Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
UuA are available from all but the lowest fare buckets, regardless of HBO. So about half of HBO tickets sold would be UuA eligible. Anything other that O, Q, G fare buckets - so UuA includes N, which is often fairly cheap. So on LGW-EDI, £41 is O class, not UuA eligible; £47 is N class and is UuA eligible. Both are Basic (HBO) fares, the cheapest N fare LGW-EDI which is Plus is around £54. More details in the Using Avios sticky on the front page.
They do require redemption inventory but within Europe, and avoiding peak holidays / commuter flights, CE redemptions are pretty widely available, even on the day of travel. It's not quite the US system of any available seat, there are some revenue management nuances all over this, not least because sometimes CE redemptions are available on overbooked flights, so some BA crew who live out of London use Avios to avoid impossible staff standby queues.
Honey - was I ever grateful to you. I needed to move the first flight in an Avios booking from ALC to LGW. In August, these are like hens’ teeth. I considered all sorts of possibilities and then you or someone here told me about Reward Flight Finder. It’s a boon. I’ve subscribed as these things can’t live on air and held my nerve as you said. Lo! Not only did I get my flights changed but to most civilised times as well There was quite a bit of availability the nearer the flight came. I know that you know all this, but I’m corroborating this for others.