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ARCHIVE: Avoiding YQ Surcharge: AA award on BA / British (& Iberia - 2012-2016)

Old Feb 22, 2019, 9:45 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: JDiver
Help with British Airways / BA and IB / Iberia Surcharge / YQ (AA award on BA or IB)

Please see here for the current thread.
Using AAdvantage miles for awards using British Airways / BA generally* incurs very high carrier imposed surcharges / fees (BA charges their own BAEC flyers these for Avios redemptions as well). AA awards on IB incur considerably lower fees (~$50 one way transatlantic is quoted by one member, the link to travelisfree.com below gives a BA flight with $458 YQ, IB $96). One FTer claims $700 BA YQ fees for SAN-PRG return, which is not unusual). You are likely to find lots of availability on BA using the aa.com award booking facility.

Intra-European awards using BA have significantly lower carrier imposed charges; some members may find using AA or other partner transatlantic connecting to BA may be acceptable.

NOTE: Paying YQ may trigger a host of other taxes and fees otherwise not charged on awards that do not include carrier imposed surcharges such as YQ. Flights within the Americas are YQ exempt.

As this is still flying on an award, these carrier imposed surcharges do not qualify for EQM or EQD earning.

Be sure to read the oneworld and Other Airline (Partner) Awards info, rules 2014 on thread wiki for information on searching for and finding alternative flights or those not shown on aa.com, which airlines' websites can find those, etc.

Read more about BA Carrier Imposed Surcharges fuel surcharges on AA awards here (rrgg supplied most of these below:

Fuel Surcharge for AA award redemptions on BA are up - again.

Partner airline awards now bookable on AA.com (AB, AS, AY, BA, HA, HG, QF, RJ, US)

Does AA push most of its European Awards to BA to collect fuel surcharges?

Charts from TravelIsFree for the three alliances and how you will pay (or avoid) YQ: http://travelisfree.com/2014/04/15/m...surcharges-yq/

HELP DESK: MileSAAver / SAAver award questions, assistance

AA oneworld and Other Airline ("All Partner") Award information, rules (2015 on)

Originating a flight in the UK incurs an Air Passenger Duty, reduced for seats with less than 40" seat pitch (except those originating from originating in BFS / Northern Ireland, Scottish Highlands (INV) or Islands, and connections less than 24 hours do not incur UK Air Passenger Duty, though they do incur airport Passenger Service Charges). Separate topic, dealt with:

UK APD / Air Passenger Duty charged for UK departures (Master Thread); defines what the APD is in the wikipost.

Avoiding crazy UK "APD" taxes when transferring through LHR on separate tickets

*Note: BA now calls the YQ a "carrier imposed surcharge" after complaints about the so-called original "fuel surcharge" language. As of October 2017 BA seems to be calling the YQ an "
Insurance and Security Surcharge".
Print Wikipost

ARCHIVE: Avoiding YQ Surcharge: AA award on BA / British (& Iberia - 2012-2016)

Old May 24, 2012, 1:38 pm
  #61  
 
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Talking

[QUOTE=Xero;18635686]

What's next, advertise a $1 ticket but have a pilot surcharge, FA surcharge, jetway surcharge, lavatory surcharge, seat surcharge? And call them "taxes"?

Isn't that was Spirit does?
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Old May 24, 2012, 3:03 pm
  #62  
 
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Originally Posted by UA Fan
Umm, they could stop lying when they say that the 100K card is worth two tickets? They could give an estimate of the % of YQ to the average fare. Let's see how many people will sign up. I asked someone upthread of how many items have taxes and extras that comprises 75% of the main product? No reply so far. The common knowledge/expectation is that frequent fliers get free tickets.
If you use those avios to redeem on AA you won't pay the BA YQ.
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Old May 24, 2012, 3:10 pm
  #63  
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Originally Posted by mreed911
If you use those avios to redeem on AA you won't pay the BA YQ.
BA charges YQ on TATL AA flights.
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Old May 24, 2012, 4:59 pm
  #64  
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Originally Posted by mreed911
If you use those avios to redeem on AA you won't pay the BA YQ.
Eh ?

If you can escape the YQ on BA. AA IB thru LHR you would be a bigger magician than Houdini !

Also if you know how, I can use my Avios more efficiently.
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Old May 24, 2012, 5:10 pm
  #65  
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Originally Posted by UA Fan
And they are doing business in the US, so when they go around peddling their 100K card as two free tickets to Europe, it is deceptive. Most US based airlines don't charge YQ, so its reasonable for people to feel angered. What was that saying, "when in Rome..."

Welcome to the USA and to international business where one adapts to the surroundings.



Who is talking about them?



When in Rome,...
+1

Perhaps someone in US will go after this...the BA affiliated Chase cards (two offers out right now) Giving at least 100K Avios.
They talk about the 2-4-1 deals which are very attractive. But after putting together the required 270 K Avios for travel beyond LHR one finds out that a F ticket will incur additional charges of more than $2000.

Originally Posted by MauiTigerShark
I'm not sure where you get that idea from but you're throwing around "facts" that are simply not true. Frequent flyers may be aware of this issue with BA but if you stopped a leisure traveller in any UK high street and asked them about awards and redemptions the vast majority would not be aware that "free" can really mean you still have to pay in excess of 50% of what the ticket costs.
I agree. very few UK citizens know of the very high YQ.
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Old May 24, 2012, 5:23 pm
  #66  
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Its one thing to admit that YQ is here to stay and one might just try to make the best out of what one has. But I can't believe there are apologists who actually defend this practice. Find it weird that people love shelling out money for an "award" seat.

