Qantas retains $200 surcharge on Airbus A380 flights to Dallas
By Chris C., May 14 2014
Qantas plans to retain its demand-driven 'Q Surcharge' of up to $200 on its Sydney-Dallas flight, even after adding some 130 extra seats onto the route when the current Boeing 747 is replaced by an Airbus A380.
Qantas introduced its Q Surcharge tariff onto QF7 last month, adding an extra $50 to the cost of economy tickets, $100 to premium economy and $200 to business class fares.
A Qantas spokesperson told Australian Business Traveller that "the application of a Q Surcharge helps us target routes where current demand is high", adding that these types of add-on fees are "airline industry practice and (are) often applied on services into and out of Australia."
The airline claims that demand on its Sydney-Dallas flights is sufficiently high enough to keep the Q Surcharge in place even when the airline introduces its Airbus A380 superjumbo onto the route from September 29.
Read: Qantas to start Airbus A380 flights to Dallas from September
The A380 will carry an extra 120 passengers compared to the Boeing 747, including an extra 28 in business class plus 14 in first class.
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed to Australian Business Traveller that the Q Surcharge on Sydney-Dallas will "remain in place, however we will continue to monitor demand. Our fares on this route remain highly competitive."
Qantas will also extend its Q Surcharge to weekend flights on many popular international routes from May 15 as a 'peak season travel surcharge', the airline explains in an advisory note published on its Industry Sales website.
Economy tickets from Australia to the UK, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa will be hit with an additional $200 surcharge for the outbound flight over selected periods from June 19 to December 23.
Other Q Surcharge levies will include a $50 tariff on Sydney-Honolulu flights and $25 for flights between Australia and Hong Kong, Sydney-Shanghai and Sydney-Manila.
There will also be a $25 'weekend travel surcharge' for most flights on the Qantas-Emirates network.
However, in news that may give frequent flyers an increasingly rare reason to smile, the Q Surcharge doesn't apply to bookings made with Qantas Points.
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Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 780
Hi-la-ri-ous. Next ... they'll start charging for baggage.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Jul 2011
Total posts 60
I don't get it. They are charging extra money because they have more populated flights?
How is this not component pricing?
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
Excuse my ignorance but why would they apply a surcharge instead of just increasing the fare?
Is this another gimmick along the Tax v Levy paradigm?
01 Feb 2012
Total posts 371
I think another user noted in an earlier thread that this means it also applies to QFF award flights.
02 Jan 2013
Total posts 140
Who came up with this idea? J.Hockey?
Cathay Pacific - The Marco Polo Club
19 Apr 2014
Total posts 50
notice how the 'surcharge' is only applied in places where QF has no or little competition (honolulu, Dallas). Meanwhile for hong kong, it is a comparatively low $25. Starting to wonder whether Qantas is turning into an American airline, adding extra fees to this and that.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Aug 2011
Total posts 165
One thing to yield maximise, another to brand it.
It is beyond belief that anyone thinks it is a good idea to call what should just be another fare bucket class a "Q Surcharge" as if it is something people want to be reminded of.
"oh I'm flying to Dallas this weekend, and guess what, I'm paying the Q Surcharge" "ohhh you lucky thing, there wasn't one on my recent flight to Hong Kong, I'm hoping there will be when I next..."
What it does it immediately make a customer go "hold on, let me see if there are other options".
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
Rather than a weekend surcharge why not market it as mid week discounts which makes more sne in moving peole to these fligths. I already fly the Wednesday flights to Europe as they are cheaper
11 Mar 2012
Total posts 315
This will just kill all those QFi flights out of Perth I was looking at. :-P
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