What is Carrier-imposed surcharge?

A carrier-imposed surcharge is a fee set by the airline itself and added to a ticket, payable in cash on award bookings on top of the miles.

Also called: Fuel surcharge, YQ.

How it works#

The surcharge is not a government levy but part of the airline’s own price, shown separately from the base fare. On award tickets it decides what a redemption really costs: the same route can be nearly free of cash through one programme and carry a substantial charge through a partner. That makes it part of every honest valuation of an award booking.

Not to be confused with#

A carrier-imposed surcharge is not the same as taxes and airport charges: those are levied by governments and airports, while the surcharge is the airline’s own and set at will.

In German#

The German term is Kerosinzuschlag. German version of this term

Related terms#

• Award ticket: An award ticket is a flight paid for with miles or points instead of cash; taxes, fees and surcharges almost always still have to be paid in money.
• Partner award: A partner award is a redemption in which one programme’s miles pay for a flight operated by a different airline.
• Cents per point: Cents per point is the measure of a redemption’s value: the cash price avoided, minus any co-payment, divided by the number of points spent.

Articles that use this term#

• Why the best redemptions are on partner airlines
• What does changing or cancelling an award ticket cost?
• What is a point actually worth, and how do you work it out yourself?
• When do you get money back for a flight you didn’t take?
• Why one-way awards cost half, when one-way cash fares often don’t