Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims said the regulator would query Qantas as early as this week over why a surcharge would remain in place for frequent flyer redemptions.
"We are talking about a serious amount of money," Mr Sims said of the frequent flyer fuel surcharges. "I think there are some questions here that remain to be answered."
Qantas is lowering the fuel surcharge for frequent flyer point redemption tickets to the United States, Asia, South America and South Africa by an average of 14 per cent, but the remaining fees are still hefty. The economy and premium fuel economy surcharge on a return ticket from Australia to the mainland US will fall from $680 to $570 for frequent flyer redemptions. On its flights to the Middle East and Europe in partnership with Emirates, the fuel surcharges will remain unchanged for now.