Originally Posted by
arcticbull
Plus IMHO Avios are worth a whole lot less (and a whole lot easier to earn) than AA miles, so if it was between 12.5K Avios and 10K AA, I may still just redeem the Avios.
I generally agree with this. However, if one is booking less than 21 days in advance on short haul flights and not EXP, Avios are a much better redemption (that is what I primarily use them for). Far fewer miles and no close in booking fee. Domestic award tickets booked using Avios can also be cancelled by forfeiting the taxes and fees paid ($2.50 or $5.00 on a domestic award).
Avios do have significant fuel surcharges on European redemptions, however, availability on BA metal is significantly better than AA metal. (AA and BA share revenue so there is incentive for AA to steer redemptions to BA flights with the fuel surcharges).