Are fares usually cheaper on AA.com ??

[Dave Noble]

There seems to be no change from what I can see

Picking one day at random on SYD_MEL

The lowest supersaver on qantas.com is $163

On AA.com the S fare is USD108.10 which converts to $145.20

The lowest fare being offered by qantas.com is $121 for the O class red-e-deal and $138 for the N class one. aa.com does not offer the red-e-deal fares

For those crediting to AA, my suggestion is to buy the O class from qantas.com when it is available since it is cheap and earns miles; if the N class red-e-deal is available then skip and but from AA ( $145 vs $138 ) to get the miles

If the lowest available on Qantas is supersaver or above, aa.com wins

Dave

 

[opusman]

To clarify what I have gathered from this thread and my own experience, the cheapest AA.com QF fares are not necessarily cheaper than the cheapest fares from Qantas themselves (perhaps the thread title is misleading

Instead, the cheapest AA.com fare is upgradeable, and is cheaper than the cheapest upgradable fare from Qantas.

 

[NM]

To clarify what I have gathered from this thread and my own experience, the cheapest AA.com QF fares are not necessarily cheaper than the cheapest fares from Qantas themselves (perhaps the thread title is misleading

The thread title is a question, not a statement. How can it be misleading?

 

[opusman]

Well that's what the is for!

 

[Soundguy]

For those crediting to AA, my suggestion is to buy the O class from qantas.com when it is available since it is cheap and earns miles; if the N class red-e-deal is available then skip and but from AA ( $145 vs $138 ) to get the miles

So with the red-e-deals the very cheapest is O and the next up in price is N (which is to be avoided)? I wish there was a more positive way to identify QF's discount economy classes.....

The flights I checked did appear to me to be more expensive but perhaps it is related only to the different fare classes as you point out. Because the aa.com fares have no GST they should be that much cheaper for a start.

 

[Dave Noble]

So with the red-e-deals the very cheapest is O and the next up in price is N (which is to be avoided)? I wish there was a more positive way to identify QF's discount economy classes.....

The flights I checked did appear to me to be more expensive but perhaps it is related only to the different fare classes as you point out. Because the aa.com fares have no GST they should be that much cheaper for a start.

It is annoying that they do not make it easier to distinguish. I tell by looking at the prices and trying to find the 2 red-e-deal prices

If you were comparing the fare that AA was offering vs a red-e-deal fare then it would likely be more and if it was more than a few dollars on a short route like SYD-MEL was probably because it was O class.

The O class fare seems to be a web fare available from QF only and doesn't appear on fare lists looking in expert flyer and the N class fare has a rule that says it is only for sale in AU or NZ. The 1st fare that is available for sale worldwide is the S class fare (SPXI) which is why that is the lowest offered by AA.

Due to the fact that the GST is only to be charged when the ticket is issued with Australia, AA fares should always be at least 9% cheaper than the equivalent issued by QFs website

Dave

 

[QF WP]

Okay, a real live example on whether QF or AA is cheaper. Both prices were using the AA and QF websites last night, as Dave Noble and I plotted the best way for me to finish my AA Plat Challenge by 15 July.

I have two trips next week, one to SYD and the other to MEL. As I'm sitting on 6,853 EQP's (need 10K to complete Plat Challenge) and mileage earning for these flights are minimum 500 EQP's. I needed a little tweaking on the fllights - so it's BNE/SYD/BNE and BNE/SYD/MEL/SYD/BNE. I also needed to find one sector as a Business Class sector to top off the EQP earning to more than 10K. It also had to fit into my schedule (departure and arrival times) and cost (although I'll be salary sacrificing some of the costs that are above my expense account limits). Amounts below from AA web site have been converted to AUD for easy comparison.

BNE/SYD in S class was $151 on AA, QF was $171 ($20 saved)
SYD/BNE in S class was $151 on AA, QF was $171 ($20 saved)
BNE/SYD in L class and SYD/MEL in S class were $330 on AA, QF was $376 ($46 saved)
MEL/SYD in W class was $293 on AA, QF was $328 ($35 saved)
SYD/BNE in D class was $424 on AA, QF was $474 ($50 saved)

Total saved = $171 (the exact cost of an S class BNE/SYD).

Dave Noble was able to confirm along the way (as I chose flights) whether there was U seat availability using ExpertFlyer. Time to spend my QFF points as I have enough to burn. So after making the booking on the AA website, I rang QF Platinum Desk and relieved myself of 24,000 points (3 x 8K) for the initial BNE/SYD/BNE sectors (they were showing U3 and U9 respectively) as well as SYD/MEL (showed U8).

All bookings only show my AA FF number, but upgrade points burned through my QFF account. Thes best of both worlds. Now I don't need to worry about poor seat asssignment on most of my flights (is there a bad seat in J :?: )

We could have done it by ICQ or MSN and that would have saved me the telephone call cost (but work pays). It'll also cost me the price of a meal for Dave on Monday night in SYD. Well worth it IMO.

