Huge increase in taxes and fees?
Feb 14, 2019, 10:05 am
#16
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
), the OP isn't speaking to the public. S/he is amongst friends here. If you don't wish to go through the booking process, you can get a full breakdown on the taxes, fees, and surcharges via the ITA matrixI would sooner see a breakdown right in front of you for transparency's sake. BEsides with scarcity of award seats one is afraid to switch screens to dive into ITA lest the space will be gone by the time they return.
Feb 14, 2019, 10:17 am
#17
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA Lifetime Gold 1.8mm, IC Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold et al
Posts: 4,350
IME the majority of agents use the term “taxes” and I have the clear impression that most of those honestly believe that’s what the charges are.
Feb 14, 2019, 11:28 am
#18
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth WA/ UK
Programs: BA Gold, Priority Club Gold, Accor Silver, Virgin Australia Gold
Posts: 1,750
Can I be reminded or linked to rationale behind the BA costs on redemption being relatively high ex UK compared to say that of AA ex UK...on an award booking? 😊
Feb 14, 2019, 12:05 pm
#19
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
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Posts: 50,262
Which is why BA referring to these surcharges as taxes, even as a short-hand method of dealing with a caller, is so insidious. A reasonable person might well presume that taxes are taxes. But, if described as BA's own fees, one might check around a bit only to find that one may fly for a lot less on AA.
Feb 14, 2019, 3:07 pm
#21
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: JAX
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It doesn't help that the major GDSs (Amadeus, Travelport, Sabre) STILL abbreviate the individual amounts as TAX on agents screens even when it really should be TFC as I mentioned a few posts back.
So no, agents don't 'believe' that YQ goes to the government, but they don't seem to understand that calling it a tax isn't correct.
It's just so very easy to do.
It's sort of like calling all cola drinks 'Coke' - it isn't right, and it has legal implications, but people do it without thinking about it.
Feb 14, 2019, 11:14 pm
#22
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA Lifetime Gold 1.8mm, IC Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold et al
Posts: 4,350
Yes, that describes my views rather better than the way I expressed them. I don't believe agents are consciously misleading callers, more a case of what you and another poster have referred to as "shorthand" for what is actually a multi facetted charge..
Last edited by Blueboys999; Feb 14, 2019 at 11:46 pm
Feb 15, 2019, 3:33 am
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 363
To be fair I know that most of the money goes directly to BA and mea culpa I was being lazy referring to them as taxes and fees. For me getting two first class returns for less than £2k inc. BA’s fees, Amex card fee and buying top up Avios is well worth it. I have friends who are not so airline savvy (and who don’t want advice) that will pay about that for two economy returns!