Qatar Airways increases fuel surcharges on award redemptions without prior notice

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Airbus A380 | Airbus

By Sky Industry News

Sep 15, 2024

Qatar Airways has significantly increased the surcharges on award redemptions using Avios points, impacting travelers looking to redeem their points for flights. Although the number of Avios points required for these flights remains unchanged, the fees associated with these bookings have escalated.

The airline has transitioned its reward fees policy from a sector-based model to a distance-based structure. According to Qatar Airways Privilege Club, "Reward fees have decreased up to 15% or remained unchanged for several of our most popular short and medium-haul routes while others have increased representative of the distance travelled."

A recent tweet by Juan G. Ruiz highlighted this issue: "Anyone notice a new ‘redemption fee’ of $1,000 from @qatarairways when booking Qsuites? First time I’m seeing this ridiculousness." This sentiment reflects widespread frustration among travelers who are now facing higher costs without prior notice.

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For instance, a business class flight from Phuket (HKT) to Dallas (DFW) via Doha (DOH) that previously required 95,000 Avios plus $265 in fees now incurs approximately $600 in fees. The updated fee structure is not immediately visible on Qatar Airways’ website; it only becomes apparent once travelers have enough Avios in their account to book the award. This lack of transparency contrasts with British Airways' website, which displays these fees upfront.

Travelers can expect around $100 per segment for coach and $200 per long haul segment for business class, nearly tripling previous charges. The fees appear to be based on zones, with longer flights incurring higher costs.

There is also confusion regarding refund policies. Some Qatar agents have indicated that the fees are nonrefundable, although there are customer reports of successful refunds.

Qatar Airways' sudden hike in fees substantially devalues its award redemptions. Previously, redeeming Avios for Qatar’s premium cabins was considered advantageous due to attractive redemption rates and competitive surcharges. However, American AAdvantage no longer has access to as much Qatar Airways long haul inventory as Privilege Club or other Avios programs, making these changes harder to avoid.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club issued an apology stating: "The reward fees that were displayed for booking Qatar Airways award flights were higher than intended. The issue has since been resolved and the correct reward fees...are now being reflected and applied."

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