Guide to BA Avios Points Part II: Short-Haul Award Flights

Welcome to The Travel Abstract Academy Guide to Avios Points. Last time we kicked off the event with Part I and today we continue it.

• Part I: Searching and Booking Partner Award Flights

Now we begin with Part II: Short-Haul Award Flights.

I have become something of a champion of short haul award flight value for the hated Avios Points.

When British Airways switched the currency used in their frequent flyer program, the British Airways Executive Club, from BA Miles to Avios Points it was not well received (to put it kindly).

At the risk of beating a dead horse I want to take you inside the Avios Points and show you everything you need to know.

British Airways Avios Award Chart

The switch to Avios Points rang in a change of focus for the British Airways Executive Club with the introduction of a distance based reward chart.

This is a grand departure from the static reward chart that they used for so many years and it frustrated many travelers.

What this means for the average traveler is that some long-haul flights became more expensive because their new classification was based on the amount of air miles flown and not what Region the destinations were located in.

For short-haul flights it had the exact opposite implication, those short flights that are so expensive to book became more accessible (British Airways Avios Award Chart via Iberia).

The Weekender

Weekender guilt has been eliminated because of the distance based redemption chart.

The strength of the Avios program is in short-haul reward flights.

I know that I like to travel local and sometimes I feel guilty about it. But that has changed now thanks to the new British Airways distance-based award chart.

It has become hard for me to rationalize using 25,000 AAdvantage miles to fly from New York City to Montreal or 35,000 AAdvantage miles for Dallas to Cancun.

They would be offensively wasteful to redeem under this new system.

Avios points have become the perfect program for a Weekend Traveler because you dont need to spend a ton of mileage on a trip with a quick turnaround.

The guilt and insecurity of a wasteful reward redemption has been solved thanks to BA Avios points.

For the NYC to Montreal flight is only 9,000 Avios Points and that Dallas to Cancun route is a more palatable 15,000 Avios Points.

That is a difference of  16,000 and 20,000 Avios Points respectively. That’s a nice chunk of my Avios balance I just saved.

Another great side of this deal is that one-way reward flights cost 50% of their Roundtrip Avios points.

If you are going JFK to Montreal and have an open ended return you can avoid the price burden of a one-way revenue ticket by booking a 4,500 Avios one-way award.

No longer do you have to feel ashamed for your short-haul or even domestic award redemption.

Say it loud say it proud. You redeem domestic and you don’t care who hears it!

But it is not only for U.S. domestic flights but any partner region domestic flights.

Its also good for short-haul international flights.

Check how much your next trip would cost on British Airways Avios Points or to start planning a future trip using your Avios Points.

Final Thoughts

BA Avios are have become even more important because of the strategic role they play in my  Someday travel plans.

Using them as a secondary partner for domestic flights and short-haul flights, either in U.S. or South America, has made them indispensable.

Other airlines may have better reward flights to Europe or Asia but all airlines can’t be all things to everybody.

If they don’t sound like the right program for you that is fine as well, we will continue to go inside frequent flyer programs and reveal where its strengths and weaknesses lay.

That wraps up Part II: Short-Haul Flights of my Guide to Avios Points series.

Stay alert for Guide to Avios Points Part III: Long-Haul International, where I will help pinpoint the exact trips you should consider when selecting an international Avios Award. The Avios Point does hold serious value for this category and is not a one-trick pony.

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To Your Reward Travel Success!