Avoiding Scamcharges
 

I've been reading extensively through this forum's history re: scamcharges. I'm currently planning a trip from YUL to Italy this summer (destination is Sicily, though I assume it's easiest to fly to Rome, at least until dates are firmed up). Obviously the aeroplan website is pretty useless. All the flight offerings are AC or Lufthansa, and feature about $600 in fees per ticket.

I've found flights on the United website (saver award level) that include total taxes and fees of about $85 per person per direction. I gather the next step would be to call Aeroplan and book those flights and pay the $30 fee. There's a potential hiccup, though, and I'm wondering if any members have some advice.

The flights that seem to work are offered via United's website but are operated by Lufthansa, which as we know charges sky-high scamcharges. If I book these flights will I be stuck paying the excess fees? Or will I only be charged the nominal amounts that United on its website?

I'd greatly appreciate any advice members may have, not limited to these questions - any suggestions on getting from YUL to Italy without spending 80% of the price of a ticket on fees (plus, you know, tens of thousands of points) would be greatly appreciated. Our plans are flexible enough that we can fly into one spot and out of another, and we are willing to make a bit of a detour (say to EWR) if it means big savings.

PS: I know Swiss is also an option, but I can't figure out how to find flights that would work - the aeroplan website only offers up AC and Lufthansa...

- There is a list of all the airlines with little or no YQ for rewards. Find flights on those airlines (LX, TK, UA..)

- Use what you learned in geography class and/or a map to find possible routes... what are the Star Alliance gateway cities between YUL and Italy (ORD, YYZ, FRA, WAW, ZRH, IST ..) and find flights from YUL to those places on AE. Intra Europe flights are generally quite easy to get, so you concentrate on the transatlantic hop.

- there are numerous posts on how to find reward flights using sites other than Aeroplan (UA, NH, award nexus..)

- UA members do not pay YQ on rewards, therefore their website never includes YQ. The fact that they charge only $85 for the reward is irrelevant, unless you are using UA miles to redeem that flight. If you fly LH using AE pts, you pay YQ.

You can't rely on United's site for tax purposes, only to find the routes with seats. You should be able to see the same seat on Aeroplan.com with the relevant tax in CAD

Swiss has VERY few seats available, you might have better luck searching day by day from Boston.

I was able to get YYZ-YUL-ZRH-FCO in J on Swiss for this April, but it was tough. (YYZ-YUL on AC) You're looking for summer so you're in tougher, you should have been looking a few months ago.

www.awardtravelr.com was useful for me as you can search a week at a time and filter the results.

Rome on Aeroplan
 

I booked a Business class Aeroplan seat to Rome departing Toronto in July, 2014 - last August. The taxes were horrific - $1,014. Final destination is Florence. Previously I have been able to book Toronto to Florence via Vienna on Austrian (operated by Tyrolean) for just under $600 in taxes, but this year I would have had to do a combo of LOT and a sub of Tyrolean. Taxes would have been $337 - with a full day stopover in Warsaw. I don't fly LOT and I will not be spending over 24 hours in Warsaw. I would only use the points on long-haul Business. I bought my husband a Flex ticket for the same price as my Aeroplan business ticket. I also will not book Business and Economy - usually that means Toronto to Montreal in Business and the rest in Economy.

Try out of JFK - I have seen availability for two seats on Singapore to FRA then LH to FCO, just over $215 in fees.

Honestly, I don't understand your thinking. I can see from the length of your stay that vacation time is not a problem for you. You could have booked a very nice hotel room in Warsaw and spend day in a beautiful city and still save money over flying AC. Not to mention that getting to Florence from Rome will still cost you money.

I booked 5 J seats YYZ-PHL-MAD-LIS-FCO for this summer. We are stopping in Spain for 1 week thus the routing. Check US Air before they leave *A, they seem to have decent flights available with no YQ. As others have already said, good luck. I booked these flights 330 days out for July.

Thanks to all those who provided advice. Ultimately, our dates were too tight to come up with anything that avoided or minimized YQ charges. Booked YUL-CTA (via MUN) on Luthansa and FCO-YUL direct on AC. Total for two economy class tickets: $1,274, or about $750 cheaper than purchasing tickets via AC's website.

Any tips on how to spend a 5:15 layover in Munich?

Trying to fly next year YYC to GVA and can't seem to avoid AC routings with the ridiculous scam charges. Checked on UA's award flight search tool and managed to find a UA-only routing, but I can't seem to replicate on AP's site. Help! (and thanks).

If you can see it on UA.com, it is likely available. But you'll have to call AP and have an agent book it for you... and pay the call fee.

I thought maybe I could call them. I hope they don't give me a hard time :(

Thanks, SFO777 ^

Are you sure you are looking at the blue "saver" invetory not the yellow inventory which is available to UA MP members only.

rankourabu - thank you...this is good to know. I was not aware of this. I will check back on the UA site and see whether that was yellow inventory. ^

I am going to make next year's trip to Geneva scamcharge free if it kills me :p

IIf the OP has no status, best advice is to forget about Aeroplan.

Of course one of the positive aspects of this year's changes is that FFs won't be subject to these anymore.

(Still, i wonder if that will survive into 2016.)