Fuel Surcharge makes BA miles almost worthless
 

I have stopped using my BA miles so long as the current "fuel surcharge" nonsense continues. For example, I was looking for a reservation in November DFW to EDI round-trip in coach. 50,000 miles plus $271 in taxes/fees! DFW to LGW $200 in fees. On AA I made a reservation for 40,000 miles plus $70 in fees. BA quotes its RT fare to be $378 plus $244 in taxes/fees ($622 total) and AA quotes $513 plus $114 in taxes/fees ($627 total), so the total is virtually the same, it's just that anyone using BA miles is screwed...
And just for interest I looked at the add-on LGW to EDI. 12,000 miles and $80.54 in fees, the RT fare was only $118!!

Yup, it's getting crazy.

£170 tax/surcharge for a MAN-DXB trip I've got coming up.

Cheers,
Rick

Well if you will look to redeem miles in economy in the first place!?! :eek:

More seriously:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=571896

may interest you.

Phil
PS Stopping using BA miles probably won't bother BA in the least. Stopping flying paid fares whilst this continues may have a greater effect in aggregate...money talks, miles don't.

You use the miles for World Traveller? :eek: I feel faint, I'm going for a lie down.....

I thought Texans were genetically programmed to only sit in the BIG seats at the FRONT of the plane. ;)

I've found a few city and even airport pairs where the taxes and fees on a mileage ticket exceeded the costs of simply buying a ticket on another major carrier. BA is amongst the worst offenders in this regard.

I try avoid OW because of this. Taxes/fees/surcharges are outrageous.

For OW, I generally buy the tickets via AA

not just BA.

I'm redeeming a miles ticket on BD to LAS. £160 'taxes and surcharges' - even more than BA longhaul.

You are quite mad to redeem hard earned miles in coach!!!!

However that being said you should remember that at least on BA shorthaul flights you get a complimentary proper snack (eg sandwich), decent food on longhaul and free bar on economy fares (except regional shorthaul BA Connect), which can go some way to diminishing the cost of the surcharge.

Soon you will get AVOD in economy as well.

There are also other ways of reducing the taxes on redemptions, but you will have to PM me for that....

It never entirely covers the high cost of redemptions in economy, but redemptions in Club and FIRST are better value as the free massages on departure and arrival, decent champagne in lounges and now again on board, plus the goody BAg can go a long way to balancing the cash cost of the redemptions.

:D :D :D

What are we talking? 5-30 pounds depending on whether it is short or long haul? :rolleyes:

A redemption in economy! :D :D :D

Having said that was it not only a few years ago I read that the majority of BA redemptions were LHR - CDG or similar for a family of 4 or more?

Keep it up folks...I'll save mine for my 2:4:1's in FIRST on true long-haul or only 80k for SWMBO & I to travel in NCW LHR - HKG with the occasional op-up. ;)

I don't have many BA miles left, almost all my travel is on AA these days. But my point is that BA "total" fares may be the same as AA but because the fees/taxes piece is so much larger the miles are worth much less. Same applies if you fly Club. BA fees on a Club ticket are $237. AA fees on a business ticket are $120.

Well, we are talking in the OPs example of a differential of between an extra $120-$150 in surcharges for an economy redemption. This can be reduced to around $100 via the methodology I am not prepared to publish here. That is about GBP56 at current exchange rates.

On longhaul round trip, three drinks each way would cost $30 total. If you have status, you can also use the showers and free bar (including champagne) in the lounges, further adding value to your redemption.

So from $150 to $100 with some know-how, less $30 for in flight drinks (admittedly irrelevant if you are tea-total), and the actual difference is just $70.

With decent food in the lounge as well as on board, plus drinks in the lounge this goes some, but not all the way, to reducing the discrepancy assuming you are a drinker and enjoy your food.

In premium cabins the cash cost of redemptions is easliy covered by the perks on offer, which are simply not offered by AA.

I think the point many fail to comprehend is that unlike most US airlines FF programmes the BAEC is not a FF programme but a premium cabin traveller reward programme.

They may not claim that in their advertising...but that's what it is.

And long may that continue!

Meantime I will carry on booking my non-redemption tickets through AA.com. :D