 

[NM]

Dave Noble was able to confirm along the way (as I chose flights) whether there was U seat availability using ExpertFlyer. Time to spend my QFF points as I have enough to burn. So after making the booking on the AA website, I rang QF Platinum Desk and relieved myself of 24,000 points (3 x 8K) for the initial BNE/SYD/BNE sectors (they were showing U3 and U9 respectively) as well as SYD/MEL (showed U8).

It will be interesting to see how AA posts these flights. My international upgrades (via the waitlist process, so not the same) showed on AA as P class and paid the F miles. So if the upgrades show a business class to AA you may score some extra miles and EQPs.

Of course the risk is that QF will send it through to AA as U and they will assume it was an award flight and pay nothing and you will need to call to have it adjusted. So keep an eye on it when it posts.

We could have done it by ICQ or MSN and that would have saved me the telephone call cost (but work pays). It'll also cost me the price of a meal for Dave on Monday night in SYD. Well worth it IMO.

Its worth a BBQ dinner every now and then as well (with the added benefit of some good company of course ). And anyone bringing Jaffa Cakes is always welcome .

 

[Soundguy]

Thanks for the example Lindsay, that's interesting.

Am I correct in believing that (if seeking ultimate low cost) you could have booked QF O class red-e-deal fares cheaper (subject to availability) but that these are not upgradable where the S class fares booked via aa.com are? I understand they both earn 0.5 AA points per mile, but you get a 500 point minimum per flight?

Also I see a further saving in that I think aa.com don't charge a CC fee where QF add A$4.40 per person on domestic flights now.

BTW just curious, does the lack of GST / tax invoice present a problem for you seeing as you are travelling for business? Meaning that I could normally claim back the GST portion of a QF booked flight making the aa.com savings somewhat less. However the upgradability is a significant bonus if I understand that part correctly.

 

[Soundguy]

I guess what I am saying is that (subject to availability) if you wanted the very cheapest deal you could book an O class red-e-deal on the QF website BNE to SYD at A$113 + $4.40 CC fee = A$117.40 with about $10.70 claimable as GST. Therefore a real business cost of around A$107 - but not upgradable with FF points.

Then you credit this to AAdvantage and get 0.5 points per mile with a minimum 500 points, just the same as the aa.com booked S class flight which cost you A$151; the only real advantage being the latter is upgradable (only an advantage if you plan to upgrade) but actually around $44 more. Or am I doing something wrong here? It does seem the higher classes have a more significant saving when booked on aa.com

 

[opusman]

I guess what I am saying is that (subject to availability) if you wanted the very cheapest deal you could book an O class red-e-deal on the QF website BNE to SYD at A$113 + $4.40 CC fee = A$117.40 with about $10.70 claimable as GST. Therefore a real business cost of around A$107 - but not upgradable with FF points.

One thing to consider is that the red e-deal fares are not always available unless you're booking a long way ahead. So if you have the situation where O fares are not available at all from QF, the S fare from AA may very well be cheaper (due to lack of GST) than anything direct from QF.

I think a good summing up is "YMMV"

 

[QF WP]

It will be interesting to see how AA posts these flights. My international upgrades (via the waitlist process, so not the same) showed on AA as P class and paid the F miles. So if the upgrades show a business class to AA you may score some extra miles and EQPs.

Of course the risk is that QF will send it through to AA as U and they will assume it was an award flight and pay nothing and you will need to call to have it adjusted. So keep an eye on it when it posts.

NM, I am hoping for the former explanation, as that's what happened to both my upgraded Y to J trips PER/ADL and ADL/BNE. Let's see how the information is given from QF to AA. Of course, much easier to prove the fare purchased as it's booked via AA.com; so they know what I actually paid for. The booking above was done throuhg Flight Centre and QF; so perhaps that's the reason.

Its worth a BBQ dinner every now and then as well (with the added benefit of some good company of course ). And anyone bringing Jaffa Cakes is always welcome .

Indeed, the BBQ dinner was excellent, the selection of beers wide ranging and cold, while the company convivial.

 

[QF WP]

Thanks for the example Lindsay, that's interesting.

That's why I thought I'd give live examples, so people here on AFF can see that it can be done and quite easily - not much harder than booking on the QF site. The biggest point of differentiation is checking the fare basis when one has selected a flight.

Am I correct in believing that (if seeking ultimate low cost) you could have booked QF O class red-e-deal fares cheaper (subject to availability) but that these are not upgradable where the S class fares booked via aa.com are? I understand they both earn 0.5 AA points per mile, but you get a 500 point minimum per flight?

