In some major unwelcome news for American travelers, British Airways has increased award prices on many award flights operated by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, as noted by AwardWallet. And unfortunately, this comes without notice, as the new award fares are now appearing via the British Airways search engine.
Here’s what you need to know about these changes.
British Airways increases award rates for flights to America and Alaska
British Airways Executive Club uses a distance-based rewards table when you redeem Avios on its network of partner airlines (although these prices vary slightly depending on the airline and travel dates). Before today, you could book non-stop flights operating across America and Alaska from just 7,500 Avios each way. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.
Here is a chart summarizing the New Economy reward rates, which are already in effect:
| Distance | Old economy price (before December 12, 2023) | New economy prize (from December 13, 2023) | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 650 miles | 7,500 Avios | 8,250 Avios | 10% |
| 651 – 1,851 miles | 9,000 Avios | 11,000 Avios | 22.2% |
| 1,152 – 2,000 miles | 11,000 Avios | 14,500 Avios | 31.8% |
| 2,001 – 3,000 miles | 13,000 Avios | 16,000 Avios | 23.1% |
As you can see, these are relatively large increases in percentage terms.
Unfortunately, it’s an even worse story for first-class award flights on American and Alaska.
| Zone (distance) | Old First Class Price (before December 12, 2023) | New First Class Price (from December 13, 2023) | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 (up to 650 miles) | 12,500 Avios | 16,500 Avios | 32% |
| Zone 2 (651 – 1,851 miles) | 16,500 Avios | 20,500 Avios | 24.2% |
| Zone 3 (1,152 – 2,000 miles) | 22,000 Avios | 29,000 Avios | 32% |
| Zone 4 (2,001 – 3,000 miles) | 38,750 Avios | 42,000 Avios | 8.4% |
As previously noted, these fares now appear via the British Airways search engine.
For example, here is a short-haul flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) in the Bahamas, in both economy and first class.
Here is a one-way flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Denver International Airport (DEN) in both economy and first class.
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Perhaps the biggest sweet spot hit here runs from the west coast to Hawaii, which previously only required 13,000 Avios each way (or 26,000 Avios round trip). Now you have to save 16,000 Avios for a one-way ticket in economy class.
It’s worth noting that we see the same increases reflected in Iberia Plus.
Our view on the changes
This is a very frustrating development, as using Avios for American and Alaska-operated flights used to be a fantastic use of transferable credit card rewards. That’s because the British Airways Executive Club works with most major currencies, including:
Plus, this was implemented without notice, so anyone who was saving Avios for a specific redemption has suddenly seen the goalposts move for their specific trip.
What’s interesting is that this follows a similar change at another UK airline, as Virgin Atlantic updated reward fares on many Delta-operated routes last week – and like BA, Virgin’s Flying Club loyalty program also works with major credit card schemes . .
Finally, it’s worth noting that the British Airways Executive Club has become even more complicated than before, as the award fare you pay now applies across the board – depending on the airline, origin/destination, travel dates and class of flights. employ. While some programs are taking steps to simplify complex award pricing, British Airways is moving in a different direction.
In short
British Airways has increased the number of Avios you need to book many Alaska and American-operated award flights, especially flights up to 3,000 miles. This means virtually all domestic routes plus many short to medium-haul international flights. This comes less than a week after Virgin Atlantic made similar price changes to many Delta award flights.
That said, it may still make sense to book these awards with Avios, especially if you’re short on American AAdvantage or Alaska Mileage Plan miles. We regularly see transfer bonuses from issuers like Amex and Chase to Avios, so these redemptions can still be a good option. They’re just not as lucrative as they used to be.
