Qantas international multicity - AKA expensive international fares

[Moody]

Just pricing a quick Sydney-Auckland-Wellington-Sydney airfare from Qantas. Done it a few times before and usually for about $500-$600. This time the fare was $1323!!

Tried it a couple of times just in case it was a temporary fault, but the same result. Maybe the recent cancellations have bit hard and I was paying full economy for one of the legs, I thought, so I priced the individual legs as one-way trips and they came to :-

$199, NZD59, and NZD298 respectively. A total of around $500 all up.

Before I call Qantas and give them a blast for a blatant booking-engine ripoff, can someone enlighten me about this bug?

 

[gwilli1]

What dates are you looking at for each sector ? I assume all non stop services ?

 

[Moody]

During the week of the 21st of November ... but the plot thickens. I rang Qantas and got them to simulate the same airfare. I told them all the flight numbers I was looking for but I could hear the rep just talking to himself about the Sydney to Auckland and Wellington to Sydney legs. That's not my idea of multicity but I let him have his way and then was surprised to hear the quote - $358.

So adding in the Auckland - Wellington leg (which can be had direct from Jetstar for NZD59) was costing a lazy $1000!

The rep was going to report it as a bug, but my worry is that Qantas management will see this as a feature. So my advice - don't mix Qantas and Jetstar legs in NZ, but book them separately.

 

[Katie]

I tried this earlier tonight for BNE-LAX-AUS or LAS-xLAX-BNE in Y+. Quoted over $7k for Y+!! Just booked BNE-LAX-BNE in Y+ and with the specials, I paid about $3300. Not paying $4k for a Y flight LAX-AUS or LAS!!! The specials showing in direct flights were not flowing into multi city when I tried it tonight.

 

[medhead]

I tried this earlier tonight for BNE-LAX-AUS or LAS-xLAX-BNE in Y+. Quoted over $7k for Y+!! Just booked BNE-LAX-BNE in Y+ and with the specials, I paid about $3300. Not paying $4k for a Y flight LAX-AUS or LAS!!! The specials showing in direct flights were not flowing into multi city when I tried it tonight.

If you search each direction separately, I dare say the higher price us because it was effectively a one way booking. I just tested a BNE-LAS return in multicity and I get $3300. For some reason it thinks xx_-Austin is not a valid route.

In mid November I can see BNE-DFW, LAS-BNE for $3985. Flying via LAX.

 

[wandering_fred]

When adding domestic flights (either AA in the USA or QF in Oz) to transPacific tickets I have found separate tickets are normally cheaper. This is where a cooperative TA is most helpful in getting the separate tickets onto a single PNR. But even then the currency conversions may not be in your favor. But a small price to pay for eliminating the issues of irregular operations with two (or more) separate tickets.

Happy wandering

Fred