The most ludicrous argument was linking airline profitability to YQ. Yeah the YQ on a handful of seats per plane will swing any airline to profitability. Somehow they all managed to eke a life till YQ was introduced this past decade.
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Old May 24, 2012, 5:51 pm
  #67  
 
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I don't like YQ. Somehow it doesn't quite pass my smell test. Perhaps someday a regulator somewhere significant will ban it, but we seem to be stuck with it for the time being.

Unfortunately, I'd be very surprised if there have not been internal discussions at AA HQ as to whether to introduce the same thing. Perhaps they are just waiting for someone else to make the first move?
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Old May 24, 2012, 8:21 pm
  #68  
 
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Originally Posted by hillrider
Instead of the hugely profitable US market, right?
source: http://www.airlines.org/Pages/The-Pr...-Airlines.aspx
Never Knew BA was an American Airline
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Old May 24, 2012, 9:14 pm
  #69  
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Originally Posted by Random Flyer
I don't like YQ. Somehow it doesn't quite pass my smell test. Perhaps someday a regulator somewhere significant will ban it, but we seem to be stuck with it for the time being.

Unfortunately, I'd be very surprised if there have not been internal discussions at AA HQ as to whether to introduce the same thing. Perhaps they are just waiting for someone else to make the first move?
I think DL will be the first to permanently implement it. They already played with it once in 2006/7? Tried to charge $50 on domestic redemptions.
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Old May 25, 2012, 6:42 am
  #70  
 
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Originally Posted by UA Fan
I think DL will be the first to permanently implement it. They already played with it once in 2006/7? Tried to charge $50 on domestic redemptions.
Agreed that if anyone makes the move it will be DL. They love leading the race to the bottom.
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Old May 25, 2012, 6:49 am
  #71  
 
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In some instances they are sneaky ways to get around taxes. That is something that should make governments sit up and take notice and then outlaw YQ.

It has also been a technique for false advertising when it comes to revenue flights, pretending that the flight is cheaper than it reallly. This shell game of decoupling one part of the fare from the rest of it and then hiding it on the tax line is simply dishonest to all concerned.


Originally Posted by Globehopper
Funny how the EU regularly take US companies to task for services rendered in Europe--Google and Microsoft come to mind.

Or,

one could argue that by establishing a physical presence in the US, these foreign companies now fall under local laws.

Either way, YQs are deceptive.

If they weren't, why have them today?

If YQ are so above board, get rid of them and just lump them into the ticket price. What's BA afraid of? After all YQs date back to the days when airlines paid a commission to travel agents, and this was a sneaky way to reduce the "base fare" and thereby the amount of the commission paid.

Or we could have YQQ (seat cushion surcharge), YQX (staffing surcharge), YQW (aircraft tire surcharge). Why stop at fuel?
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Old May 25, 2012, 6:56 am
  #72  
 
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Originally Posted by Globehopper
Yes, you avoid the BA Bahksheesh for the long haul flight by flying AA, but get stiffed for the BA Bahsheesh for the shorter flight. Fortunately it is a lower amount.

If your flight at LHR is a connection (as opposed to a stopover), you should also be able to avoid the APD scam.

To achieve this do you have to go with ba.com or aa.com ?

How do you get to mix and match airlines to avoid the <expletive> TAX that ba charges?
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Old May 25, 2012, 9:53 am
  #73  
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Originally Posted by UA Fan
Its one thing to admit that YQ is here to stay and one might just try to make the best out of what one has. But I can't believe there are apologists who actually defend this practice. Find it weird that people love shelling out money for an "award" seat.

The most ludicrous argument was linking airline profitability to YQ. Yeah the YQ on a handful of seats per plane will swing any airline to profitability. Somehow they all managed to eke a life till YQ was introduced this past decade.
Yes I agree. There is a school of thought that YQ at BA is "OK". Matter of fact some say if you don't like it, fly another airline.

If someone does an opinion poll, I am sure a majority of the flying public will say No to ideas of YQs!
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Old May 25, 2012, 9:57 am
  #74  
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Originally Posted by Carolinian
Agreed that if anyone makes the move it will be DL. They love leading the race to the bottom.
Maybe not ? Now that they own a refinery, someone, an AG or a Congess member will want to make headlines denouncing it !
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Old May 25, 2012, 11:31 am
  #75  
 
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Originally Posted by JaguarBest
To achieve this do you have to go with ba.com or aa.com ?

How do you get to mix and match airlines to avoid the <expletive> TAX that ba charges?

1. For award travel, fly on actual AA aircraft to/from your destination, as far as possible. Problem is AA has relatively few European destinations and zero African destinations.

This avoids BA and their nasty YQs for the TATL bit.

2. Since AA can only take you so far, look for a non BA partner that doesn't charge YQ to get you the rest of the way.

Even consider paying for the onward ticket. I've used paid BA flights (such as LHR to PRG), or flown on other carriers such as LH (paid) or Easy Jet or Ryan Air. It depends on what works out cheaper and is best use of miles.

If you are connecting at LHR you should be exempt from APD. If you make a stopover, you're stuck with APD.
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