Originally Posted by
Dave Noble
There is no flaw. Set the fares based on what is required to be profitable and don't use fuel fines as a way of hiding the fare away as if it was a tax.
AA could easily get rid of the fines by setting prices according to the going rate of the cost of operating the flight.
Fuel fines are a great scam for the airline and ensure that companies who get discounts effectively get a smaller discount and anyone with a discount coupon gets screwed too
Dave
^^^ Well said, my friend.
I have long since loathed YQ surcharges because they are obscuring the intended fare that the airline ultimately wants to charge.
It is hidden from their promotional advertising, their discount structures, and their distribution channels.
As you mention, corporate agreements suffer because the discount is usually keyed off of the base. Overrides and commissions (for agencies that still have them) suffer because the sales targets and percentage payouts are driven by the base. Customers get duped into thinking fares are lower than they are, because the advertisements (depending on the country) sometimes only list the base fare exclusive of taxes and "surcharges".
It's really a raw deal any way you slice it, and I'd like to go back to the true purpose of the differentiation between base fares and taxes....pointing out how much the governments of the world tack on to airfares!
But the airlines should set the price of their product accordingly, and then I'll decide whether I'm willing to pay it.