rankourabu

Air Canada Aeroplan has started charging YQ on LH/OS flights in addition to AC flights.

This means that MP remains perhaps the only FFP that does not charge any YQ (next to US DM)

How long is the free ride gonna last?

amartin1979

If they start charging for "free" tickets, I'm out of here.

That's the last straw between all the latest Mileage Plus downgrades and the continual inflation of the number of miles required for award travel.

A "free" ticket isn't free if they start tacking on every surcharge under the sun. My understanding is that the surcharges on British Airways tickets are large enough that the cost of an award ticket rivals the cost of purchasing a discount ticket outright. In that case, what's the point?

Besides, I doubt that they would go down this road in the USA, since the credit card companies get a lot of marketing value out of advertising how you can use a mileage branded credit card to earn "free" tickets. They advertise "free tickets," not "discounted tickets."

YQ surcharges are not likely to ever go away, in fact they are just likely to get larger over time as energy costs continue to inflate. Therefore pretending that they are temporary surcharge is disingenuous. It is really just the airline trying to pass along the cost of doing business as a separate free and hope people don't notice.

rankourabu

AA/AS already charge YQ on BA awards
DL charges YQ on most partners as well.

Its only a matter of time.

sbm12

I thought DL only changed it for trips originating outside the USA, not based on the carrier flown.

amartin1979

Apparently the Air Canada Aeroplan changes were implemented with ZERO notice. So if a formerly "free" transoceanic award flight on a Star Alliance carriers begins costing $600 overnight, I would consider that a 90% devaluation of my accumulated miles. It would pretty much kill the game of collecting frequent flier points, at least for me.

star_world

If you're redeeming miles for trips in Y then yes, I absolutely agree. But for trips in C / F it is an annoyance, rather than a disaster, IMO given the "value" of the ticket you are buying with miles. It is actually surprising that it has lasted as long as it has.

bdraco

I'd venture to guess there are more redemptions in Y then F/C. This one is a deal breaker for me. Good news for UA as it means I'll be switching everything I flew on AC to them where possible.

N1120A

If they started charging fuel surcharges on these tickets, the airlines might get in big trouble with the FTC and/or Congress. One of the few things the current Congress could agree on was that they would nail the airlines if they started getting any crazier with fees.

Jaimito Cartero

I don't believe that this is accurate.

NCommander

On redemption* outside the US they do (its listed as a forgein origination tax or some other BS like that).

I can confirm that as recently as July though that there was no YQ on DL operated J tickets (yes, I actually did manage to score one)

* - might only apply to DL metal

Jaimito Cartero

Again, wrong. I have booked award tickets in the 2.5 million mile range over the last few years. There are specific rules to when the IOS is charged.

Originating in Europe, then usually, yes. Israel connecting to Europe and then US, on AF or KL, yes.

South America, Africa, Asia, Australia do not charge anything extra except for a few airlines with YQ, such as MH, V Australia and one or two Chinese airlines.

DL sucks in many ways, but this type of misinformation is rampant. Gleff just posted some similar stuff in his blog, just this week.

AAExPlat

I just recently did the math with an EXP agent, and we figured that the cost of a mileage ticket for DFW-LHR-NBO-LHR-DFW would be ~$500 if I use AA TATL and about $1000 if I use BA TATL. So for a family of four, redeeming would be 340,000 miles and $2,000 in Y. Absurd. This should be illegal.

CLTF

I agree, BA are literally con-men

"surcharges" which oddly dont = the same amount for PAID tickets....
hoe on earth can tax be more on a free ticket? ....

I agree C class for the same price as Y is nice, but not a "great deal"

I hate the executive club for that but ive got tons of miles earned through BA flying over the years (before they had surcharges)...so im stuck

but it is gross and the snobs from the UK in the BAEC forum like to america bash whenever they can if anyone complains.

if you ask me, they are jelous chase didnt offer them 100k!

GTHCGTH

And the grass is greener where?

amartin1979

Perhaps I just won't fly as often as I do now. Or when I do fly, I'll just choose the cheapest fare rather than going out of my way to spend extra $$ to fly a preferred carrrier.