Jun 23, 2013, 10:09 pm
Last edit by: imverge
Aeroplan fuel surcharges (YQ) collected on the following airlines:
Air Canada (AC)
Lufthansa (LH)
All Nippon Airways (NH)
Asiana (OZ)
Thai (TG)
Austrian Airlines (OS)
LOT Polish Airlines (LO)
TAP Portugal (TP)
Adria Airways (JP)
Aeroplan fuel surcharges (YQ) NOT charged on these airlines:
Aegean Airlines (A3)
Air China (CA)
Air India (AI)
Air New Zealand (NZ)
Avianca/TACA (AV)
Brussels (SN)
Copa (CM)
Croatia (OU)
EgyptAir (MS)
Ethiopian (ET)
Eva Air (BR)
SAS (SK)
Shenzhen (ZH)
Singapore (SQ)
South African Airways (SA)
Swiss (LX)
Turkish (TK)
United (UA)
*Keep in mind AC charges YQ for the entire trip sometimes, so if you do YYZ-PVG-MEL on AC/CA or YYZ-NRT-AKL on AC/NZ, even though the last two segments are not supposed to be charged YQ - AC will charge YQ based on distance of YYZ-MEL/AKL.
Aeroplan's last official statement on fuel surcharges including an important statement that all fuel surcharges are requested by AC, and not by AE or the operating carriers: All fuel surcharge amounts are applied by Aeroplan on behalf of the ticketing carrier and are passed through directly to the ticketing carrier.
Should the status of any airline on the list please post in the thread or update this wiki. Members must be signed in to edit wiki, which can be minimized or maximized by clicking on [-] or [+] box upper right of post.
Air Canada (AC)
Lufthansa (LH)
All Nippon Airways (NH)
Asiana (OZ)
Thai (TG)
Austrian Airlines (OS)
LOT Polish Airlines (LO)
TAP Portugal (TP)
Adria Airways (JP)
Aeroplan fuel surcharges (YQ) NOT charged on these airlines:
Aegean Airlines (A3)
Air China (CA)
Air India (AI)
Air New Zealand (NZ)
Avianca/TACA (AV)
Brussels (SN)
Copa (CM)
Croatia (OU)
EgyptAir (MS)
Ethiopian (ET)
Eva Air (BR)
SAS (SK)
Shenzhen (ZH)
Singapore (SQ)
South African Airways (SA)
Swiss (LX)
Turkish (TK)
United (UA)
*Keep in mind AC charges YQ for the entire trip sometimes, so if you do YYZ-PVG-MEL on AC/CA or YYZ-NRT-AKL on AC/NZ, even though the last two segments are not supposed to be charged YQ - AC will charge YQ based on distance of YYZ-MEL/AKL.
Aeroplan's last official statement on fuel surcharges including an important statement that all fuel surcharges are requested by AC, and not by AE or the operating carriers: All fuel surcharge amounts are applied by Aeroplan on behalf of the ticketing carrier and are passed through directly to the ticketing carrier.
Should the status of any airline on the list please post in the thread or update this wiki. Members must be signed in to edit wiki, which can be minimized or maximized by clicking on [-] or [+] box upper right of post.
carriers with little or no fuel surcharges for award travel
Jan 23, 2013, 11:21 am
#33
Join Date: Dec 2011
Programs: AC Elite, *Alliance Gold, Marriott Elite Silver
Posts: 125
dont worry
If it makes you feel any better, I also transferred a boat load of SPG to AC and was hit by scamcharges. You live and learn, I could've transferred those SPG to a few other S* partners and would have had the exact same itinerary with no YQ.
Mar 14, 2013, 3:26 pm
#34
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ottawa
Programs: AC SE*MM/S100K; HHonors Diamond; a bunch of others at various levels!
Posts: 1,580
Fly AC with no scamcharges!
For some reason, there has been little discussion of the fact that you can book seats on all-AC flights using UA miles and pay only the minimum mandatory fees (airport charges, etc., but no YQ).
