As soon as once more, British Airways Govt Membership has devalued Alaska Airways and American Airways awards booked with Avios.
As first reported by One Mile at a Time, award pricing for Alaska Airways or American Airways flights has elevated for the second time in simply seven months. In comparison with this time final 12 months, some award prices have almost doubled, whereas others have spiked considerably.
Fortuitously, you could possibly e book the identical flights for much less, both through the use of a distinct flavour of Avios or through the use of completely different loyalty applications altogether.
British Airways Devalues Alaska Airways and American Airways Awards Once more
In December 2023, British Airways elevated the price of reserving Alaska Airways and American Airways flights with Avios by as a lot as 32%.
Sadly, the associated fee has risen but once more with one other no-notice devaluation of awards from British Airways Govt Membership.
As a reminder, British Airways Avios have traditionally been nice to make use of for shorter-haul flights in financial system or enterprise class around the globe. This used to incorporate flights with American Airways and Alaska Airways, that are each oneworld airways, to locations throughout North America.
British Airways now not publishes an official award chart for journey with British Airways or associate airways; nevertheless, pricing had been in step with the earlier charts till the current modifications have been carried out.
It seems that solely the primary 4 distance bands within the historic chart have been affected this time, which implies that flights longer than 3,001 miles haven’t seen the identical devaluations.
The beneath chart exhibits the previous price in Avios for financial system flights with Alaska Airways and American Airways in every distance band, in addition to the brand new costs by means of the 2 devaluations.
(Notice that the proportion proven is the distinction between the unique pricing and the devalued pricing, and never incremental modifications between devaluations).
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Price in Avios |
Price in Avios |
Price in Avios |
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The beneath chart exhibits the previous price in Avios for enterprise class flights with Alaska Airways and American Airways, in addition to the brand new costs by means of the 2 devaluations.
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Price in Avios |
Price in Avios |
Price in Avios |
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As you’ll be able to see, the prices have risen by 29–94% in comparison with what they have been previous to the December 2023 devaluation.
Total, enterprise class award pricing has seen the sharpest complete rise, almost doubling in some circumstances, whereas financial system pricing has additionally seen a big spike.
No-notice devaluations like these don’t instill a whole lot of confidence from program members, because it sends the message that award costs can and can change with out advance discover.
Moreover, it illustrates the perfect apply of holding transferable factors held in your account till you will have a deliberate redemption in thoughts, since doing so can assist defend you from sudden devaluations.
In different phrases, it’s greatest to maintain your American Categorical Membership Rewards, RBC Avion, American Categorical US Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Chase Final Rewards (all switch companions with British Airways Govt Membership) factors in these accounts till you want them for a particular, deliberate redemption.
E book the Similar Flights with a Completely different Flavour of Avios
After these devaluations, your greatest guess to e book the identical American Airways or Alaska Airways flights are with American Airways AAdvantage miles or Alaska miles immediately. That is particularly the case with Alaska Airways Mileage Plan, which lately underwent sweeping modifications, and short-haul flights have the potential for wonderful redemption worth.
Nonetheless, each AAdvantage miles and Alaska miles are fairly tough to accrue when in comparison with British Airways Avios. Due to this fact, should you used Avios to e book American Airways and Alaska Airways flights, it’s possible you’ll end up in a little bit of a bind.
One factor to bear in mind is that six loyalty applications now use Avios as a forex: British Airways Govt Membership, Qatar Airways Privilege Membership, Finnair Plus, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, and Vueling Membership.
Moreover, you’ll be able to immediately convert one sort of Avios into a distinct “flavour” of Avios on-line at a 1:1 ratio.
One technique to bear in mind, particularly should you discovered worth in redeeming British Airways Avios for flights with American Airways and Alaska Airways, is to evaluate award pricing between completely different applications that use Avios.
For instance, a one-way flight in financial system from Miami to Toronto prices 18,000 Avios plus $7.60 in taxes and costs if booked with British Airways Avios.
The identical flight booked with Qatar Airways Avios prices 11,000 Avios plus $10 in taxes and costs.
Notably, 11,000 Avios is the associated fee that British Airways used to cost previous to the December 2023 devaluation. So, by changing your British Airways Avios into Qatar Airways Avios, which solely takes a number of seconds, you’ll be able to profit from decrease, pre-devaluation pricing for a similar flight.
Equally, a one-way flight from Seattle to Honolulu with Alaska Airways prices 13,000 Avios in financial system or 38,750 Avios in enterprise class if booked with Qatar Airways Avios…
Alternatively, you’d now have to spend 20,000 Avios in financial system or 50,000 Avios in enterprise class if booked with British Airways Avios.
In different phrases, you’ll be able to nonetheless entry the pre-December 2023 devaluation pricing in Avios by leveraging pricing by means of Qatar Airways Privilege Membership as a substitute of by means of British Airways Govt Membership.
Notice that you could e book American Airways flights with Qatar Airways Avios on-line; nevertheless, you’ll have to both name in or submit a request for handbook ticketing to e book Alaska Airways flights.
Conclusion
For the second time in lower than a 12 months, British Airways Govt Membership has devalued awards with American Airways and Alaska Airways.
In complete, the associated fee for awards has risen by 29–94% over the 2 current devaluations, which is unlucky information for anybody who redeemed Avios for these flights.
On the intense facet, you’ll be able to nonetheless get Alaska Airways and American Airways flights for a similar worth in Avios previous to the December 2023 devaluation by changing your British Airways Avios into Qatar Airways Avios, which occurs immediately at a 1:1 ratio.
