Award available on BA but not on IB?
Jun 26, 2018, 7:19 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: BA Exec Blue, IHG Spire, HHonor Gold, Accor Platinum.
Posts: 966
Award available on BA but not on IB?
Hi
May have missed something here but:
I know I can use IB AVIOS to book a BA flight. and usually this is not the done thing because of taxes etc BUT due to the hopefully upcoming 90K avios I will need to do this.
SO;-
How come I can see availability on BA.com for a one way IKA-LON flight (BA152) but nothing (no destination on IB for IKA) on IB.com?
I can see TLV-LON on both.
I know there are restrictions on partner airlines re One ways,refunds etc but am sure this does not apply to BA?
How could I book this IKA-LON using on IB.com using IB AVIOS?
Thanks
May have missed something here but:
I know I can use IB AVIOS to book a BA flight. and usually this is not the done thing because of taxes etc BUT due to the hopefully upcoming 90K avios I will need to do this.
SO;-
How come I can see availability on BA.com for a one way IKA-LON flight (BA152) but nothing (no destination on IB for IKA) on IB.com?
I can see TLV-LON on both.
I know there are restrictions on partner airlines re One ways,refunds etc but am sure this does not apply to BA?
How could I book this IKA-LON using on IB.com using IB AVIOS?
Thanks
Jun 26, 2018, 7:49 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: BA Exec Blue, IHG Spire, HHonor Gold, Accor Platinum.
Posts: 966
Hi
Thanks for the quick replies.
Yes I used IKA , Tehran and THR.
Basically if it is not in their drop down list it doesn't show up.
If i call their CS I will be armed with flight details etc.
Of course I suppose I would need to use ITA Matirx to get the cost?
Thanks for the quick replies.
Yes I used IKA , Tehran and THR.
Basically if it is not in their drop down list it doesn't show up.
If i call their CS I will be armed with flight details etc.
Of course I suppose I would need to use ITA Matirx to get the cost?
Jun 27, 2018, 6:04 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: BA Exec Blue, IHG Spire, HHonor Gold, Accor Platinum.
Posts: 966
[Answering my own Q.
I found if I used the Travel->search->flights and ticket Use AVIOS I could not select IKA (or THR) as a departure point.
However if input a known destination and get to the second screen and then put "new Search" the page that opens is
Home-Iberia Plus->Elite Points and Avios. Book with AVIOS
(I've tried to get here without doing that and cannot find how to do it.
In this screen I can input THR for Tehran and it completes the search-
Still comes up as No availability which is rubbish as there is a daily service with availability wide open on BA.com
I found if I used the Travel->search->flights and ticket Use AVIOS I could not select IKA (or THR) as a departure point.
However if input a known destination and get to the second screen and then put "new Search" the page that opens is
Home-Iberia Plus->Elite Points and Avios. Book with AVIOS
(I've tried to get here without doing that and cannot find how to do it.
In this screen I can input THR for Tehran and it completes the search-
Still comes up as No availability which is rubbish as there is a daily service with availability wide open on BA.com
Jun 27, 2018, 7:22 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,048
The next five months are going to be full of people complaining about Iberia Plus partner bookings.
Iberia Plus regulars have known this all along...
Iberia Plus regulars have known this all along...
Jun 27, 2018, 8:53 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: BA Exec Blue, IHG Spire, HHonor Gold, Accor Platinum.
Posts: 966
Maybe some brave sole with the knowledge could create a Wiki\sticky with pertinent facts about the quirkiness of booking through IB.com during this lull before the storm??
Jun 27, 2018, 12:04 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,048
But people aren't going to listen.to the handful of Iberia experts on this board. And... well... since people are going to have 90K Avios to spend and won't be able to find award space on Iberia, it's going to be fun to watch...
Jun 27, 2018, 2:05 pm
#9
Join Date: May 2012
Location: London & Penzance (UK)
Programs: BA Bronze, KrisFlyer Silver
Posts: 347
The wiki would actually be short - DON'T BOOK PARTNER FLIGHTS!!
