Qantas Ripper Fare Difference Charge

[Nigeldw]

What do you think of this ?

WP, i booked PE early May MEL to LHR, return June LHR to MEL. I paid $ 5,274,.

I tried to change the 1st leg online to 2 weeks earlier, and the website is charging me an additional $ 7,200 !

Lots of flights available, how can this be right ?

Nigel

 

[RichardMEL]

Change fees are separate to fare differences. This appears extreme based on little detail, and may have even been an online pricing error, but you need to keep in mind fare differences vs change fees, and what the new flight selection meant for the pricing of the booking as a whole.

I am sure @madroosterMay have more to say given more detail.

I have looked at discounted "super saver" fares for PE in the market, and the change fee appears to be between $125 and $225 AUD per reissue/revalidation however that us in addition to fare changes:

REPRICE USING FARES IN EFFECT TODAY

And

WHEN TWO OR MORE DIFFERENT FARES ARE COMBINED ON A
HALF RT BASIS TO FORM A RT/CT/OJ JOURNEY AND ONE
FARE COMPONENT IS BEING CHANGED THE FEE APPLICABLE
ON THE FARE COMPONENT BEING CHANGED WILL APPLY.
WHEN MORE THAN ONE FARE COMPONENT IS CHANGED IN A
SINGLE TRANSACTION THE MOST RESTRICTIVE -HIGHEST-
CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY TO THE ENTIRE TRANSACTION
ACROSS THE ENTIRE JOURNEY.

The thread title is misleading imo.

 

[ChrisMars]

What do you think of this ?

WP, i booked PE early May MEL to LHR, return June LHR to MEL. I paid $ 5,274,.

I tried to change the 1st leg online to 2 weeks earlier, and the website is charging me an additional $ 7,200 !

Lots of flights available, how can this be right ?

Nigel

What happens if you were to simulate a new booking with your 2 weeks earlier, keeping your return date? How much would that cost, keeping the fare class the same of course (i.e. if you booked flexi, stay in flexi, if you book sales fare, stay in sales fare or pick above if sales fare are gone).

In theory, your new price should be the change fee of your booking fare class, plus the cost difference.
Are you sure 7200 is not the new price, and you should really pay 7200-5274 + change fee?

But yea, otherwise 7200 doesn't sounds right. What's the cancellation fee? (assuming you would do a new booking)

 

[Nigeldw]

Change fees are separate to fare differences. This appears extreme based on little detail, and may have even been an online pricing error, but you need to keep in mind fare differences vs change fees, and what the new flight selection meant for the pricing of the booking as a whole.

I have looked at discounted "super saver" fares for PE in the market, and the change fee appears to be between $125 and $225 AUD per reissue/revalidation however that us in addition to fare changes:


And


The thread title is misleading imo.

yes you are correct, that is my error. i will try and change the wording

 

[TheInsider]

Not enough information here TBH.
If you want someone to investigate a little, fare information would be needed.

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/book-a-trip/flights/fare-types/fare-guide-information.html/australia/europe.html

 

[Nigeldw]

What happens if you were to simulate a new booking with your 2 weeks earlier, keeping your return date? How much would that cost, keeping the fare class the same of course (i.e. if you booked flexi, stay in flexi, if you book sales fare, stay in sales fare or pick above if sales fare are gone).

In theory, your new price should be the change fee of your booking fare class, plus the cost difference.
Are you sure 7200 is not the new price, and you should really pay 7200-5274 + change fee?

But yea, otherwise 7200 doesn't sounds right. What's the cancellation fee? (assuming you would do a new booking)

No i am sure 7200 is the additional fare. i have changed quite a few of these before

 

[Nigeldw]

Not enough information here TBH.
If you want someone to investigate a little, fare information would be needed.

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/book-a-trip/flights/fare-types/fare-guide-information.html/australia/europe.html

im not sure what fare information you need. the ticket is Premium Economy (T) MEL to LHR via Sydney, return,. Booked in Feb on Qantas website.

 

[RichardMEL]

For S&G I looked up the highest W fare for MEL-LHR departing 20May returning 20JUN as a random samole, according to EF, fare WL8QF is $8449+tax. Even if a sale fare was purchased in Feb (,but given DSC time probably not) may have been around $4k (and current lowest T fare is around 4400+tax) that imo a fare component change shouldn't result in a $7k charge. Maybe changing a sector to J or a more complex fare being involved could, but that's not indicated.

My first thought is this could be pricing error by the website for some reason.

I wonder did you try calling QF to ask them to orice it too?

 

[Nigeldw]

yes i called QF. they couldnt explain it. they charged me $2,000 to change it

 

[RichardMEL]

yes i called QF. they couldnt explain it. they charged me $2,000 to change it

This probably would have been helpful to include up thread tbh.

Obviously an online pricing problem - which is bad and one for the IT issues thread.

You did the right thing to call.

(Though 2k still seems a big whack of difference tbh(including the presumably $200odd change fee), but given the current fares I looked up, it's far more "reasonable")

 

[ChrisMars]

Coincidently, 2000$ is quite close to 7200$ - 5274$ + a change fee.
Maybe 7200$ was the new fare after all?