Combining a domestic UK connection with an award flight
 

Is there a procedure for combining multiple award flights, or an award flight with paid segments? I can't find anything on the BA web site.
I need to add a domestic connection to and from LHR, to a BA reward ticket.
* I buy a LHR-ICN-LHR reward ticket with Avios.
* I buy a connecting ticket from my local airport LBA-LHR-LBA. This can either be using cash, or via another award ticket. It could be a return ticket or two singles.

Can I combine this lot into a single itinerary, with protected connections?

You should be able to change the LHR-ICN-LHR reward booking to add on the domestic sectors as long as there is reward availability for those domestic flights. There won't be any extra avios to pay, cash cost should be £35 per person change fee and any extra taxes/fees/charges (likely around £80 per person for adding the LBA-LHR and LHR-LBA.

If you booked the domestic flights separately using cash you couldn't combine them with the reward booking. Also BA's policy would be not to check through bags on to a separate booking if that's a consideration, and the connection wouldn't be protected.

You can never mix revenue and redemption tickets on BA and most airlines. The fare construction process is completely different and it's like adding two items which don't follow the same mathematical model.

You can certainly have a domestic add on to to longhaul, indeed in this case it is "free", no extra Avios required, but there is a tax implication which may make it superficially attractive to go separate tickets. With HBO / long connections perhaps use of Plus tickets this may be something to consider, but not to LBA due to the restricted timetable. But to NCL or MAN it may be worth considering depending on your risk appetite and understanding.

If you don't see online availability then you may want to call up. There is extra Avios availability for connected sectors, but BA.com doesn't throw up connected sectors depending on timings and linkages. Very occasionally an agent may call up Revenue Management to assist too.

Thanks for the replies.
Potentially the total would be:
39k Avios + £352 tax for LHR-ICN return award flight
zero Avios + £80 for LBA-LHR return award flight
= 39k Avios + £432 cash
This is according to rewardflightfinder.com

Whether this is a good price for an Economy seat in a 787, I will have to ponder.
And yes, there will be more domestic connections if I depart from MAN.

I think due to the sub-optimal LBA-LHR timetable you might have trouble booking a suitable LBA-LHR connection to be able to get the flight you want to ICN (unless you are happy doing an overnight at LHR).

The taxes & fees for LHR-ICN are indeed £352 but MAN-LHR-ICN return will only be £409. Do a dummy booking and if you see a higher figure when selecting your flights, click through to the next page and you will see the correct amount.

Could you explain this a bit more? I have never booked an award flight before.
My understanding is that domestic legs are £35 each + tax = about £80. You are suggesting a figure of £57.

And yes, the current LBA schedule is really bad for LHR connections.

You don't book it as two separate bookings (if you do you will lose your protection at LHR if the inbound flight is delayed AND you will have to collect/recheck your bags in London).

Log into your BAEC account, click book a flight with avios and then try doing a dummy booking of MAN-ICN. The options you get will include changes at LHR (plus maybe DOH and HEL and elsewhere). The price you see (on the second page) is the total price for the MAN-LHR and LHR-ICN (and return) segments.

Thanks, TT.
I did a dummy booking for a midweek departure and return in November. There was plenty of availability.
Cost: 39000 Avios + £ 409.77

Cash returns seem to be £671 - is there are reason you want a reward booking?

Just looking for opportunities to use some of my Avios.

Very rough rule of thumb but often used is that avios are worth about 1 pence each.
This booking would get about 0.5 pence each assuming etiene is right.
I know people's earning and redemption profiles are different, but I'd like to tempt you to the 'dark side' of optimising your avios benefits :)
Premium cabins long haul (upgrades or straight up) and intra-europe fares seem to be the sweet spot for value.