For instance, YYZ-ZRH-YYZ in economy (AC878/AC879)
booked on Aeroplan.com - total fees = CAD$586.66 + 60,000 miles
booked on United.com - total fees = USD$96.60 + 60,000 miles
This is for the exact same flights/dates, both are on AC metal. Why is AC not charging YQ to United, but is charging it to Aeroplan?
This makes no sense at all!
For instance, YYZ-ZRH-YYZ in economy (AC878/AC879)
booked on Aeroplan.com - total fees = CAD$586.66 + 60,000 miles
booked on United.com - total fees = USD$96.60 + 60,000 miles
This is for the exact same flights/dates, both are on AC metal. Why is AC not charging YQ to United, but is charging it to Aeroplan?
This makes no sense at all!
Mar 14, 2013, 3:45 pm
#35
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,784
For some reason, there has been little discussion of the fact that you can book seats on all-AC flights using UA miles and pay only the minimum mandatory fees (airport charges, etc., but no YQ).
For instance, YYZ-ZRH-YYZ in economy (AC878/AC879)
booked on Aeroplan.com - total fees = CAD$586.66 + 60,000 miles
booked on United.com - total fees = USD$96.60 + 60,000 miles
This is for the exact same flights/dates, both are on AC metal. Why is AC not charging YQ to United, but is charging it to Aeroplan?
This makes no sense at all!
For instance, YYZ-ZRH-YYZ in economy (AC878/AC879)
booked on Aeroplan.com - total fees = CAD$586.66 + 60,000 miles
booked on United.com - total fees = USD$96.60 + 60,000 miles
This is for the exact same flights/dates, both are on AC metal. Why is AC not charging YQ to United, but is charging it to Aeroplan?
This makes no sense at all!
There are a few "I'm leaving Aeroplan" threads though, due to this exact dilema, where UA miles are way more valuable than AE miles
Today's blog post from lucky @ OneMileAtATime values AE at 1.3 cents, and UA miles at 1.8 cents, for such reasons
Mar 14, 2013, 6:58 pm
#36
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ottawa
Programs: AC SE*MM/S100K; HHonors Diamond; a bunch of others at various levels!
Posts: 1,580
AE/AC was never in the business to make sense, but make money
There are a few "I'm leaving Aeroplan" threads though, due to this exact dilema, where UA miles are way more valuable than AE miles
Today's blog post from lucky @ OneMileAtATime values AE at 1.3 cents, and UA miles at 1.8 cents, for such reasons
There are a few "I'm leaving Aeroplan" threads though, due to this exact dilema, where UA miles are way more valuable than AE miles
Today's blog post from lucky @ OneMileAtATime values AE at 1.3 cents, and UA miles at 1.8 cents, for such reasons
I keep getting stuck in the loop of "it's not rational". Your point is well-taken. Rational has nothing to do with some businesses. Nor does ethical.
Mar 25, 2013, 8:55 am
#37
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: YWG
Programs: Aeroplan, MileagePlus, Marriott Rewards
Posts: 2,159
Can anyone offer some advice on (what to me is) a strange situation?
I want to book a simple YWG-CDG reward flight in J for spring 2014. There is decent availability on US and UA, with the occasional LX flight on the outbound portion of the trip.
However, the return flights are almost invariably AC and LS only. This drives the fees up from about $200 pp on a US/UA itinerary to over $600 pp for AC. I don't feel like paying an extra $450 for the "privilege" of taking AC, but I can't find any availability on US/UA/LX on the return leg. Even the UA website doesn't reveal anything, and other French airports are either the same situation or even worse.
How can there be a seemingly large number of J seats on US/UA/LX heading east but next to nothing heading west? Who occupies all those westbound seats on US/UA/LX flights? I don't get it...
I want to book a simple YWG-CDG reward flight in J for spring 2014. There is decent availability on US and UA, with the occasional LX flight on the outbound portion of the trip.
