Mental taxes? (LONE4)
 

Just got my Lone4 quoted, 1740 GBP!
Base price is 1319 GBP so we're talking over 400 GBP, is that reasonable?

I guess since it's taxes it aint worth looking at another RTW option cause all will be the same or?

What was your final routing? It maybe seems a little high but nothing out of the ordinary. And who priced it? Unfortunately, you're probably going to run into a few problems. Although you pay less in London because you're in coach, you still will pay all the fuel surcharges throughout the journey. Most, if not all, are based on the flight and not on the class. So a first class ticket might pay the same $50 as a coach class ticket. But since the coach is lower in fare, it's a higher, and therefore more shocking, percentage of the total.

Actually, where you buy the ticket from can make a lot of difference for taxes; which airline quoted GBP400 in taxes?

Dave

Care to expand on that Dave. I though taxes were, pretty well by definition, 'set' - other than some agents missing them on occasions. Fuel Surcharges though - I've heard some don't charge, and codeshares can make a difference as well - you pay the surcharge according to the code you book under rather than the metal??? A heads up would be most appreciated. :)

I just booked a LONE4

LHR-ORD-HNL-SYD-MEL-HBA-MEL-PER-SIN-LHR

Not the most complex itinery admittedly, but the taxes on this were only GBP90.40 from AA

Dave

Some starting points also charge local sales taxes and ticket issuance taxes that other starting points don't charge. I believe Egypt is one of these places.

I was quoted taxes and surcharges totalling EGP5533 on a EGP13590 LONE4 fare, or over 40% extra by BA in Cairo.

I am trying to find out why. The routing given was
CAI-LHR-YYZ-CUN-DFW-DEN-LAX-MEL-AKL-ZQN-SYD-JNB-CPT...NBO-LHR-CAI

I know that DFW, LAX had been priced as stops when they were only transits, but I would not have thought it would make that much difference. Another thought was QANTAS fuel surcharges on LAX-MEL-AKL-ZQN-SYD-JNB.

So in the last hour the ticket office was open before my daughter flew out of Cairo
(a) some optional sectors were removed so the ticket read
CAI-LHR-YYZ-ORD-DEN-LAX-MEL-SYD-JNB-CPT...NBO-LHR-CAI
(b) the agent was asked to ensure LAX was a transit not a stop
(c) SYD was made a transit
(d) MEL-AKL was changed from QF to AA

The price went down about US$320 to 27%, which still seems high.

We have no idea which of the four changes made were significant and which were not. We also do not know what changes could have been made to decrease the taxes further.

A particularly important issue is what effect changing LAX-MEL from QF to AA would have. She will lose about $80 or so of QFF points with that change but did not have time with the agent to modify one thing at a time to see whether that change was a net winner or loser.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any comments or insight.

I just paid 2979 EGP in tax on an AONE4 ticket ex-CAI written on AA stock. ReelChief paid 5880 EGP in taxes on his AONE4 ticket ex-CAI on BA stock.

I have been told anecdotally that the fuel surcharges are determined by the ticketing airline, rather than by airline chosen for each sector.

Your daughter should be able to switch airlines on any sector on her ticket at no cost after ticketing. Thus, she should be able to switch her MEL-AKL flight now written on AA back to QF. I flew AKL-SYD last month, using a ticket coupon for LA. QF excepted it without even a stop at their ticket counter.

Also, she should have been given a detailed breakdown of the fees that she paid. This is important when she is traveling, should an airline want to see if a country's exit tax has been paid (for example). LAN is particularly vigilant about this. For the ticket I've just picked up, I have a breakdown of the fees I've paid stapled to each coupon receipt - a very useful practice by the agent.

That's fine, but without knowing Reelchief's itinerary, this is a bit like comparing apples with oranges. This site can be useful in working out what charges are applicable where. Perhaps you're going on cheaper airlines through cheaper airports than Reelchief??

E.g. yes, BA's fuel surcharge seems to be $55, with AA's at $25. But this should be reflected in the ticket surely, regardless of who issues it? Or is your point that BA are applying a BA style fuel surcharge regardless of the airline chosen for that sector?

BA charge fuel surcharges on top of quoted fares, AA includes them within the fare. In a OWE ticket, the fare is set the same regardless so with BA and QF you will be slugged for fuel surcharges all over whilst with AA they are not added.

It is the same as why the "taxes" on award tickets on QF using QF points cost a hell of a lot more than an award ticket using AA points . I have seen differences of over GBP100 for the same fairly straightforward itinery quoted from QF and AA

Dave

I just commenced a 20 segment DONE4 from CMB in Sri Lanka. This was ticketed in September by the Cathay Pacific agent in Columbo just before the last raise in Fuel Levies.

The actual fare breakdown was:LKR100 is about USD1 so that's taxes of USD761.50 (~AUD1000)

Damn, didn't know that, I think finding FT the day after I paid my ticket was very stupid, I could have lived in ignorance, not knowing about MR and which FFP was the best (I did change FFP to AA though for a PLAT challenge) and how much money I would have saved...

I booked ARN-MAD-SCL-GRU//GIG-SCL-IPC-SCL-AKL//CHC-SYD-CNS-NRT//KIX-HKG-SIN-BKK-HEL-ARN with STA Travel in Sweden, who uses BA as ticketing agent. For this I paid the basic fare for LONE4: 1600GBP/2750USD. On top of that, I paid taxes/surcharges of 500GBP/900USD. Also no e-ticket on SCL-AKL so I got all of the tickets in paper, TA said they cannot put some on the card and the rest in paper :(
Now, did I pay too much? I don't know, but I am sure I did pay what BA wanted me to pay.

Methinks that you'd have paid significantly less with AA ... Perhaps rebook and get old ticket refunded

Dave

Is it possible to buy a xONE4 ex Australia on AA ticket stock?
e.g. making AA your carrier for Transatlantic (and for North America).

I've just been to get a LONE4 quote from a trailfinders shop, routing LHR-NRT-HKG-BKK// SIN-PER-ASP-CNS-SYD-AKL-HNL-SFO//LAX-LAS-ORD-YYZ-BOS,JFK-LHR and was quoted £423 in taxes. Is it worth me trying to get a quote from AA? Are the taxes likely to be a lot less?