flyabr From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 596 posts, RR: 0 Posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1596 times:
While booking one of those free Amex companion tickets with Delta, I discovered that if you travel basically from June through August they charge you a Seasonal Transfer Fee. What a crock...free ticket my you know what! It was only after I prodded Delta customer service several times as to why my companion was charged a fare for his free ticket that they finally fessed up and admitted that the fare charge was actually a Seasonal Transfer Fee!! Is there anything associated with air travel that doesn't require a fee these days? ugh!
vfw614 From Germany, joined Dec 2001, 3582 posts, RR: 5 Reply 1, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1545 times:
Sorry for the dumb question from a non-native English speaker - what exactly is the transfer in "Seasonal Transfer Fee"? (not that I would expect any honest semantics from the "Department For Making Up Outrageous Fees" of any given airline, but maybe it has a meaning I do not get).
flyabr From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 596 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1439 times:
Exasperating part is on the companion receipt it was called a fare charge. That's what made it confusing. Is this a way for Delta to hide revenue that might otherwise be taxed??? And to answer the question about what is being transferred...I have absolutely no idea!
fghtngsiouxatc From United States of America, joined Mar 2009, 200 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1417 times:
I just looked to book my free companion ticket in June and it's showing $40 + $43.60 in taxes. Is your companion fee $40 as well? Were you able to walk your way out of it? That "free" ticket quickly became an $85 ticket. Never experienced this problem in the past.
Edit: Delta's website says NOTHING about a transfer fee anywhere. Their website simply says companion is required to pay GOVERNMENT taxes and fees. This seems borderline illegal.
jr From United States of America, joined May 1999, 958 posts, RR: 7 Reply 5, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1327 times:
Quoting fghtngsiouxatc (Reply 4): Edit: Delta's website says NOTHING about a transfer fee anywhere. Their website simply says companion is required to pay GOVERNMENT taxes and fees. This seems borderline illegal.
Agree, and whether legal or not, it doesn't seem ethical if they are outright giving the expression of it being "free" and marketing it as such without clarity on underhanded fees.
I would like to know two things:
1. How much attention is the Government paying to this and the other airline "fees"? (I understand this is a free market and they are free to charge whatever blah blah, but I would like to understand where and if the lines are being blurred between legal and not and how much this should matter from a consumer protection standpoint).
2. Is this being disclosed by AmEx/Delta as part of the card's marketing? i wonder how many complaints AmEx is getting on this and how this will affect the card membership itself.
vfw614 From Germany, joined Dec 2001, 3582 posts, RR: 5 Reply 6, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1327 times:
Quoting davescj (Reply 2): It is an extra fee based on the dates of travel. Since the ticket is supposed to be free, they cannot charge a fare.
I got the "seasonal" and the "fee" part. But why is it called "transfer"? What does the transfer in it stand for? Is it because you technically "transfer" your miles to the companion if you book a ticket with your miles for someone else?
notice it says FARE and not Seasonal Transfer Fee! Delta didn't offer me any money back. Yep, those supposedly free tickets are starting to get expensive!
PSU.DTW.SCE From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 6867 posts, RR: 29 Reply 8, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1273 times:
You would probably have been luck asking these questions over on FT versus A.net.
flyabr From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 596 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1259 times:
Quoting vfw614 (Reply 6): I got the "seasonal" and the "fee" part. But why is it called "transfer"? What does the transfer in it stand for? Is it because you technically "transfer" your miles to the companion if you book a ticket with your miles for someone else?
No miles involved. I have an American Express Delta SkyMiles platinum credit card that once a year sends me a certificate allowing for a companion to travel for "free" (excepting taxes and carrier imposed fees). I guess the Seasonal Transfer Fee literally falls under the carrier imposed fees part, although that is not what the receipt indicated.
PSU.DTW.SCE From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 6867 posts, RR: 29 Reply 10, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1241 times:
I've never had a companion ticket that was completely "free" I've usually paid around $90 in fees & taxes, but is sure is a lot better than a $600 ticket.
Wingtips56 From United States of America, joined Dec 2010, 216 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1156 times:
From my experience as an airline Ticketing department analyst, I know that there are many taxes that apply no matter what fare is paid, while others only apply if a fare is paid. These extra fees along with fuel and other surcharges are considered part of the base fare for taxation applications, even if shown separately in a tax box as a "YQ" or "YR". So, your "free" ticket with a fee now subjects you to some taxes that wouldn't apply off-season when the ticket is indeed "free".
(Many of these fees were originally created to keep them out of the commission-able base fare to save the airline money on agency sales, and/or to keep them out of the quoted fare prior to the recent DOT full disclosure rules changes, to give the appearance of either being cheaper or at least not more expensive than a competitor's fare quote. {The DOT rule change is what NK was protesting.})
Quoting fghtngsiouxatc (Reply 4): I just looked to book my free companion ticket in June and it's showing $40 + $43.60 in taxes.
