .. surely some BA – PR person must be ‘keep an eye’ on this forum !!

[LeTigre]

I believe he’s known as VK…….

[JohnPhelanAustralia]

I think rdmcall was referring to someone who is employed by BA, rather than an ‘enthusiast’ like VK!

Re other oneworld airlines charging fees for redemption flights – QF certainly does charge fees and taxes, though there is the option of covering these by paying with additional FF points.

[rdmcall]

I have no problem paying genuine – outside the control of the airline – costs .. but there is absolutely no consistency –

Flying LGW to Malaga: Taxes & Charges (T&C)

Monarch – £25 (LGW) £8.72 (Malaga)
Aer Lingus – £29.89 (LGW) £20.15 (Malaga)
Easyjet – no breakdown .. so if you cancel your flight what do you get back?
BA – General statement – T&C are approximately £59.90 to £77.50 ???

OFT needs to get a handle on this ..

[Binman62]

AlanReynolds1…It is true that the fees charged by BA for travelling on redemption bookings are small when compared to the fare for the same journey. circa £2000 for 4 to LA in First compared to £20000. However you have earned the miles by paying the fare including the ludicrous surcharges and it should be remembered that miles were originally intended to offer free flight to reward loyalty.

BA only persists with this nonsense of surcharges solely to catch redemption bookings in the surcharge trap and create a revenue stream. The fare to CAI for example in M class, has now fallen to £43 return as a result. They would not carry anyone on a flight if they charged the correct fare and then added the fuel surcharge as it stands. QED it is no longer a surcharge but the actual fare. Calling it a surcharge however traps all tickets.

The surcharge has passed its sell by date and needs investigation. Fuel is 60 dollars off its peak but the surcharge has increased 10 fold from where it began. It is a scam and con and needs investigating by the competition authorities.

[Binman62]

QF and others do charge fees however JFK to HKG on CX booked via BA.com using BA Miles is 150,000 miles plus £90 in First no fuel surccharge just taxes and airport fees, This is how it should be.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Air Malta got rid of fuel surcharges some time ago and recently introduced a booking fee, as part of the recovery plans.

This means that those booking redemption tickets do not get caught in a ‘surcharges’ trap, everyone pays the same fee for the booking channel, although this does include airport taxes.

I think that this is a fair and transparent way to do business.

[stifle1]

The most sensible way to spend Avios is on upgrades. Redeeming in economy is usually pointless, although if you do insist on comparing redemption costs with cash fares, you should be comparing with fully flexible refundable economy fares, as redemption tickets are refundable.

[RichHI1]

Surcharges on paid tickets are an industry practice to keep the airlines flying but they don’t aid transparency. BA and AA and many others quote full price on websites which is to their credit. BA practice of charging surcharges on free ffB tickets is reason why I joined AADVANTAGE and seldom redeem on ba.

[Senator]

Ok, having now accumulated about 400k “Adios” or whatever the name of the week is on BAEC through travel, great bonus offers, and VISA in Sweden I have started to look for spend. I’ve also a fair amount of experience with M&M and FB and can compare to the European competition.

What have I discovered?
** BA charges a fuel surcharge on redemption on BA and any other partner that would charge surcharge for their members. HOWEVER, BA is not charging surcharges for OW partners like Cathay or AA.
** LH M&M charges surcharges on all bookings no matter which airline is used
** AF/KLM charges surcharges on all bookings no matter which airline is used

My verdict; BA is less evil.. Doesn’t mean I like the surcharge, but I believe BA has a better policy.

[first_class_please]

Yes and no!

Is it right, no, the surcharges compared to actual cost, I.e for fuel is way out of proportion.

Good deal redeeming miles, particularly in First with Amex 2-4-1 voucher, bargain, whatever the fees!

Emirates choose to include their fuel surcharges in the fare portion of the ticket, clearly calculated in the breakdown as a Q surcharge.

This means when you redeem miles they only thing you have to pay are the compulsory airport / government fees.

This really can make a free ticket almost free!

[Author]

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