The Gulf national carrier had previously rolled out new hiked prices to award redemption surcharges. 

Qatar Airways has reversed its decision to substantially raise surcharges on award redemptions, following customer complaints about unexpected new fees on popular routes.

Travellers redeeming Avios points were most affected by this unannounced change, although the number of points required for flights remained the same.

The previously termed “fuel surcharges” were rebranded as “booking fees”.

The initial cash increase saw booking fees to London rise by over 94 percent and fees for trips to New York surge by more than 128 percent compared to the original surcharges.

This silent change frustrated many airline customers, particularly those who only discovered the new fees after accumulating enough Avios reward points to book a flight.

Following backlash from customers, Qatar Airways Privilege Club has updated its reward fees policy for redeeming Qatar Airways award flights. Starting on Monday, the policy shifts from a sector-based model to a distance-based structure.

According to the airline, reward fees for many of Qatar Airways’ popular short and medium-haul routes have decreased by up to 15 percent or remained the same under the new system. However, fees for longer routes have increased in line with the distance travelled.

In a statement to Doha News, Qatar Airways Privilege Club said it apologises for any inconvenience its members may have faced during the rollout of the revised reward fees policy.

“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, as per the revised policy, are now being reflected and applied for all Qatar Airways award flight bookings,” the airline told Doha News.