Hey Qantas, why is it that ....?

[Aussie_flyer]

... when I live in Australia, I have to pay for flights originating outside of Australia in a foreign currency and get hit by currency conversion fees. Surely you could show the fare in the currency of the pax credit card (or indeed any currency!).

all airlines work like that.

 

[Mr_Orange]

all airlines work like that.

So?

Does that mean that a forward thinking airline could not offer a more flexible and internationally friendly payment system?

 

[Pushka]

all airlines work like that.

Which is a good reason to offer a point of differentiation in the name of customer service.

 

[boomy]

That's the overflow for people who can't get a seat.

I sit at the side benches regularly in the Adelaide Qantas Club, but usually I travel alone so I am ok with that (although they're not very comfortable). A few times a year I end up at a computer because otherwise I would be eating my muesli standing.

It wasn't the issue this morning. The lounge was not busy. I needed to print something and had to test 5 computers until I found one that worked. It's not the first time it happens in ADL. The computers should to be maintained better.

 

[mannej]

So?

Does that mean that a forward thinking airline could not offer a more flexible and internationally friendly payment system?

This issue isn't limited to airlines. The location of the merchant may cause this issue with credit cards, as some sites charge in AUD, yet you still get slugged foreign transaction fees. Online shopping to a tee.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

The global distribution systems are designed to work this way. If you want pricing in AUD contact an Australian based agent with an Australian point of sale on their GDS. however you may not have access to fares that are only sold locally in a country. So it is actually a huge benefit to be able to price an international originating fare in that currency . It means you are buying it as if you were local and therefore taking advantage of normally much lower prices than would be available to an AUD based agent.

 

[Mattg]

So?

Does that mean that a forward thinking airline could not offer a more flexible and internationally friendly payment system?

I booked a flight out of Singapore on Jetstar and the lady on the other end of the phone offered to put the credit card transaction through in AUD.

 

[codash1099]

501 users on line and RedRoo not one of them (yes I know it's after working hours).

Back at the beginning of this thread, he indicated QF would keep an eye on it an were interested in suggestions. I wonder if that is still the case?

 

[Red Roo]

501 users on line and RedRoo not one of them (yes I know it's after working hours).

Back at the beginning of this thread, he indicated QF would keep an eye on it an were interested in suggestions. I wonder if that is still the case?

After hours is sometimes the best...no interruptions.

...and today, he is a she.

 

[ReLoad]

After hours is sometimes the best...no interruptions.

...and today, he is a she.

Owned.....

 

[Robbi]

Owned.....

Pwned... ;-)

 

[codash1099]

Owned.....

Indeed!!! Good to see you here, Ms RedRoo.

 

[Awesom Andy]

...and today, he is a she.

So we only have a 50/50 chance of getting this right...

 

[JessicaTam]

...and today, he is a she.

Brilliant. Nice to see you Red Roo. I hope some of the suggestions in this thread are making their way up the food chain.

 

[maninblack]

I hope some of the suggestions in this thread are making their way up the food chain.

I think that you will find that they are following the normal flow of the alimentary canal.

Apologies for kind of mixing metaphors.

 

[h15t0r1an]

all airlines work like that.

I'll take a bet that the airlines are saving themselves tax by doing it this way. In this way they can presumably process your booking in a lower-sales-tax or lower-air-tax jurisdiction, so they get to keep more of your money than they would if they booked the transaction in Australia.

One particularly egregious example I had of that was when with a UK card I booked a ticket departing out of London with Swiss. Lo and behold on my UK card it was booked as charged in Euros when I had booked in the UK on the UK website on a UK card and agreed an amount in UK currency. The amount was then surcharged as a foreign transaction by my card company so the Euro transaction was converted from the £1950 that I had agreed, to landing at an extra £58.50 over and above what I had agreed. I contacted my card company and they said they could not change this I would have to contact Swiss who had booked it this way. I contacted Swiss and they corrected it and somehow never explained how this could have happened... yeh right. I then had to watch my credit card like a hawk to ensure that both the original transaction in Euros and the FX charge had been backed out. Now I check religiously which jurisdiction I am being charged on on what card for which ticket...and plan accordingly.

 

[Powerballsam]

I was looking at prices for a Syd to Mco trip a couple of nights ago and it was hovering around the $8500 mark for the 5 of us going. Today I have a look and it is $10700 with no discount being offered. Is that normal? It seems like Qantas sets the price on what every they feel like on any given day....or is it just me.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I was looking at prices for a Syd to Mco trip a couple of nights ago and it was hovering around the $8500 mark for the 5 of us going. Today I have a look and it is $10700 with no discount being offered. Is that normal? It seems like Qantas sets the price on what every they feel like on any given day....or is it just me.

that's normal. as seats fill the lower fares may be exhausted. did you break the party of 5 up to see how many seats were available (if any) at the lower fare you found yesterday? It might be that just one or two out of the 5 fares are now subject to the higher price.

 

[Powerballsam]

See I would have thought that but it is all dates in the month before and month after. It is as if the system reset the prices for the block of time. They would not have sold out in the span of a day for the entire block.

 

[mannej]

See I would have thought that but it is all dates in the month before and month after. It is as if the system reset the prices for the block of time. They would not have sold out in the span of a day for the entire block.

As you are looking for 5 seats, there is a chance that 5 seats in that fare bucket may not be available for that period of time, it may be a different story if you were looking for one or two at that price.