Your guide to spending Avios | 2021 edition
May 7, 2022, 4:45 am
#361
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HAM
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 137
I haven't looked at availabilities for a long time (thanks, Covid lockdowns), but it seems now that everyone is emerging fromt their sheltering in place, people grab those seats like crazy - or is availability even worse now than pre-covid? Looking for First to NA West Coast has always been bad, but really this bad? Is expertflyer worth it for the alerts? Or are new availabilities gone within minutes? I have 190k avios that are burning a hole in my digital pocket.
May 7, 2022, 5:15 am
#362
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
First awards will become increasingly rare as the number of First seats being operated by BA continues to decrease. This has long been predicted, from well before Covid started. Covid will only have made it worse.
May 7, 2022, 7:35 am
#363
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HAM
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 137
Last thing I remember along those lines is that the 787s didn't have First. OK, time to catch up a little more here in the form...
May 7, 2022, 8:54 am
#364
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
One of the effects of Covid was that the remaining 28 747s never returned to service. That was 392 physical seats taken out of the fleet, most of them operating two flights a day. Even now, only half of the 380s are back in service, so that's another 84 seats not operating at present. And so on and so forth.
May 10, 2022, 5:08 am
#365
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HAM
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 137
One of the effects of Covid was that the remaining 28 747s never returned to service. That was 392 physical seats taken out of the fleet, most of them operating two flights a day. Even now, only half of the 380s are back in service, so that's another 84 seats not operating at present. And so on and so forth.
Thank you for bringing me up to speed, that's indeed a bunch of seats being eliminated. At least it seems from recent-ish posts here that the J hard product has been improved.
May 12, 2022, 4:53 am
#366
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: TXL
Programs: US, LH, HH
Posts: 724
I recently did a BER-LHR-HND redemption and I'm confused about the Avios calculation on it. The LHR-HND segment ist first on JAL and costs 123750 Avios, the first leg is off-peak business and from my understanding should be 8500 Avios, so 132250 in total. However both agents I talked to seemed to be unable to come up with that amount. Both quoted me 138750, so basically 15000 Avios for the first BA segment. Is this the way it is or is there something the agents could have done differently?
May 12, 2022, 5:12 am
#367
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,958
So the reason is that it is pricing the short haul flights at the highest avios and lowest cash rate rather than the normal band rate. I am not sure there is a way around it, or at least I don't think I have seen any positive results when challenging it. You can book the two flights as separate bookings but obviously that has implications for protection if you misconnect and potential extra taxes.
15000 Avios + £ 0.50
14250 Avios + £ 4.50
11750 Avios + £ 12.50
8500 Avios + £ 25.00
6500 Avios + £ 42.50
5250 Avios + £ 62.50
14250 Avios + £ 4.50
11750 Avios + £ 12.50
8500 Avios + £ 25.00
6500 Avios + £ 42.50
5250 Avios + £ 62.50
May 13, 2022, 2:52 pm
#368
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PlatMM, BA and Alaska Emerald, HHonors DIA, Accor, Marriott Titanium, IHG Plat Amb, UA Silver, AA
Posts: 4,515
Looking at CDG-MLE on way, and seeing Qatar F available (!) on CDG-DOH and DOH-MLE separately, but impossible to book as a connection. BA only shows Y as options.
Same results using Alaska Airlines miles, so maybe it's a QR thing?
I do see that Sri Lankan biz is available for much fewer miles, so not a total loss if QR F doesn't work out.
Thanks for any info!
Same results using Alaska Airlines miles, so maybe it's a QR thing?
I do see that Sri Lankan biz is available for much fewer miles, so not a total loss if QR F doesn't work out.
Thanks for any info!
May 13, 2022, 2:58 pm
#369
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,584
Looking at CDG-MLE on way, and seeing Qatar F available (!) on CDG-DOH and DOH-MLE separately, but impossible to book as a connection. BA only shows Y as options.
Same results using Alaska Airlines miles, so maybe it's a QR thing?
I do see that Sri Lankan biz is available for much fewer miles, so not a total loss if QR F doesn't work out.
Thanks for any info!
Same results using Alaska Airlines miles, so maybe it's a QR thing?
I do see that Sri Lankan biz is available for much fewer miles, so not a total loss if QR F doesn't work out.
Thanks for any info!
Edited to add: If you're willing to pay BA's telephone-booking fee, it might even be possible to book the two separate redemptions on a single PNR.
Last edited by guv1976; May 13, 2022 at 3:24 pm
May 13, 2022, 9:03 pm
#370
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,584
Looking at CDG-MLE on way, and seeing Qatar F available (!) on CDG-DOH and DOH-MLE separately, but impossible to book as a connection. BA only shows Y as options.
Same results using Alaska Airlines miles, so maybe it's a QR thing?
I do see that Sri Lankan biz is available for much fewer miles, so not a total loss if QR F doesn't work out.
Thanks for any info!
Same results using Alaska Airlines miles, so maybe it's a QR thing?
I do see that Sri Lankan biz is available for much fewer miles, so not a total loss if QR F doesn't work out.
Thanks for any info!
QR Interlining (Baggage)
Not sure, however, about QR's protection policy in the event of IRROPS on separate PNRs.
May 13, 2022, 9:30 pm
#371
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PlatMM, BA and Alaska Emerald, HHonors DIA, Accor, Marriott Titanium, IHG Plat Amb, UA Silver, AA
Posts: 4,515
Thanks for that. I was thinking it might be cheaper as one itinerary, but BA seem to charge for each segment anyway (?) vs most US-based programs (AA, AS, DL, UA) charge the same for region to region.
May 13, 2022, 9:56 pm
#372
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,584
That's correct. "Regular" BAEC redemptions charge for each flight flown. BAEC does offer "multi-partner" redemptions which are based on total distance flown, rather than the length of each individual segment. If you were planning to return to Europe, a multi-partner award might be make sense, especially if you were to fly QR F on the outbound, and UL J on the return.
May 13, 2022, 11:01 pm
#373
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,813
Looking at CDG-MLE on way, and seeing Qatar F available (!) on CDG-DOH and DOH-MLE separately, but impossible to book as a connection. BA only shows Y as options.
Same results using Alaska Airlines miles, so maybe it's a QR thing?
I do see that Sri Lankan biz is available for much fewer miles, so not a total loss if QR F doesn't work out.
Thanks for any info!
Same results using Alaska Airlines miles, so maybe it's a QR thing?
I do see that Sri Lankan biz is available for much fewer miles, so not a total loss if QR F doesn't work out.
Thanks for any info!
un-married segments?
May 20, 2022, 4:26 pm
#374
Join Date: Jul 2021
Programs: AP AS BA
Posts: 364
Distance calculation in Avios redemption
I had to change an Avios booking since JL cancelled by KIX-BKK flight in August. I tried to get a NRT-BKK flight but the agent said it couldn't be done as NRT is more than 350 miles from KIX ("352 miles"). However, when I looked it up on GCmaps, it's only 306 miles. So does BA use an industry database (sort of like Timatic) to calculate distances? If the database is based on the average of previous flight paths, I can see another 50 miles or so added based on departure and arrival paths.
May 21, 2022, 12:10 am
#375
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,958
I had to change an Avios booking since JL cancelled by KIX-BKK flight in August. I tried to get a NRT-BKK flight but the agent said it couldn't be done as NRT is more than 350 miles from KIX ("352 miles"). However, when I looked it up on GCmaps, it's only 306 miles. So does BA use an industry database (sort of like Timatic) to calculate distances? If the database is based on the average of previous flight paths, I can see another 50 miles or so added based on departure and arrival paths.