Originally Posted by wharvey
Josh,
Yes, fees can be different.
But, also, the base fare can be different. It may be that the cheap seats are already sold out so while you are on the exact same flight the cheap fare is no longer available to the partner... or, believe it or not, to even the owning airline.
William
I know you'd think that but it's not the case. I'll explain;
In order to check for availability, I use aeroplan.com to search for seats. Then when I have found the seat I am looking for, I even sometimes go as far as to book it online with Aeroplan. Because it's a Star Alliance booking they don't allow you to finalize it without calling them. They put a hold on the seat for 48 hours.
Then the next morning (because this was at night and ANA was closed), I first call Aeroplan and cancel the booking, then I immediately call ANA and book that same seats.
So I know exactly what Aeroplan was going to charge me - and then I know exactly what ANA is charging me. I was then able on a recent flight to get quite angry when the difference was between $46CND (approx $41 USD) and $226 USD. That is a difference of $185 for the same exact flight/seat/airline.
Lufthansa LH493 YVR-FRA Business class
Lufthansa LH492 FRA-YVR Business class
I don't think there is a good way to justify that. I think ANA is 'up to something fishy' honestly.