Award tax and fee craziness (pricing error)
 

I priced Avios flights WAW-LHR-YYC and YYZ (Canada). On pure Econ tkt about $211 cad for both destinations. But I want first segment in club so had to call in. Calgary agent prices at $211 for Club/Econ. Then Toronto prices at $304! All Econ to Toronto prices $304 by agent (was $211 online). Sent to rates and rates confirms $304! No way to speak to rates, just basic agent who can barely understand she works for an airline :).

Is there a solution to this? Is the online tax quote correct? Do I buy the $304 and complain for months or is there a better workaround?

Please help :)

By first segment in club do you just mean the WAW-LHR flight?

Are you looking at WAW-LHR-YYC and YYZ return or one way?

Avios taxes and fees are frequently all over the place, so it may have been a case of the $211 taxes and fees increasing when you would come to pay.

As to the legitimacy of those 'fees' on reward flights, I think that's a separate discussion...

2 tickets from WAW, one ending Calgary the other Toronto, both one way. We all know the fees are not legitimate but that’s not the issue here. There is an irreconcilable discrepancy that no one can explain.

Goal is Club for both tkts to London only, then economy. No stops on either.

The fees are not legitimate???

Also have you done a dummy revenue booking on ba,com? For a one way WAW-LHR-YYZ the taxes/fees/charges in Y on itamatrix are:

United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge Departures (UB) CA$40.10
Poland Airport Tax (XW) CA$20.70
Poland Passenger Service Charge (ND) CA$0.30
Carrier-imposed surcharge (YQ) CA$243.40
------------------------------------------
Total CA$304.50

I cross checked this with a dummy revenue booking on ba.com and oddly it shows a lower YQ of CA$149 so a total TFC of CA$210.

Also for a reward booking in Y I get:

Passenger Service Charge - United Kingdom GBP 23.61
Passenger Service Charge - Poland GBP 0.20
Airport Tax - Poland GBP 12.20

Carrier imposed charge GBP 88.50
--------------------------------------------
Total GBP 124.51 (=CA$210)

I am not sure where itamatrix seems to be pulling a wrong YQ from, but looking at ba.com it seems the TFC for a Y reward WAW-LHR-YYZ should be around CA$210.

Right, managed to price up a reward WAW-LHR-YYZ on ba.com with the WAW-LHR in CE and LHR-YYZ in WT and the TFC is:

Passenger Service Charge - United Kingdom GBP 23.61
Passenger Service Charge - Poland GBP 0.20
Airport Tax - Poland GBP 12.20
Carrier imposed charge GBP 88.50
--------------------------------------------
Total GBP 124.51 (=CA$210)

It seems to be correct on ba.com for a reward - why don't you just book it on ba.com? If you choose stopover but select the same day for the two flights it will allow you to pick CE for the short haul and WT for the long haul.

wonderful advice, had no idea I could do one segment in J online!

Got it all booked on line at $211. Thanks folks. The phone agents at BA are truly dreadful with anything but the simplest tasks. This should have been easy to fix.