I am assuming that CO/US do not charge fuel surcharge on VS redemptions, does it work the other way around?
YQ tax is always required by law on any flights to/from the US, or within the US. However an airline can pay for it in certain circumstances. I do believe we still charge for it if it's on another airline.
YQ tax is always required by law on any flights to/from the US, or within the US. However an airline can pay for it in certain circumstances. I do believe we still charge for it if it's on another airline.
Is fuel surcharge a tax ? Isn't it the charge for the extra fuel needed to transport a pax?
__________________
There is another FTer called UAfan. In my name there is a space between "UA" and "Fan".
Is fuel surcharge a tax ? Isn't it the charge for the extra fuel needed to transport a pax?
Fuel fines are most definitely not a tax. It's just a way airlines have to raise prices without being transparent about it. The reason why US/CO and other US-based airlines don't charge their frequent flyers YQ for award tickets is, I believe, that in the US fuel fines have to be built into the the fares, so they can't be charged separately. That said, I'm not sure if VS does charge YQ for award travel on CO or US. I certainly hope not.
While it may technically not be a tax that is how it is charged on a ticket, at least international ones.
YQ is a surcharge imposed and collected by the airline to its pax and kept by said airline.
A tax is a payment required by a government which all airlines must collect and pass on to such government. OTOH, when airline XX collects its own YQ, they get to keep it. So XX air shouldn't really collect YQ on behalf of air YY, because the latter will most likely not see a cent of it.
When it comes to US-based airlines, AFAIK they are not authorized to bill their own YQ separately, so they can't charge it as a separate item on their own award tix, at least if they are issued in the US. Therefore, a third party (VS in our case) shouldn't be able to collect YQ on behalf of CO/US. I think DL might be breaking this rule for its own award tix issued in Europe, probably because the no YQ requirement doesn't extend to those (not sure, though).
