YQ (Fuel) charge refund from BA?

Seamaster

Hi, I booked two return e-tickets online with BA to Rio on 25th October this year.
The flights are not until July 2020.
Something has unexpectedly come up meaning we can't travel but BA will not refund the flights.
This is bad enough but i could live with it if they weren't also diddling me out of what they claim are 'non-refundable taxes and charges'.
The main one being a 'YQ' or fuel tax which tots up to around £200 pp.
This I am having some difficulty swallowing as if I'm not travelling how can they charge me fuel tax, a tax that they will also charge on whoever takes my cancelled seats anyway, therefore getting twice as much for the same seats?
If I decide to buy something and then decide not to surely they wouldn't still 'legally' be able to charge me VAT on a product I have not received? It's the same principle isn't it?
This seems like blatant and unashamed profiteering by BA and I'd like to know whether I'd have a case if I took them to court?
Has anyone any experience with this and did you get anywhere?
Thanks
Neil.

Westin

YQ is a Fuel Surcharge rather than a tax. It is also not VAT.

It is also unfortunately not refundable.

If you look at the breakdown of the ticket cost I expect you will see that charges, surcharges and taxes make up the majority of the total fare cost. The actual base fare may be low and you will soon realise that the base fare is unreasonable for the distance travelled.

APD ex U.K. is what you can claim a refund for. It is around £78 for a WT/Economy seat. BA may however charge an administration fee for refunding which may eat into what you get back.

Personally I would do nothing until near the travel date. If BA make a schedule change you may be given an option for a full refund. If no schedule change and you still do not travel you can make the APD refund claim post departure.

Seamaster

Hi Westin and thanks for the reply.
I appreciate that it is not VAT I was simply making comparison in principle.
I have read online that it is non-refundable but still fail to see why it is non-refundable as they will not incur it on my behalf if I cancel and will only re-apply it to whoever took my cancelled seat?
That's where I'm struggling, is there really no recourse other than to be diddled?

EssexExile

It seems to be the way it is, you either pay an awful lot more for a refundable ticket or you pay less for a non-refundable ticket & take the chance.

Is the something that has "come up" not covered by insurance?

Caz3121

they now call the YQ - Carrier imposed charge. It is not a fuel tax (they stopped calling it that when fuel rates dropped) it is an extra fee
my view it is split out from the base fare rather than absorbed so they can charge it to customers using miles (which is why long haul economy tickets are such poor redemptions)
no airline refunds the YQ on non-refundable tickets

Seamaster

OK thanks guys, although disappointed in the content, I appreciate your guidance.
Looks like I'm stuffed then but at least I know.

eDicky

Seamaster wrote: »

That's where I'm struggling, is there really no recourse other than to be diddled?

It's really no use looking at it in terms of being 'diddled', because unfortunately when you purchase the cheapest fare that is totally nonrefundable nothing else is relevant. It would have been clear in the terms. It's always a bit of a gamble when you book so far in advance, then life gets in the way...

Just take Westin's advice not to cancel now and you may be lucky if BA make any schedule change in the intervening seven months that entitles you to a full refund.

malkie76

Seamaster wrote: »

OK thanks guys, although disappointed in the content, I appreciate your guidance.
Looks like I'm stuffed then but at least I know.

Just so you know, BA (and every other full service carrier) oversell seats based on complex revenue management software. They oversell knowing a segment of passengers won’t turn up, or cancel flexible tickets at the last minute. It ensures maximum occupancy and hence reduce fares.