Award surcharges, fees, etc
 

I would love to see these disappear on all tickets, but especially awards and free tickets.
Is anyone doing anything organized to prevent them; what can be done to prevent them.

The reason there are so many is that the airlines are unwilling to include them in the base ticket cost for fear of making it look like they've increased fares. Some are true taxes, but others are fuel surcharges, navigation fees, airport security fees, etc.
The one that burns me is the NAV Canada fee of 56.00 per roundtrip. This fee is the costs the former federal department charges the airlines for running air traffic control, radar, etc. Isn't this a cost of doing business to the airlines ? Why pass it on to the consumers. Can you imagine Coca-Cola selling a 6-pack and adding an extra $1.50 for the plastic holder ?

This is basically a zero sum game.

Either the airlines can add all of these fees and taxes on to tickets at the end of the transaction, or they can just jack up fares to cover the costs.

There's no way the airlines can keep fares the same and just eat the $50-150 in fees and taxes - they just can't afford to do it, and there's no way they will.

You might try lobbying the government and local airports to lower their fees and taxes, but again, they need the money and will have to get it one way or another.

d

What I find interesting is how arbitrary these fees are on award tickets.
Within the last 16 months (all before 9/11), we have redeemed miles for travel on various airlines, and had very different fees assessed. Here is the breakdown...
Winter 2000: BA Club World to India, fees and taxes $20/ticket
Spring 2001: NW, Coach to SIN, taxes and fees $90/ticket. No expedited booking, etc.
Summer 2001: BA, First to India, taxes and fees $25.
Summer 2001: NW, WBC to India, taxes and fees $120 (very similar dates as above BA trip!)

Seems like NW is tacking on everything they possibly can, or BA is eating a bit of the costs.

It would be nice to see some uniform taxation. Pretty soon, the fees are going to exceed the actual fares!

I am specifically interested in free ticket awards.

Regarding purchased tickets, it would be much easier to compare if everything was included in the base price, too.



[This message has been edited by slow (edited 06-19-2002).]

There ain't any more free award tickets since they added the $10 September 11 security fee. Don't ya feel safer allready?

Well not exactly true. If they included all those fees in the fare, then the award ticket would truly be FREE. As it stands, you have to pay those fees on award tickets. I will have to pay $46 a ticket for "free" CO tix EWR-SCL. I did the same trip in 1999 and it truly was free. I dont know where all these came from. I know there is a $10 9/11 fee, but how did they get to $46?

[This message has been edited by quinella66 (edited 06-19-2002).]

The US government charges a fee for customs/immigration/agricultural inspection on all travellers leaving or entering the US. That has to be paid by everybody on a ticket issued within the US for travel originating in the US. Similarly, other countries have entry or exit fees which airlines generally collect and pass on the authorities. And of course, there are now the security fees levied in the US and Canada, and perhaps other countries. These must be paid by the airline on your behalf, and are charged back to you even on an Award ticket.

What is not included and does not have to be paid -- or is covered by the airline -- on an award ticket are the FAA charges, certain airport terminal fees [in the US, but not in Canada where they are added to the cost of an award ticket], fuel surcharges and the like. In Canada, the NAVCAN fee is a percentage of the ticket price, and thus is not charged on an award ticket. [It is based on airline revenue, not per passenger, and thus is not a factor in an award ticket.] Also, award tickets issued for travel into the US from abroad DO NOT include the US immigration/customs/ag fee. [Not sure why, but let's keep this one quiet so they don't decide to make us pay!]

Award tickets to the UK are also subject to an immigration fee based on the class of service flown, so if you have a F-Class or Concorde, you pay close to L25! Business is a bit less at around L15, while economy runs about L10. Of course, J/C and F/R do get expedited processing using Fast Track lines, so you are getting better service for the higher fee paid. [My recent Concorde ticket cost me US$28.90, US$25 representing the US immigration/customs/ag fee, and US$3.90 heaven only knows what. Since I connected onto a European-bound flight, I was not charged the UK immigration fee.]

I suppose I disagree with most here. It is not to be expected that the airline covers anything more than those costs related to getting you from point to point on an award ticket. The additional fees charged by governments and terminal operators are levied on the passenger, not the airline. The airline is merely a convenient collector. We, like every other passenger, should be paying these, even on "free" tickets. [Hey, US$28.90 for a return flight on the Concorde, and onward is a pretty good deal. As is US$1,300 if you got it through the INSIDE FLYER subscription promo.]

And quinella66, doesn't the Chilean government charge you an entry fee of US$25 or so when you get off the plane?

Yesterday I booked 4 NW roundtrip coach award tickets for my brother and his family (MCO-DTW-EWR - 105K miles)and was charged $10 per ticket ($40 total). I assume this is the post 9/11 security fees. There were no other taxes and fees. Last Thursday (6/13) I booked a 15K NW award ticket (PHL-MSP) and was charged $5 taxes and fees. How can one ascertain which taxes and/or fees to "do something about"?

Yes. They charge $45 to USA citizens, and similar amounts to citizens of Canada and (I think) Australia. Once you pay this once, they give you a stamped card to staple in your passport so you can use it without paying again for the life of the passport. The reason is because those aforementioned countries charge those same amounts for visas to Chileans going to those countries, so without requiring a visa, they just reciprocate the same fees to the countries that charge their citizens.