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Difference in Fees When Flying United vs Lufthansa

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Difference in Fees When Flying United vs Lufthansa

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Old Oct 3, 2015, 6:43 pm
  #1  
SJR
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Difference in Fees When Flying United vs Lufthansa

Hi all, am looking to use UA miles to book a trip next year - ORD-VIE and then PRG-ORD (via either MUC or FRA, haven't decided yet) in business class. I am UA Plat. The return flight appears to be operated by Lufthansa.

I have been told there is a difference between booking on United and booking on Lufthansa when it comes to the taxes being paid - that is, booking on Lufthansa using awards would be more expensive since it's not a US-based carrier. Can someone please clarify / explain? Thanks in advance.
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Old Oct 3, 2015, 7:13 pm
  #2  
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There is no difference in taxes. Those are set by the various governments and do not change no matter where and how you book.

You are talking about fees. Those are not taxes and are set by the individual carriers.

LH has high fees, UA has fundamentally none.
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Old Oct 3, 2015, 9:12 pm
  #3  
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Some airlines pass fuel surcharges through to the customer, some don't.
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Old Oct 3, 2015, 10:48 pm
  #4  
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If you book using UA miles, the taxes and fees should be the same for either a UA or LH flight (all else being equal).

If you book using LH M+M, the LH flight will be considerably more expensive due to fuel surcharges.
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Old Oct 4, 2015, 12:31 pm
  #5  
SJR
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Thanks. Have since discovered that I was given misinformation - this was from a friend who had booked award travel through LHR and apparently there is a luxury tax through LHR (UK rules, nothing to do with the airline itself).
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Old Oct 4, 2015, 5:01 pm
  #6  
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Originally Posted by SJR
Thanks. Have since discovered that I was given misinformation - this was from a friend who had booked award travel through LHR and apparently there is a luxury tax through LHR (UK rules, nothing to do with the airline itself).
There are two aspects of LHR which are expensive. One is the facility fee paid by everyone. Another is the APD, a tax paid to Her Majesty which doubles if flying in a premium cabin. The APD only applies to trips originating in the UK (and not BFS).
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