Standard redemption flights are the most popular option and are good for itineraries involving BA plus one partner carrier or a single partner carrier. The table below sets out the number of Avios Points needed for a single flight. If your itinerary involves multiple flights, you will need to add together the individual flights to reach the total price.
Certain routes such as LHR-LCA, LAX-HKG, and JFK-HKG have been adjusted at slightly lower rates than their true distance suggests. BA's
Avios Calculator is the higher authority so we recommend you use it to check each flight.
01 Point to point flights
Point to point (origin and destination) routes are the easiest to calculate. Using LAX as a theoretical epicente, the figure below illustrates the flight distance zone bands between LAX and a sample of US cities. Using LAX-MIA as an example, Miami is our focus destination and the route is highlighted in cyan. The sector distance is 2,342 miles, so with reference to the standard redemption tariffs table above, we can determine the base cost of this flight using Avios:
Band 4 at 12,500 Avios.
Using the premium class multiplier, a seat in business class will cost 25,000 Avios or 37,500 Avios for first class.
Zonal map - Origin Los Angeles, Destination: Miami
02 Connecting flights
As redemptions are calculated by individual sector, so each flight must be considered when connections are concerned. Let's look again at the Los Angeles to Miami itinerary but this time we'll introduce a connection at Dallas Forth Worth.
Flight 1: LAX-DFW, highlighted in cyan. The sector distance is 1,235 miles which places this as a Zone 3 flight, at 10,000 Avios in economy class (or 30,000 Avios in first class)
Flight 2: DFW-MIA, highlighted in red. The sector distance is 1,121 miles, therefore a Zone 2 flight priced at 7,500 Avios in economy, or 22,500 Avios in first class.
So combining flights 1 and 2, overall the base redemption cost works out at 17,500 Avios for an economy class one way ticket (plus all applicable taxes, fees and surcharges). So by comparing the direct flight and connecting flight examples we can see value can be gained by booking direct flights.
Connecting flight - Los Angeles to Miami via Dallas Fort Worth
The figure below provides us with a further example. This time the routing is on American Airlines from Atlanta to Buenos Aires via Dallas Forth Worth. The first flight ATL-DFW is highlighted in red and with a distance of 731 miles puts it into Zone 2; the connecting flight DFW-EZE is highlighted in orange. It is longer at 5,286 miles and falls into Zone 6. The base fare is a simple calculation, adding both flights: 7,500 Avios for sector 1 plus 25,000 Avios for sector 2 which amounts to 32,500 Avios (plus taxes, fees and surcharges)
Connecting flight - Atlanta to Buenos Aires via Dallas Fort Worth
03 UK and Mainland Spain domestic feeder flights
When pricing short haul and long haul redemptions, domestic connections within the UK and Mainland Spain are included in the fare. Taxes, fees, and surcharges associated with these domestic sectors are added to the overall fare however.
Using GLA-LHR-JFK as an example, since the domestic feeder (marked as flight 1) is included in the cost of the international sector out of London (marked as flight 2), the base price is 20,000 Avios (per Zone 5, LHR-JFK) plus taxes, fees, and surcharges. While domestic feeder flights are free, they are still subject to normal redemption availablility conditions. So to include a feeder flight, there must be X class availablility (and/or V class for Gold members) for that flight as well availability on the corresponding international flight.
BA.com is known to be a bit prickly when it comes to displaying domestic feeder availability so if you find it is not offering domestic connections or if the connection timing is sub-optimal, calling your local BAEC service centre does often pay dividends. Some members have reported BA has bolted on domestic feeder flights on an existing London originating ticket.
Connecting flight - Glasgow to New York via London
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