BA wants 9k avios for a 63 miles flight?
 

I saw BA flies between St Kitts and Antigua on its way back to London. I thought it's a good way to use avios. But when I checked, it wants 9250 avios + $85 for off peak. Really? I thought even though there is no longer an award chart, it's at least somewhat distance based. And I'm sure the flight is always half empty on that leg since half of the passengers probably board at ANU. Even the $85 seems more than the tax and fees and I think there is surcharge tacked to it. Is this how BA avios operate these days?

That flight is an unusual ‘edge’ case in the BA network.

if you don’t see it as acceptable value, then buy a ticket another way :idea:

Everything from 0-600 miles in distance is the same amount of Avios, it's always been that way.

Most airline award charts are similar, even if there is "no chart".

Just buy a cash ticket if you think 9,250 Avios is a lot.

Actually, having checked, economy SKB to ANU is shows $68 one way, but once you click through it prices as $179.80. It's similar enough to the Avios pricing.

I think this pricing is incorrect.

RFS is not available on this sector and therefore pricing should be 4500 Avios plus full taxes, fees and charges. The 9500 is the "new" RFS price, which should accompany reduced TFC. BA have here taken both higher amounts.

Actually you can get RFS on this route. I just checked and it has the symbol which indicates as such.

What's so edge about it? Or do you just mean that BA prices 90% of the flights based on distance, and the other 10% when people are not noticing, just whatever it wants?

That's a given. :)

Exactly, I was expecting something like 4500 avios. Also even on such a short flight, tacking on some surcharge which I think $85 includes seems unscrupulous.

Reward Flight Saver– pay as little as $1 and 18,500 Avios for your next short haul flight

So if one assigns at least 1c for each avios, does that mean every short haul will cost at least $185 in value? What's the point of redeeming avios in RFS in this case?

It's one of the few routes of that length that BA flies. So it's just lumped into that category.




The taxes and fees on a one way fare on that route is $111.80. If your account qualifies for RFS then you can go to the next page and see the other options, including the regular price option.

OK, well in that case there should not be a TFC charge at all, just a nominal 50p. Unless the OP has not accumulated at least 1 Avios in the last year to qualify for RFS.

I see that RFS is offered in Economy, Premium and Business. All for Avios and a nominal fee.

Not all expenses for a flight are variable with distance - I’d expect there to be some base amount of ticket cost that a flight costs, irrespective of distance.

When I searched it earlier, it was coming up with €0.50 for the pay charge - 9,250 Avios for World Traveller, 11,500 for World Traveller Plus and 15,000 for Club World.

Same cash component on each.

Yes, I just edited my post. In fact economy, premium and business is offered. Given the high taxes and charges on that route, an Avios redemption doesn't look bad value at all.

That's a good point. No, I haven't bothered accumulating avios. I'm just trying to unload my existing avios without throwing them away. I suppose transferring in some points into avios counts as collecting?

That sounds more reasonable. So it's 9250 for one way RFS and 18500 for round trip, right?

These are the RFS prices I am seeing - you need to have qualified for RFS by earning some Avios in the last 12 months as explained on BA.com

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...922/dsw9q1.png

And the cash fare on this date in World Traveller (economy) is US$180, which isn't an unusual in that part of the world. So the best option is the RFS option for 5250 Avios, which I value at a UK penny each, thus £70, and a great use of Avios even in economy.

Correct, it's 9,250 each way for 18,500 return.