But people aren't going to listen.to the handful of Iberia experts on this board. And... well... since people are going to have 90K Avios to spend and won't be able to find award space on Iberia, it's going to be fun to watch...
But people aren't going to listen.to the handful of Iberia experts on this board. And... well... since people are going to have 90K Avios to spend and won't be able to find award space on Iberia, it's going to be fun to watch...
Jun 27, 2018, 3:59 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,048
I didn’t pile in for anything like 90k but if any of the handful of Iberia experts are willing to share their wisdom, it would be helpful to know more about partner availability etc. I’m looking at booking some domestic QF flights next year, with flexibility not a high priority, and wondering whether/how one can find IB redemption availability as (for example) PER-SYD seems to be nil availability on any date.
Iberia's IT doesn't work. Agents aren't much better. Half the time they'll tell you that you can't spend Avios on partners. The other half of the time they'll simply not look very hard for award space. FWIW partner rewards are non-refundable and non-changeable.
If a search comes up with the flights you're looking for, consider yourself lucky. But AFAIK there isn't a magical trick to be shared.
Jun 28, 2018, 12:27 am
#11
Join Date: May 2012
Location: London & Penzance (UK)
Programs: BA Bronze, KrisFlyer Silver
Posts: 347
Sorry, but I have to laugh. Iberia "experts" don't go anywhere near partner rewards... It's not like many of us can actually tell you how to game it in your favour. We just stick to simple Iberia rewards and book partners via BAEC because until now there's been no incentive whatsoever to book partners via IB+.
Iberia's IT doesn't work. Agents aren't much better. Half the time they'll tell you that you can't spend Avios on partners. The other half of the time they'll simply not look very hard for award space. FWIW partner rewards are non-refundable and non-changeable.
If a search comes up with the flights you're looking for, consider yourself lucky. But AFAIK there isn't a magical trick to be shared.
Iberia's IT doesn't work. Agents aren't much better. Half the time they'll tell you that you can't spend Avios on partners. The other half of the time they'll simply not look very hard for award space. FWIW partner rewards are non-refundable and non-changeable.
If a search comes up with the flights you're looking for, consider yourself lucky. But AFAIK there isn't a magical trick to be shared.
Jun 28, 2018, 2:11 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: BA Exec Blue, IHG Spire, HHonor Gold, Accor Platinum.
Posts: 966
Thank you, that’s good to know. Sounds like it’s IB/BA redemptions only here and using my existing BA Avios for Australia then. It’ll be interesting to see Iberia’s reaction if there’s a continuous stream of callers trying to book partner awards as advertised on the website over the coming weeks.
Jun 29, 2018, 12:44 pm
#13
Join Date: May 2013
Location: MAD
Programs: IB+, BAEC
Posts: 3,106
One ways are allowed on BA, so there's that. But the taxes are also high.
It wasn't until I got Platino that I was consistently able to get competent agents (and even then it's glaringly obvious when I get routed to the normal call center).
It wasn't until I got Platino that I was consistently able to get competent agents (and even then it's glaringly obvious when I get routed to the normal call center).
Jun 30, 2018, 1:58 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 5,398
I've also noticed that BA Cityflyer (London City) award inventory never shows up in Iberia, I assume because it's classed as a partner. This is especially annoying as those seats go within hours on popular routes, so there is no time to call up.
Jun 30, 2018, 2:56 am
#15
Join Date: Mar 2016
Programs: BAEC, Ib+, Accor, HHonors
Posts: 609
There are some partner redemptions which are better on IbPlus than on BAEC, specially if conections are involved. But I agree, searching for anything other than IB Group, Vueling and BA is a PITA.
Oh, and then the "others": Binter Canarias, Avianca, Royal Air Maroc,... I´ve failed to see any success in redeeming Avios on them. A mystery.
Oh, and then the "others": Binter Canarias, Avianca, Royal Air Maroc,... I´ve failed to see any success in redeeming Avios on them. A mystery.