QANTAS: All that hard brand repair work. Now you piss it against the wall with whopping increased change fees
Qantas has surreptitiously increased its flight change fee by 20%. No longer will you be slugged for AU$99, but AU$119.
No, no press release, no ‘we haven’t raised our rates since 2017’ friendly email to frequent flyers, just a change to the FAQ’s PDF uploaded to their website on Friday 13 September 2024:
…and if you search the Qantas website for Frequently Asked Questions or for the amount, and you won’t find it. You have to use this link to find it: https://www.qantas.com/content/dam/qac/qantas-news-images/september-24/faqs-changes-to-qantas-fees-effective-9-october-2024.pdf
Content of this Post:
What will cost you the additional fee
You will pay that AU$119 fee if you change the name on the ticket, or the date of travel, or you cancel a domestic economy and premium economy ticket for any booking made after Wednesday 9 October 2024.
Well that will calm angry Qantas patrons. How will it meet the Qantas leadership pledge to make it easier for Qantas flyers to modify their flights? That was a pledge that new CEO, Vanessa Hudson made to ‘restore the balance’ between customers and Qantas, but addressing what she then characterised as ‘unfair’ policies, including penalties for changing the name on a ticket
Now you will need to pay AU$119 instead of AU$99, plus any difference in airfare to make a change! If you though this represents any real cost, then think again. At the height of the pandemic, Qantas managed to cancel these fees entirely!
The Qantas defence (eye-roll)
When challenged on the fee a Qantas spokesperson has responded that it is the first time the fee has been increased since 2017, and that the increase is below the period’s inflation rate. They further defend the decision by saying that passengers are automatically re-booked on another flight when Qantas cancels a flight. Which is as it should be. Qantas, you don’t get a pat on the head for that.
2PAXfly Takeout: My outrage
There is no particular cost to Qantas for a ticket change now that most of the transactions are digital, and can be completed online by the ticket purchaser. Qantas already almost certainly charge you more for a rebooked fare, since in the way of ticket price algorithms, airfares get more expensive the closer to the travel date.
This is really just a money grab by the airline.
I know they are facing cost pressures from many angles, including wage pressure. Qantas said when delivering its full-year results last month that it expected to part with an additional AU$60 million for flight attendants due to the government’s ‘same job same pay’ legislation.
The scandal here is not that it has to pay more to flight attendants. The scandal here is that Qantas has exploited the labour-hire legislative loophole to pay some flight attendants less, for years.
This move to increase change fees, while handing the online tools over to the traveller is a sure way to make enemies of your customers.
If I was running Virgin Australia, the first thin I would do is abolish change fees. That, I reckon would increase your market share.
This only impacts people seated down the back, not you and me seated in Business Class. Stress less and enjoy a nice glass of red while seated in 2A—my favourite seat.
You’re on your own here AA56. Most of my domestic flying is Red e-Deals, some upgraded with points to business. Qantas domestic cash Business fares are wildly overpriced.