Taxes and Fees in reward tickets

Is there a comparison anywhere of what different airlines charge for 'free' tickets?

I I have just booked LAX->LHR->HAM return with BA in FIRST/Club with miles and the Taxes/Fees were a total of $436.

The same dates LAX->LHR on VS is $615 in Fess/Taxes!

Any clues on how these are calculated?

[Scrooge]

The taxes are the same no matter what, it's the fee's that kill you.

The basic rule of thumb is, BA and VS charge a fuel surcharge, just about nobody else does on reward tickets.

It's actually better to go with NZ to LAX then it is to go with VS, if you can get seats, less miles and a hell of a lot less in taxes and fees.

With all that said, I don't know of any site that lists what each airline charges in taxes and fees [:p]

we are being gouged by VS, plain and simple.

I booked miles LAX to AKL on Air NZ, equiv of UC, and it was a total of $38 in taxes and fees. Yes, round trip...
but to get to LAX on VS, using miles in UC, as you say was a total rip-off in charges. over $300 each way.

If this was in the US, there would be a class action lawsuit brewing.
VS should not think its loyal customers aren't aware of being manipulated, and start seriously looking at other options.

Given that this is only BA & VS with this level of 'surcharges', would it be regarded as an extension of price-fixing that would be illegal in the EU as well as the US?

Oh a subject close to my heart - you really feel this when you're booking four Y tickets - just under 1K for our trip at Easter (PE out, Y back) even though it is 'paid' for on miles.

I think it would be far better if VS stopped discounting the redemption fares and started including the fuel surcharge - after all it looks like it is here to stay (is it a surcharge argument) and you probably paid the surchage on the tickets for which you are recieving the miles.

25K to New York looks attractive until you realise you're only paying 100 quid less than a paid ticket.

I think it will take something to make this happen but a nice article in a National paper would be good - 'When is a free reward ticket not a free ticket - when its with BA or VS it seems'

FM

P.S. There are a few websites around that compare fees - notably [url]FlyingFees.com[/url] but mostly they deal with US airlines. However this is a good pdf on European fees - although notably Taxes and fuel surcharges are absent.
This is an interesting one to indicate how much FFs pay for their redemptions on US airlines.

quote:Originally posted by manymiles
Is there a comparison anywhere of what different airlines charge for 'free' tickets?

I I have just booked LAX->LHR->HAM return with BA in FIRST/Club with miles and the Taxes/Fees were a total of $436.

The same dates LAX->LHR on VS is $615 in Fess/Taxes!

Any clues on how these are calculated?


Is this differential not because you are transferring on the same PNR via LHR thus not attracting UK tax? On the VS flight I am assuming that the PNR terminates in LON without a connection thus attracting the UK's lavish aviation taxation.

Transferring pax don't pay UK aviation tax as I understand it.

H

The booking has a stop over in London so I assume the taxes would apply.

[Scrooge]

quote:Originally posted by Howard Long
quote:Originally posted by manymiles
Is there a comparison anywhere of what different airlines charge for 'free' tickets?

I I have just booked LAX->LHR->HAM return with BA in FIRST/Club with miles and the Taxes/Fees were a total of $436.

The same dates LAX->LHR on VS is $615 in Fess/Taxes!

Any clues on how these are calculated?


Is this differential not because you are transferring on the same PNR via LHR thus not attracting UK tax? On the VS flight I am assuming that the PNR terminates in LON without a connection thus attracting the UK's lavish aviation taxation.

Transferring pax don't pay UK aviation tax as I understand it.

H


Correct. The Uk hits people with the fee's, but that is a level playing field.

VS and BA separate the fuel from the ticket price, sooooooooo when it comes to reward tickets, the fuel bill is not included and you have to pay it. On NZ the fuel is included.

IMHO it is BS, but until planes start flying empty nothing will change.