Confused by Classic Reward to/from UK

[Rourke]

Main confusion: Classic Reward one-way MEL-LHR in First is 192,000 points plus $618.72; one-way LHR-MEL is First is 192,000 points plus £552.36 (about $1,100 or nearly double the fees!). What explains the huge discrepancy? BTW, MEL-LHR return has fees of $1,564 which doesn't help.

Second confusion (mostly Economy this time): I can book MEL-LHR-MEL or MEL-LHR | MAN-MEL for about the same price, both seem to be treated as a legit return fare by Qantas. Open jaw is easier for me on this trip. In the first case I can book Saver one-way and Reward the other way for a reasonable price (and J or F if I get on the phone). In the second case I cannot do it without a $600 penalty on the Saver fare because it's now two separate bookings according to the Premium desk.

Can anyone help with either of these?

 

[TheInsider]

Most of it would be the UK's departure tax, their APD. Which is around £188 (from what I remember).
Then it's also the fuel fines.

Also our exchange rate doesn't necessarily dictate the 'fees' out of another country, they are generally static.

 

[garybatz]

Hi, one thing I've learned using AFF is to try and avoid flights originating out of LHR - it is one of the most expensive airports for departure tax, fuel surcharges etc. And yes, the charges are higher for premium cabins. However, you don't incur these higher charges if you are just transiting through LHR, if that helps.

 

[Rourke]

I've heard of Heathrow being expensive, but the fees would also be $1,084 ex-Manchester, i.e. MAN-DXB-MEL in F. Seems extraordinarily high.

 

[opusman]

The APD is payable no matter which UK airport you fly out of afaik.

 

[knasty]

The APD applies to UK departures not just Heathrow so anything but economy starts you at around $450. You pay the same for the 'luxury' of premium economy so if you're going to get ripped off you may as well be enjoying First.

 

[wandering_fred]

Start in BRU or AMS or DUB instead. Adds minimal mileage and avoids the APD since it does not apply to transits.

A path to happy wandering

Fred

 

[blackcat20]

Any transit under 24 hours will save you a bucket of cash; we're flying out of Milan and adding that leg got us a significant refund.

 

[Rourke]

Start in BRU or AMS or DUB instead. Adds minimal mileage and avoids the APD since it does not apply to transits.

While I appreciate the advice Fred, it seems a bit like the Irish joke with the punchline "well I wouldn't start from here". In practical terms, how do you save money when you have commitments in London then the Manchester region? A ferry into Dublin or a discount flight from an English regional airport to DUB? Seems like not much of a saving and a fair bit of hassle, much as I would love another trip to Ireland!

 

[wandering_fred]

While I appreciate the advice Fred, it seems a bit like the Irish joke with the punchline "well I wouldn't start from here". In practical terms, how do you save money when you have commitments in London then the Manchester region? A ferry into Dublin or a discount flight from an English regional airport to DUB? Seems like not much of a saving and a fair bit of hassle, much as I would love another trip to Ireland!

There are cheap flights to DUB (and others from almost anywhere in the UK) that would cost a whole LOT less than the APD on a business class long haul...

Just allow for possible IRROPs. Easily done if you want a couple of days enjoying the local culture.

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[Sumnerned]

AFAIK the UK Passenger duty is calculated on the final destination of the flight, ie Sydney for QF2. The latest rate for long-haul F is GBP142, around A$300. You might also look at routing through an airport served by a oneworld carrier that flies to Aus, such as Helsinki, and see if there are award seats from there. Or an Emirates european destination, such as..well there's quite a choice, mine would be Istanbul, then look for an award from there. Assuming your first flight is less than 2000 miles and in economy, you will have the princely sum of GBP13 to pay in APD. Happy hunting.

 

[hutch]

I was under the impression that it is calculated on the distance of the first destination out of the UK. Hence QFs tax bill reduced when they shifted from Singapore to Dubai?

 

[andye]

I was under the impression that it is calculated on the distance of the first destination out of the UK. Hence QFs tax bill reduced when they shifted from Singapore to Dubai?

The previous 4 bands changed to 2 (<> 2000 miles) in April 2015

 

[hutch]

Ah right. So doesn't matter if it's singapore, dubai or sydney anymore. Thanks

 

[andye]

I didn't think it was as straightforward as first destination either. Otherwise you could fly LHR-MAD-JFK say and not pay much APD. To avoid it in those circumstances you would need separate tickets

 

[andye]

I checked and it is final destination on the ticket that counts ( unless there is a stopover of >24 h). Not 100% sure if that has always been the case but think it was

 

[Sumnerned]

I checked and it is final destination on the ticket that counts ( unless there is a stopover of >24 h). Not 100% sure if that has always been the case but think it was

That is good to know, because there was a period, admittedly several years ago now, when the individual passenger's destination was not part of the calculation, but some assumptions were apparently made about the proportion of passengers who debarked at the the intermediate stops vs those who traveled to the final destination for the purpose of calculating the duty. Quite a lot of people used this to travel cheaply over the North Atlantic using flights that stopped in Iceland. That may have caused a change!

 

[Rourke]

The second question was about open jaw UK itineraries, i.e. in via LHR out via MAN. Qantas allows you to book a ticket at return prices (about the same as MEL-LHR-MEL or MEL-MAN-MEL). It also allows you to combine MEL-LHR Saver fare with LHR-MEL Classic Reward or vice-versa using the "return" leg price.

However when you combine MEL-LHR Saver with MAN-MEL Reward, the Saver leg price jumps over $500. The premium desk said it has to be two separate one-way bookings once you do this. Why?