Hello all,

Just had a most frustrating experience with AA re-issuing an LONE5 into an LONE6. I won't get into all the details now, but there was one aspect of the story which I found particularly troubling:

As originally issued, my ticket contained a AA-coded sector JFK-HKG (obviously operated by CX). At the time of re-issue, however, the rate-desk specifically instructed the ticket agent to change this reservation for the CX-coded flight. (which I only noticed after re-ticketing, and had changed immediately back to the AA flight number).

The problem is that when the new fare calculation came back, in addition to the expected fare difference, it also included a significant increase in taxes/fees, which I gather is almost exclusively due to additional YQ charges. As the AA ticket agent didn't have access to the tax calculation (how this is possible, I'll never know), it was impossible for me to know which sectors attracted the YQ charge.

My suspicion, however, is that the rate-desk had the marketing carrier changed from AA to CX, in order to collect the CX fuel surcharge. If that's what happend, it's a particularly nasty trick, and one to which I'll object vociferously in a letter to AA. However, it's possible that I'm off on this... as the reroute also added some QF sectors, it's possible that the YQ surcharges are connected to those flights instead, and the CX-flight number is just a red herring.

So, my specific questions:

1) Do any of you know for which carriers and under what circumstances(operating, marketing, or other) does AA collect YQ charges on RTW tickets?

2) Is there any other reason you can think of why the rate-desk would insist on changing an AA-codeshare flight for a CX-coded flight?

Thanks much in advance,

Checkerboard

It has been suggested in the past that the fee that AA has to pay to CX for carrying someone on the codeshared flight might be greater than the revenue earned by AA for that part of the xONEx ticket.

A search brought up this post from nearly two years ago.

Perhaps someone in AA finally noticed?

My experience this year is that AA only charge YQ on flight operated by AA and only where applicable, not on flights of other carriers. Two LONE4 I purchased had no AA intercontinental segments and the total YQ charge was zero.

My experience in AONE3s purchased from AA in August is that AA does not collect YQ on CX coded and operated flights. Like serfty, with no AA intercontinental my YQ was zero.

For an AA codeshare number on a CX operated flight, CX gets the revenue because it operates the flight. Then, because it was sold under an AA flight number, CX pays AA a referral fee for the sale. This is one of the reasons that 1) there are relatively few AA codeshare numbers on CX flights, and 2) the AA codeshare inventory on any particular flight is usually lower, often much lower, than the CX inventory for the same flight (check this out on EF), -- CX doesn't want to pay and would rather try to sell the seats itself.

I had a similar last minute issue during a recent ticket issue

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=873791

Wow. I've just bought 2 LONE4s through the AA RTW desk, with one AA intercontinental segment (BOS-LHR) and another with an AA flight# but on QF metal (SYD-JFK). YQ totalled AUD515 (USD380 at the then exchange rate of A$1 = US$0.74).

Can this fuel fine all be on the one BOS-LHR flight? Seems very high if it is.
I have two other AA operated flights on this itinerary -JFK-BGI-BOS, which are 'over-water' but not intercontinental. Would these have any fuel fines?

ALSO FWIW there's a lot of chatter over on the AAdvantage Forum about possible changes to the Gold and Platinum challenges - possibly a fee and/or possibly more EQP needed. Rang AA last night and got myself and Mrs P onto the challenge under the current rules for our trip next month.

Hmmm, ITA tells me YQ on AA is:
SYD-JFK - USD120
BOS-LHR - USD151

YQ is charged on all AA coded overwater flights, including AA codeshares operated by partners. The AUD515 would include YQ for the SYD-JFK sector. YQ is not charged if booked on the QF flight code, for future reference.

Thanks for that QF009. Based on Sefty's post I should therefore have paid YQ of USD271, not USD380 - so I'm intrigued where the USD109 has gone

FWIW I deliberately chose the AA codeshare for SYD-JFK as I'm doing the platinum challenge (and since I'm also flying PER-SYD on an AA codeshare, I will get the 10,000EQP during the SYD-JFK flight and so get ~20,000 award miles for that flight^)