However, the return flights are almost invariably AC and LS only. This drives the fees up from about $200 pp on a US/UA itinerary to over $600 pp for AC. I don't feel like paying an extra $450 for the "privilege" of taking AC, but I can't find any availability on US/UA/LX on the return leg. Even the UA website doesn't reveal anything, and other French airports are either the same situation or even worse.
How can there be a seemingly large number of J seats on US/UA/LX heading east but next to nothing heading west? Who occupies all those westbound seats on US/UA/LX flights? I don't get it...
Mar 25, 2013, 9:04 am
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,309
check united.com to see how far those are currently available for awards, my guess is not past the end of February.
Mar 25, 2013, 9:23 am
#39
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: YWG
Programs: Aeroplan, MileagePlus, Marriott Rewards
Posts: 2,159
Even in January there is a fair amount of availability on eastbound UA/US flights (with the odd LX), but virtually nothing on westbound. I haven't checked mid-week departures as I'd like to ideally keep travel on the weekend, but it is really frustrating how the system virtually forces you on to a scamcharge flight on the return.
United.com shows more or less the same thing... even in Jan 2014 the westbound saver flights in J are almost exclusively on AC/LH, except with no scamcharges
Mar 25, 2013, 12:43 pm
#40
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: YYZ
Programs: Nexus
Posts: 210
It is not the airlines, charging you these, it is Air Canada as the ticketing carrier.
Scamcharges are collected and pocketed by Air Canada on the following airlines:
AC
LH
NH
OZ
TG
OS
LO
TP
JP
SN
Matrix is generally accurate - however Aeroplan may break down the YQ by segment - For example if going SIN-BKK-NRT - Matrix will have YQ for the entire fare - but Aeroplan will charge you seperate YQ for each segment.
Scamcharges are collected and pocketed by Air Canada on the following airlines:
AC
LH
NH
OZ
TG
OS
LO
TP
JP
SN
Matrix is generally accurate - however Aeroplan may break down the YQ by segment - For example if going SIN-BKK-NRT - Matrix will have YQ for the entire fare - but Aeroplan will charge you seperate YQ for each segment.
Mar 25, 2013, 12:48 pm
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,309
For example, if you book YYZ-NRT-AKL on AC/NZ, they will pocket YQ for YYZ-AKL, not YYZ-NRT (for just the AC segment)
Mar 28, 2013, 9:45 am
#42
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3*G AC*nobody TK*nobody
Posts: 1,967
For instance, YYZ-ZRH-YYZ in economy (AC878/AC879)
booked on Aeroplan.com - total fees = CAD$586.66 + 60,000 miles
booked on United.com - total fees = USD$96.60 + 60,000 miles
This is for the exact same flights/dates, both are on AC metal. Why is AC not charging YQ to United, but is charging it to Aeroplan?
This makes no sense at all!
booked on Aeroplan.com - total fees = CAD$586.66 + 60,000 miles
booked on United.com - total fees = USD$96.60 + 60,000 miles
This is for the exact same flights/dates, both are on AC metal. Why is AC not charging YQ to United, but is charging it to Aeroplan?
This makes no sense at all!
Another whiskey tango foxtrot.... So in order to avoid scam charges, one has to make sure reward on airline that doesn't collect scamcharges? (e.g. taking UA to US first?)
Mar 28, 2013, 10:11 am
#43
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: YWG
Programs: Aeroplan, MileagePlus, Marriott Rewards
Posts: 2,159
If AC is truly the one levying the "fees" here, then why does it only levy them on AE rewards? Only AE customers get hosed for redeeming on AC flights, which is telling.
Mar 28, 2013, 10:58 am
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,309
And its not just AC flights - its WORLDWIDE.
At least with AE, you can still carefully hand pick your non-YQ flights.
Mar 28, 2013, 12:31 pm
#45
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: YWG
Programs: Aeroplan, MileagePlus, Marriott Rewards
Posts: 2,159
Anyway, it is nice to pick non-YQ flights, but a) what a PITA, and b) how much longer will that even last?