Not sure whether there was any O class availability on any flight at this late stage - certainly the W fare was the lowest available (on a Fri night from MEL, understandable). However, even if there was O class available, I wouldn't have booked it as you said - not upgradeable.

Also I see a further saving in that I think aa.com don't charge a CC fee where QF add A$4.40 per person on domestic flights now.

Indeed, just another of those surcharges that I missed paying...

BTW just curious, does the lack of GST / tax invoice present a problem for you seeing as you are travelling for business? Meaning that I could normally claim back the GST portion of a QF booked flight making the aa.com savings somewhat less. However the upgradability is a significant bonus if I understand that part correctly.

Hasn't yet, as I am purchasing the product (airline tickets for flights) from an overseas company (AA.com) that doesn't have to produce Tax Invoices. I put the information in my Expenses Report with No GST payable. I had explained to my Financial Controller what I am doing, that's it's legal and they have no trouble with me doing it. We have the confirmation email from AA.com that proves everything from their perspective.

I guess what I am saying is that (subject to availability) if you wanted the very cheapest deal you could book an O class red-e-deal on the QF website BNE to SYD at A$113 + $4.40 CC fee = A$117.40 with about $10.70 claimable as GST. Therefore a real business cost of around A$107 - but not upgradable with FF points.

Then you credit this to AAdvantage and get 0.5 points per mile with a minimum 500 points, just the same as the aa.com booked S class flight which cost you A$151; the only real advantage being the latter is upgradable (only an advantage if you plan to upgrade) but actually around $44 more. Or am I doing something wrong here? It does seem the higher classes have a more significant saving when booked on aa.com

You're correct. Horses for courses - I wanted the option of additional flexibility for upgrading. My business can afford to give me that flexibility (I'm in a family business, so certain perks come as standard in the role - like I am the Director in charge of our Travel Policy - what I say, goes )

 

[NM]

- like I am the Director in charge of our Travel Policy - what I say, goes )

Hmm, some words come to mind (in no particular order): chicken fox coupe in charge ... .

 

[Dave Noble]

There was no O or N class availability on any of the sectors.

S was the cheapest option

Dave

 

[Soundguy]

There was no O or N class availability on any of the sectors.

S was the cheapest option

Fair enough.

On the aa.com booking I made about a month back the price was actually considerably cheaper than the QF red-e-deal O class. This appears not to be the case any more which is why I felt the aa.com prices had risen. But I havn't researched this much and Lindsays example above seems fairly clear that the saving is quite class dependant; will check it out when I next book domestic flights.

 

[Norge]

Hello, This is my first post. I have just been reading the great info regarding AA/QF cheaper flights. Can anyone tell me which site would give me the best fare from tyo to hnl. Thanks.

 

[Mal]

Can anyone explain this?

Did a check on some prices for an international flight with Qantas.

EF shows Q class at £390++ (GBP used for comparison's sake!)
AA shows a booking in Q class at £490++
Zuji shows a booking in Q class at £389++

All fares are using the exact same booking class and fare rules.

Now this is where it gets interesting.

Total prices:
AA - £559.10
Zuji - £563

(Keep in mind that the GBP conversions are only approximate).

It appears that AA has priced my flight at the base fare+fuel surcharges in the base fare, and then added on other taxes bringing the cost to the same as I would have got through Zuji et.al. The fuel surcharges would have been roughly £100 for the fare.

Very interesting I think... Have things changed?

 

[Soundguy]

Yet another aa.com question if you can bear with me.... (going blue in the face; it's cold here)

I understand that you get either 0.5 or 1 AAdvantage point per mile flown in discount economy (depending upon the class), but that there is a 500 point minimum earn per flight, is this correct?

Also there is mention on the AA website of a 500 point bonus for economy flights booked via aa.com - is that an additional 500 points to the flight itself; eg minimum 1000 AA points total earn for a discount economy flight booked via aa.com?

In that case a QF booked economy flight with an AA number added would not earn the 500 bonus points, making aa.com bookings more attractive. But perhaps I have this wrong somewhere?

Thanks again......
Chris

 

[Dave Noble]

I understand that you get either 0.5 or 1 AAdvantage point per mile flown in discount economy (depending upon the class), but that there is a 500 point minimum earn per flight, is this correct?

This is indeed correct, plus then any status bonus is applied on the minimum.

e.g. a flight in S class from SYD-CBR would earn
500 miles for a base member
625 miles for a gold member ( 500 + 125 bonus )
1000 miles for a platinum/executive platinum member ( 500 + 500 bonus )

Also there is mention on the AA website of a 500 point bonus for economy flights booked via aa.com - is that an additional 500 points to the flight itself; eg minimum 1000 AA points total earn for a discount economy flight booked via aa.com?

The booking bonus only applies to bookings for travel on AA , so does not apply when booking a QF flight.

Dave