Cost us 150 each to change a flight with Qantas

Cost us 150 each to change a flight with Qantas

We were booked to fly Perth - Syd - DFW in December and ultimately decided to change our domestic flight on the Perth - Syd leg so we could leave Perth later AM and spend the night in Sydney prior to the international flight

We were charged 150 per head x 4; $600 to make this small change on the first domestic leg with 3 months notice.

Seems a bit rich to me and interested in others opinions as wether this is the norm or not.

cheers

Steve

This is completely normal for Qantas.

I say normal, not fair or justifiable. But it is what it is.

All things considered $150 is relatively cheap for Qantas. Next time be doubly certain before you lock in a Qantas fare. QF is a real b*tch when it comes to changes.

All depends on the fare conditions of the ticket when you booked, and whether fares/bucket availability has changed

Expensive flexible tickets may have no charge.

Cheap tickets will more than likely have a change fee and a fare difference. If you booked through a travel agent they will probably add on their own fee as well.

To be honest $150/head is probably cheap compared to some changes.

Would Qantas not do better in the long-run by charging a change fee that doesn't embitter its customers? Would a lower change fee not leave customers more inclined to book with that same airline in the future? Surely a lower change fee would create brand loyalty and have its customers raving to family and friends about how great their business is etc. This kind of product differentiation would create a competitive advantage so as to actually increase its market share, brand value and customer loyalty no? Thereby increasing demand, revenue, profitability etc. Or is Qantas' dominant position in Australia's domestic airline market such that it can get away with it?

From what I understand there are a range of fares that have different conditions.  If you pay more to have flexibility you can make changes without fees.  So if you choose to take a discount on your fare you risk paying more if you want to change.  Otherwise you want the benefits of the lower fare with the perks of the flexibility of a higher fare.  Same when you book a hotel room.  Non refundable rates tend to be lower than ones that can be cancelled.

Yes, they do it because they can get away with it. The way SC/points earning on QFF is structured, you cannot help but fly QF. 

Why complain when it is all set out in the Terms and conditions of the fare?  

They're a business, not a charity. You knew the fare rules when you booked, did you not? Almost every airline on the planet charges to change non-flexi airfares including, but not limited to, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand. Why buy a cheaper ticket then complain and act surprised when you're asked to pay to make a change?

Cathay is very good with changes once you purchase a certain fare class - and its doesn't even have to be the most expensive.

A booking from AU to somewhere in Asia in V or L allows you to make free changes as long as V or L is available on the flights you want. No dramas at all. You don't need to purchase the more expensive K or H to have this flexibility. Same goes for D inventory in Business, which is also your mid-range business fare.

Try doing that with Qantas on a cheaper/mid-range fare! I opt to travel CX mainly now for the flexibility and peace of mind.

So yes, it's in the QF terms and conditions...so do yourself a favour and shop around. 

CXouple of years ago they had their hand out for Govt finds. That's charity

It is interesting how the public, with a lot of help from the media, have a complete misunderstanding about this situation.

Qantas were NEVER asking the government to give it money.  All they wanted was for the government to guarantee their debt (like so many other foreign govenments do for their airlines) so that their credit rating could be improved meaning they could get cheaper loans.  In return for this Qantas would PAY THE GOVERNMENT a substantial fee.

Qantas would have never needed the government to cover any of its debts and they would have received tens of millions from Qantas in return.

I had to change some domestic bookings recently and there was a saga over a voucher that hadnt been actioned despite many phone calls

I ploitely told the agent that i wasnt prepared to pay the  fee but understood that i would have to pay the difference in the fare bucket

They agreed after consuting  a Supervisor

We did expect a fee and didnt think for a moment that we would be excluded from paying a fee! I fly with them exclusively and always have done so, know their a business, not a charity, dont fly much but always choose them when we do etc but 150 a head to issue a new ticket 3 months out for the domestic leg of a month long trip.......gimme a break, its a straight out rip off! it might be understandable if it was a weeks notice and the company had to employ one of their employees to actually  go out of their way to do something !! Fair enough read the rules, change fee mentioned and agent booked cheaper fares, was thinking 50 bucks maybe 60, even 80 to change things but 150 is rude just to fly domestic a day earlier in my opinion but will pay it this time as cost to change not worth worrying about but wont be forgetting it thats for sure. They are very likely to lose my business next time we fly and will definately be shopping around in future.