Qantas makes flight changes 20% more expensive
Qantas just increased the cost of changing your flight booking.
By David Flynn, September 16 2024
Qantas is increasing the cost of changing or cancelling bookings for domestic flights from $99 to $119 across a range of fare types.
The changes take effect from October 9 2024, although tickets purchased before that date will remain subject to the original $99 fee.
All economy and premium economy fares will be hit within the 20% hike, with business class remaining unaffected.
The higher fees are detailed in an advisory to travel agents published late last week.
By way of explanation, Qantas says it “continuously monitors its fares, surcharges and operating costs and as a result has made an adjustment to these flight change/name change and cancellation fees. The last increase to these fees was in March 2017.”
New change fees for Qantas economy tickets
The cost of changing the date or time of a Qantas flight booked as a Red E-Deal economy ticket – Qantas’ cheapest domestic economy offering – will rise from $99 to $119.
That’s in addition to any difference between the original fare and the ticket price of your new flight, of course.
Cancelling a Qantas Red E-Deal ticket will see the original cost of the booking issued as Flight Credit to be used towards a future Qantas booking of equal or higher value, but with a $119 charge (which will be levied when the Flight Credit is redeemed).
The more expensive Qantas Flex economy fares will continue to allow the name of the traveller to be changed, but for $119 instead of $99.
There’s no cost to change a domestic Flex economy fare, nor to cancel that trip and have the ticket cost held as a Flight Credit against a future Qantas booking.
Cancelling a Qantas Flex economy ticket for a refund, however, will carry a $119 fee from October 9.
As of October 9, Qantas will also charge $119 for any change or cancellation to a domestic flight in premium economy class – an option restricted to the Sydney-Perth and Perth-Sydney legs of Qantas’ flights to Paris (QF33/QF34) and Rome (QF5/QF6).
QFP
22 Jan 2013
Total posts 95
Outrageous. Couldn’t justify $99, let alone this. It cost them nothing for me to change a flight online.
01 Mar 2023
Total posts 4
There are no change fees applied by the major carriers in the United States anymore, and as I always believed would be the case, this actually helps the airlines adjust fares and capacity as well. It's win win for the airlines - except, I guess, in a monopoly where you're stuck with Qantas.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Jun 2017
Total posts 70
When you read the Qantas Customer Charter, nowhere does it mention that they will keep prices reasonable and wont rip you off at every possible opportunity.
It’s a double hit in almost every case when you make a flight change, particularly at short notice. 20% extra for changing with no real increase in the cost to do this plus the the difference in fare, again when there is minimal cost impact.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Feb 2015
Total posts 388
Just when you think they are finally plugging their brain in for the interest of passengers and not doing this petty penny pinching, they go down this path and make themselves look like the same leopard.
Bloody ridiculous.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
05 Oct 2016
Total posts 108
Seriously what a scam. It costs them nothing for someone to make a change online. In addition, if someone is changing, QF is still getting the seat booking, they're not losing anything; in fact they also get any additional fare cost which is their payoff! Total money making rort.
26 Jul 2023
Total posts 2
Delta just making Qantas look like thieves with their ZERO change costs. On any flight.
30 Dec 2023
Total posts 1
I feel like I should be able to charge Qantas when they make unsolicited changes to the date of my travel as they did to my return leg just a week ago.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Apr 2012
Total posts 319
It's unbelievable they are increasing this fee when most times you literally do it yourself online. If they said they were charging when using the call centre, then that'd at least be able to justify it, reasonable or not.
29 Jan 2012
Total posts 180
Qantas without competition is simply running a muck. If the skies were opened up to foreign carriers to compete, then we would see Qantas run for the hills, as they would not have the ability to fight against the likes of Delta, Singapore or one of the ME3 if an air/price war was to develop. Qantas is simply enjoying the demise of Bonza, Rex and the soon to be sold off Virgin.
Come on Federal government, time to let the public have a fair go!
25 Jun 2018
Total posts 48
Frankje has the right idea. Sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander, why shouldn’t passengers be recompensed when Q makes changes to flights. C’mon the Feds, stand up to Q and put them in their place - “you claim to provide a service, and if you don’t - you pay.”
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Feb 2014
Total posts 16
As a Platinum QF and VA flyer, i now refuse to fly Qantas. I have had only 1 flight with QF and that's it. VA are hands down much better and looking after their passengers than QF. Good luck trying to win me back Qantas, as Virgin Australia know how to look after loyal passengers. They will try and sting you for everything they can and I just find that you get less and less when you travel with QF. I fly other airlines overseas, that actually have better meal options and do try and accommodate special meals. I thought with Alan going that things would improve but obviously not.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Feb 2020
Total posts 30
What’s the point of a flexible ticket if it carries a cancellation fee. It’s outrageous.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 May 2017
Total posts 39
After the huge meltdown of it's reputation, Qantas is really doing a "great job" to win back public support by increasing ticket change fees by a whopping 20%. Keep this trend up Qantas, and you will see the demise of your company, particularly where people have more of a choice on selected international routes. It just goes to show Qantas management has learned NOTHING from the public relations disaster of recent times.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 May 2014
Total posts 25
As long as Qantas keeps those golden handcuffs of the Chairman’s Lounge on the wrists of the Federal Politicians don’t expect too much Federal Intervention .
28 Apr 2021
Total posts 31
Well said Felipe and could not agree more as the 'nitpickers' with a job in what was once an iconic brand are out to drive our 'Flag Carrier' further down the rankings.
Surely someone at the top with sufficient 'savvy' ' will extinguish such proposals that are meeting with such distaste.
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