So that $40 fee subjected you to (depending on your itinerary) 7.5% U.S. Transportation Tax or $16.30 U.S. International Arrival/Departure Tax, each way, or $8.20 each way between the Mainland and Hawai'i or Alaska, PLUS $3.70 "ZP" Flight Segment Tax on each departure from a U.S. airport, and a raft of Canadian taxes if applicable; these would not apply to a totally free ticket. ("AY" Sept. 11 Security Fees, "YC" & "XY" Customs User and Immigration Fees and "XF" Airport Passenger Facilities fees apply even to the free ticket.)
So you would have been paying some of that $43.60 in taxes, but not all of it if the added "Seasonal Transfer Fee" wasn't there.
Worked for WestAir, Apollo Airways, Desert Pacific, Western, AirCal and American Airlines
Roseflyer From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 8737 posts, RR: 52 Reply 14, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 916 times:
I hope this gets reported to the DOT so that they can squash it. This sounds like unfair business practices. Since the fee is appearing as a Fare according to the DOT, it is subject to more taxes. Also free award tickets cannot have a fare associated with them.
You'd think the tight inventory control on tickets that are given away via various promotions was enough, but now DL is breaking its promises by adding an additional fee that in reality is a fare attached to it. Does any other airline do this?
If you get a free companion ticket it should be free!
If you have never designed an airplane part before, let the real designers do the work!
ikramerica From United States of America, joined May 2005, 21025 posts, RR: 60 Reply 15, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 834 times:
When I used my companion coupon with my wife this January, there was no such fee. I also haven't received any change in terms from Amex regarding their card and it's perks. The ONLY reason I keep this card is because of the free companion ticket. Even though you must book a certain fare class, not the cheapest, it still puts you way ahead. If they add $50 in fees and taxes on these fees, it cuts into the savings quite a bit. It already isn't usable on an open jaw and other forms of tickets other than R/T, so this just makes it harder to use.
My card renews in a couple of months. Hopefully I'll know before then.
Of all the things to worry about... the Wookie has no pants.
PSU.DTW.SCE From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 6867 posts, RR: 29 Reply 16, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 795 times:
Before everyone goes crazy....nowhere does it state that is a FREE companion ticket.
DL provides an "Annual Companion Certificate" for AMEX card holders. The specifics vary, depending on the level of the DL AMEX card you own.
Again, nowhere does it say free, but it does entitle you to use the "Companion Certificate" subject to the various terms, conditions, taxes, and fees.
I can't quite figure out all of the various fees, surcharges, and taxes, and those beyond that again which are subject to taxes. I'm sure that will vary significantly depending on the itinerary and destination.
So before you go crazy, check the fine print. It sounds like you did not get a good explaination from the DL agent and it is confusing.
Again, I've used these for multiple years and I've always had to pay some amount. Its never been free.
flyabr From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 596 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 775 times:
I just visited the AmEx web site showing all the benefits of the SkyMiles Platinum card, and no where could I find any mention of the "free" companion ticket. I know the gold card quit offering the $99 companion cert recently, am now wondering if the "free" companion cert is on the way out too!
fghtngsiouxatc From United States of America, joined Mar 2009, 200 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (2 months 2 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 737 times:
I agree that this is the main reason I have the Amex card. The $199 annual fee is quite steep in comparison to most cards, and the interest rate is sky high. If they get rid of the annual free companion fare, bye bye DL Amex card.
toobz From Finland, joined Jan 2010, 673 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (2 months 2 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 622 times:
You're wanting to fly during the busiest time of the year when all flights are full everywhere! They want to discourage you from using them during the summer months..sounds legit to me. They have that right. It's not an outrageous fee in the first place. And as pointed it, it's not marketed as a "free ticket". Sorry no grounds for a refund.
flyabr From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 596 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (2 months 2 weeks 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 598 times:
Quoting toobz (Reply 20): You're wanting to fly during the busiest time of the year when all flights are full everywhere! They want to discourage you from using them during the summer months..sounds legit to me. They have that right. It's not an outrageous fee in the first place. And as pointed it, it's not marketed as a "free ticket". Sorry no grounds for a refund.
That's all fine and dandy, but how about Delta be more transparent. I can't find any mention whatsoever about a seasonal transfer fee. Not on the website, and not on the certificate. Just spell out the fees in a more transparent manner! Am i asking too much?
fghtngsiouxatc From United States of America, joined Mar 2009, 200 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (2 months 2 weeks 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 595 times:
It used to be marketed as a free companion ticket. They changed the wording to "complimentary" companion ticket. Can't say I've ever paid for anything that was "complimentary." Long story short, Delta is promoting false advertising with this companion ticket.
On a side note, I searched 2 weeks earlier than my previous search (first weekend in June) and the "seasonal transfer fee" was nowhere to be seen. It was only charging for the government fees and taxes quoted in the fine print.
PI4EVER From United States of America, joined May 2009, 599 posts, RR: 2 Reply 24, posted (2 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 452 times:
In addition to the "companion fare" fee charged for Platinum AMEX certificates, those Gold certificates expiring this year will be accessed a $99 "companion fare" plus tax charge regardless of travel dates. A family member just discovered this additional fee/charge when attempting to redeem their certificate for travel in April before it expires June 30.
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