Flexible airfares: what the fare rules let you change

Flexible airfares are tickets you can change without paying a big penalty, and in March 2021 the cheap ones are not flexible at all. On Qantas, a Red eDeal fare costs A$99 to change, plus any rise in the fare. A Flex fare has no change fee. Right now, though, Qantas and Virgin Australia are both waiving change fees on new domestic bookings, which makes the rules easy to mix up.

This guide explains the two kinds of fare, what a change really costs, and the temporary offers that sit on top of them. Fare rules vary by airline and by ticket, so read the conditions on your own booking.

Sources for this section: Qantas, Australian Domestic Fare Re-structure FAQs, 4 November 2020; Executive Traveller, 8 February 2021.

Two kinds of fare: cheap and flexible

Airlines sell the same seat at different prices, and each price comes with its own rules. Qantas groups its domestic economy fares into two families. Red eDeal is the lower-priced family. Flex is the higher-priced one, with fewer limits on changes.

Qantas redrew the line between them on 4 November 2020. It moved M class out of Flex and into Red eDeal, so more seats now sit in the cheaper family. K class became the new lead-in Flex fare. The airline said this would give customers access to more fares in the most popular family, and that the step up to a flexible fare would be smaller.

The lesson is simple. A flexible fare is a different product, not a discount. You pay more at the start for the right to change later.

Sources for this section: Qantas, Australian Domestic Fare Re-structure FAQs, 4 November 2020.

What a change costs on each fare

Qantas gives a worked example in its own fare guide. A customer buys a Red eDeal fare for A$199 and later moves the flight to another day. The new ticket costs the same base fare, and a A$99 change fee is added on top. The total is A$298.

In a second example, a Flex ticket bought for A$520 is moved to a new date. The change fee is listed as not applicable, and the total stays at A$520. Qantas notes that the figures are only illustrations, so the live fare rule is what counts.

Notice the words "fare difference". Even when the fee is zero, you pay the gap if the new flight is dearer. A sale fare on a busy weekend can rise a lot in a few weeks.

Sources for this section: Qantas, Australian Domestic Fare Re-structure FAQs, 4 November 2020.

The temporary fee-free offers

COVID-19 border changes have pushed airlines to relax their rules. On 8 February 2021, Qantas said that people who book domestic or trans-Tasman flights before 30 April 2021 can change their dates without a fee, for travel up to 31 January next year. Its earlier waiver covered only one free change, for travel until the end of June 2021. The new offer allows unlimited date changes.

Virgin Australia went part of the way first. In January it extended fee-free changes to bookings made by 31 March 2021, for travel until 30 June 2021. On 10 February 2021 it said it would match the Qantas offer: book before 30 April 2021 and travel up to 31 January next year without a change charge.

• Fees: the change fee is waived, but the airline says any fare increase on the new flight still applies.
• Booking window: the offers are for new bookings made before the cut-off, not for every old ticket.
• Reward bookings: Qantas Points flights on Classic Flight Rewards have their own waiver, which runs only until 30 April 2021.

These are short-term offers. They are not part of the permanent fare rules, and an airline can change or end them. Check the end date before you book.

Sources for this section: Australian Aviation, 8 February 2021 and 10 February 2021; Executive Traveller, 8 February 2021; Airline Ratings, 13 January 2021.

Cancelling and flight credits

Changing a flight and cancelling it are different things. Airline Ratings reported in January 2021 how Qantas handled cancelled flights. For flights before 31 March, a customer could cancel and keep the full value as a flight credit. The credit had to be requested before departure, and travel had to be finished by 31 December of the year after next. When rebooking, the customer paid any change fee and any rise in fare.

For flights after 31 March, a credit was also available, but travel had to happen within 12 months of the original booking date. Standard fare rules could still apply.

Australian Aviation reported in February 2021 that Rex took a different path. It offered a full refund to any passenger affected by border closures. Qantas and Virgin, by contrast, offered refunds only when the airline itself cancelled the flight.

Sources for this section: Airline Ratings, 13 January 2021; Australian Aviation, 8 February 2021.

How to choose a fare

Use these questions before you pay.

1. How sure is your date? If it can move, a cheap fare with a waiver may beat a Flex fare. If the waiver does not cover you, a Flex fare is the safer buy.
2. Does your booking fall inside the offer? Check the booking cut-off and the last travel date on the airline's own page.
3. What is the cost of being wrong? A A$99 fee on a A$199 ticket is half the fare again.
4. Do you hold a credit? Note its expiry date and the rules for using it.

Compare the fare on the day, not from memory. Sale fares and waiver terms have changed several times since late 2020, and they may change again.

Sources for this section: Qantas, Australian Domestic Fare Re-structure FAQs, 4 November 2020; Executive Traveller, 8 February 2021; Australian Aviation, 10 February 2021.

Sources

1. Qantas, Australian Domestic Fare Re-structure FAQs (4 November 2020): qantas.com
2. Executive Traveller, Qantas unlocks unlimited flight changes (8 February 2021): executivetraveller.com
3. Australian Aviation, Qantas trumps Virgin with better deal on waiving change fees (8 February 2021): australianaviation.com.au
4. Australian Aviation, Virgin fights back to match Rex fare deal within hours (10 February 2021): australianaviation.com.au
5. Airline Ratings, Virgin Australia extends flexible fee-free booking (13 January 2021): airlineratings.com