The oldest surviving frequent-flyer scheme was introduced on 1 May 1981: American Airlines’ AAdvantage loyalty programme. Initially membership was only by invitation, and the rewards included a first-class round-trip ticket to any destination on the American network.
Today that scheme is open to any passenger, and has more than 100 million members.
Frequent-flyer programs are now emulated around the world. The basic concept remains the same: the more you travel with a particular carrier, the more you are rewarded for your loyalty. The airline hopes that you will fill a seat which would otherwise be empty and travel on a journey that you would otherwise not make.
The dark art of maximizing the benefits of frequent-flyer programs has acquired many bells and whistles. Stay in the right hotel chain, rent a car from the right company and pay with the right credit card, and points can be increased in their tens of thousands – then used on partner airlines and for many other purposes, from powerboat experiences to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
At the same time, carriers tightly control their inventory of seats in each class on each flight to ensure that they are not missing out on cash sales. Yet British Airways is now turning this around – and experimenting with flights that you can book only with its frequent-flyer currency.
These are the key questions and answers about Avios.
I thought the British Airways name was Air Miles?
In 1988, when BA first flirted with a loyalty program, that was the brand – and people were issued with actual paper vouchers. Aim Air Miles became a generic term (rather like “Hoover” and “vacuum cleaner”). In 2011 they were replaced by a new currency – Avios – at the rate of 10 points for each Air Mile.
At the time British Airways had just teamed up with Iberia of Spain to form IAG, which wanted a single global currency for all its reward programmes.
Tell me about Avios-only flights?
BA has decided to trial an original idea from Qantas of Australia. From later this year, the only passengers on board a series of special British Airways departures will pay their fares with frequent-flyer points.
The first of these will take off on 3 November 2023: the first reinstated flight from London Gatwick to the resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, followed early next year with four links from London Heathrow to the Swiss city of Geneva on successive Saturdays from 10 February to 2 March 2024.
Tom Stoddart, chief executive of BA Euroflyer at Gatwick, said: “We are proud to be operating British Airways’ first Avios-only flight.”
In a dig at easyJet, Vueling and Wizz Air, he added: “BA Euroflyer is the only short-haul carrier based at Gatwick to offer a loyalty programme, and now we’re offering more value and choice than ever for our members.”
Is the Avios-only flight a good thing?
Rhys Jones, from the frequent-flyer website Head for Points, said: “The current route offering is a bit odd but it will be interesting to see how this plays out. It has clearly been very successful for Qantas.
“I do think that British Airways needs to give these flights better branding, and potentially a dedicated portal on ba.com, as Qantas does. Without a clear and concise name I’m worried that these flights will simply get lost among ‘normal’ redemptions.
“I would also have started with a bigger splash. Why not make one Sydney, Cape Town or Maldives flight available? These are the routes that people struggle to book.”
What about ‘normal’ BA flights?
On short-haul flights, British Airways guarantees a minimum of a dozen “reward seats”; on long-haul, it’s 14, spread across Club World (business class), World Traveler Plus (premium economy) and World Traveler (economy).
What is an Avios worth?
It all depends how they are redeemed. For very short notice British Airways domestic and European flights, they can be extremely valuable. Looking at an Edinburgh-Heathrow one-way flight on 21 April, booking five hours before departure, the cash fare is £263. But the same seat is yours for just 3,700 Avios plus £32.50 in cash – making each Avios worth 6.2p. (You could alternatively pay 9,250 Avios plus a token 50p in cash, but the value falls to 2.8p per mile.)
On some long-haul flights, paying with Avios is worthwhile – particularly if you are checking baggage (Avios includes a 23kg bag, which the cheapest economy fares do not).
For a London Heathrow-New York JFK return booking from 3-7 May, with one checked bag, a cash buyer will pay £698. With Avios, it’s 50,000 plus £100 – making an Avios worth 1.2p.
Upgrades to business class paid for by Avios can also represent excellent value.
In general, one penny per point is a reasonable ballpark figure.
