Changes to redemption prices on partner airlines eff 30 May 2019
 

Has anyone received an email like the following from BA? If so, does anyone have any other information on this?

From 30 May 2019, we’ll be changing our Avios prices on reward flights with the following partner airlines: Alaska Airlines, Air Italy, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Japan Airlines, LATAM, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, S7, Sri Lankan and Royal Jordanian Airlines.

The price of Avios upgrades on American Airlines only will also be changing from 30 May 2019. You will pay the difference between the Avios prices of your booked cabin and your upgraded cabin.

Don’t worry if you have an existing Avios booking with one of these airlines. It’s still valid and you can make changes or cancel it if you need to*. Our new Avios prices will apply to any changes or new bookings you make after 30 May 2019.

There will be no change to our Avios prices for reward flights and upgrades with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia or Vueling. The Avios prices for our other services are also unaffected, so you can continue to benefit from spending your Avios on our wide range of hotels, car hire and experiences

It's literally every single partner.....lol

Seeing as all redemptions at the moment are using the same distance chart this appears to be a move to redemptions based on partner so CX want 80k for this and QF want 40k for that.

Bad news.

Could it be cost based pricing? I rather hope not as it kind of undermines the point of a miles programme for customers: basically, when cash tickets are expensive, but miles are available, they don't expect to sell a full cabin but are pricing high to attract last-minute/high-end business customers.

That said, the great bulk of my redemptions have been on BA so it's not disastrous. It is pointless to say that prices are changing without saying how they're changing though.

Here is the link from the email: https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...=1556549945000

Everybody but IAG brands, I guess.

Didn't see updated pricing list though.

Raising prices on the AA JV routes is interesting too.

Spent so much time going through the email and clicking through to try to find out what redemption rates would look like but nope, they don't say anything. Useless

Seems like a complex bowtie to move away from zones and into price based redemption. Can be nothing but bad news.

Won't be cash-based pricing. Will be similar to what Virgin has where different airlines have different mileage requirements.

Basically, an end to BA paying other airlines lots of money for small amounts of Avios in return.

BA series not changed so the distance pricing will likely stay, it may just be how much more partners will cost.

Seems like BA is really the only airline left that was charging the same for their flights and that of their partners so this is 'fixing' the anomaly.

Info
 

Came to FT thinking that someone knew about this already but instead it looks like a surprise to everyone eh? Sad for Alaska redemptions I'm sure. I can feel the west coast hawaii 12.5k miles drifting away. I'm sure that was a sore spot.

I hope SYD-MEL for 4,500 Avios in Y and HKG-TYO in CX J will stay......

Very doubtful.

BA announcing this but not providing any more information means it's going to be bad, very bad.

You have until 5/30 to escape.

Though with distance pricing it seems difficult to get rid of it in bulks.

Literally the only reason I collect avios is for the 4500 TYO-CTS flights... I suspect this change is going to hurt them.