Wacky Tax Difference: Main vs. PE
Jan 24, 2024, 6:51 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
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Wacky Tax Difference: Main vs. PE
Can anyone explain this? I'm seeing so many other odd things lately with AA.com, but this one is really baffling:
Taxes for Main: $850 ...
Taxes for PE: $106 ...
Can anyone explain?
Taxes for Main: $850 ...
Taxes for PE: $106 ...
Can anyone explain?
Jan 24, 2024, 6:57 pm
#2
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When you search for a roundtrip award aa.com will often show wonky taxes on the outbound segment based on what flights are available on the return. Again once you click through and select flights they will normalize.
Jan 25, 2024, 8:10 am
#4
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Jan 25, 2024, 8:18 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2021
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Yes, and since these are award chart based, they are often way lower than equivalent fares on AA (just with the addition of hundreds in "carrier surcharges" - AA's mileage search engine defaults to picking the lowest available itinerary by number of miles needed, not taxes and fees, which is why on the outbound of a european round trip it often shows wacky numbers (for those of us who are unwilling to pay those surcharges on awards), as BA is often the lowest miles price.
Jan 25, 2024, 9:27 am
#6
Original Poster
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Thanks ... still seems odd that Main would be so much higher than PE ... I guess that means in this instance that no matter what Main return segment I would have chosen, it could only have been on BA TATL and thus would attract the super high tax? Terrible handling by the search engine in any case.
Jan 25, 2024, 9:47 am
#7
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Thanks ... still seems odd that Main would be so much higher than PE ... I guess that means in this instance that no matter what Main return segment I would have chosen, it could only have been on BA TATL and thus would attract the super high tax? Terrible handling by the search engine in any case.
Jan 25, 2024, 9:51 am
#8
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Not in this case: AA does not serve WAW, which means that even if AA is utilized for the TATL leg, the award will still price as a partner award.
Jan 25, 2024, 9:57 am
#9
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I just did a search for SFO-WAW as in OP's case, and even though both were at the same miles price, the taxes were much higher when using BA for the TATL segment vs AA. On the first search page, it showed the higher surcharge price return with BA TATL, which I'd argue shouldn't happen.
Jan 25, 2024, 10:08 am
#10
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I just did a search for SFO-WAW as in OP's case, and even though both were at the same miles price, the taxes were much higher when using BA for the TATL segment vs AA. On the first search page, it showed the higher surcharge price return with BA TATL, which I'd argue shouldn't happen.
By contrast, if you were to look for a JFK-LHR-JFK roundtrip with AA miles, you likely would have to pay more miles to fly AA rather than BA.
Jan 25, 2024, 10:14 am
#11
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My point was that, even though utilizing BA for the TATL leg will result in much higher fees (i.e., carrier surcharges) --and just slightly higher taxes, properly so called -- you will not have to pay any more miles if you can find an itinerary using AA miles for the TATL leg, since the itinerary will still price as a partner award (in miles).
By contrast, if you were to look for a JFK-LHR-JFK roundtrip with AA miles, you likely would have to pay more miles to fly AA rather than BA.
By contrast, if you were to look for a JFK-LHR-JFK roundtrip with AA miles, you likely would have to pay more miles to fly AA rather than BA.
AA still prioritizes BA for the TATL sector on a partner award, which results as the higher taxes/fees showing up by default, which shouldn't happen, but alas.
Jan 25, 2024, 10:20 am
#12
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"The Department’s new airfare advertising rule, which took effect on Jan. 26, 2012, requires every advertised price for air fares to state the entire price to be paid by consumers. This means that all mandatory government-imposed taxes and fees as well as mandatory carrier-imposed charges must be included in the advertised price the first time an airfare is presented to consumers." (Emphasis added.)
Source:
https://www.transportation.gov/brief...-free-airfares
Jan 25, 2024, 10:24 am
#13
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I wonder whether DOT regulations are what is causing AA to display the highest-possible cash component on the initial display:
"The Department’s new airfare advertising rule, which took effect on Jan. 26, 2012, requires every advertised price for air fares to state the entire price to be paid by consumers. This means that all mandatory government-imposed taxes and fees as well as mandatory carrier-imposed charges must be included in the advertised price the first time an airfare is presented to consumers." (Emphasis added.)
Source:
https://www.transportation.gov/brief...-free-airfares
"The Department’s new airfare advertising rule, which took effect on Jan. 26, 2012, requires every advertised price for air fares to state the entire price to be paid by consumers. This means that all mandatory government-imposed taxes and fees as well as mandatory carrier-imposed charges must be included in the advertised price the first time an airfare is presented to consumers." (Emphasis added.)
Source:
https://www.transportation.gov/brief...-free-airfares
The only other thing I can think of is the prioritization due to being at the same terminal for a BA to BA transfer at LHR (except in the cases where it isn't ofc), so it has fewer 'warnings' (Eg change terminal/airport, short/long connection, redeye, etc) on the itinerary.
Jan 25, 2024, 10:27 am
#14
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Please don't call this taxes. The taxes on the ticket don't change. The problem is the ripoff charges by BA on tickets that are supposed to be "free." Sadly, 3 consecutive DOTs have not taken any action against this behavior by BA.
Jan 25, 2024, 10:30 am
#15
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(Emphasis added.)
Actually, they do, but only slightly. "Free" tickets (i.e., those without any carrier surcharges) are exempt from some U.S. taxes/fees). But you are correct that the overwhelming portion of the higher cash component is attributable to the BA carrier surcharge.
Actually, they do, but only slightly. "Free" tickets (i.e., those without any carrier surcharges) are exempt from some U.S. taxes/fees). But you are correct that the overwhelming portion of the higher cash component is attributable to the BA carrier surcharge.