It’s been a whole two weeks since British Airways last devalued their Avios award miles. Time for the next devaluation, they thought in London. And so, the Brits have now tweaked another screw to further decrease the value of the miles.
Effective immediately, award flights in British Airways’ premium economy & business class will cost an additional €12 per direction. While this initially doesn’t sound too dramatic, in practice it primarily affects a sweet spot in the Executive Club: short-haul flights in the Club Europe business class.
Rewards Flight Saver on Short-Haul Flights Affected
An attractive option for redeeming Avios in the Executive Club has always been short-haul flights in Zone 1. These are all routes with a distance of up to 650 miles. This includes, among others, all BA short-haul flights between London and Central Europe.
The mileage values listed here are valid only if at least 1 Avios point has been earned or spent in the last 12 months. Otherwise, redeeming them has never been worthwhile.
In business class, these flights previously cost 8,500 Avios + €30 per direction. In the peak season, the price rises to 9,750 Avios one-way. Other options are available, but they are all less attractive in terms of value per mile.
Anyone booking an award flight now will find that all options have become €12 more expensive. Option 1 no longer costs 15,000 Avios + €0.50, but 15,000 Avios + €12.50. The best option has increased from 8,500 Avios + €30 to 8,500 Avios + €42:
The new prices are now as follows:
- Business Class (including 2x 32 kg luggage):
- Off-peak: 8,500 Avios + €42
- Peak: 9,750 Avios + €42
- Economy Class (including 23 kg luggage):
- Off-peak: 4,750 Avios + €23 (unchanged)
- Peak: 5,250 Avios + €23 (unchanged)
Long-Haul Flights Also More Expensive
On long-haul flights, the changes are almost negligible. Both business class and premium economy are affected, but given that these were already unattractive options, €12 more or less makes no difference. For a one-way flight from New York to London in business class, for instance, the following options are available:
Admittedly, we don’t have much experience with long-haul flights (as redeeming Avios for this has never been worthwhile). However, according to a report on Flyertalk, the increase was confirmed by British Airways.
Conclusion
Compared to the last devaluations at British Airways, this price increase is relatively moderate. Additionally, economy prices have not been touched, which might still be the better deal given the short flight time. What’s more bothersome is that British Airways implemented these changes overnight and without announcement. My trust in BA is already nearing zero, and this doesn’t help.
The change is somewhat understandable this time. For short-haul flights, British Airways charges a fixed amount rather than the actual taxes & fees. Since 2020, e.g. the German aviation tax for short-haul flights has increased by around €8. However, this doesn’t fully justify a Europe-wide increase.
Translated by Ditmar