Well, the threats have been made real, with British Airways announcing this morning they are to switch from a fixed Avios per sector earning on flights to earning by how much you spend.
The move was mooted when Iberia was the first IAG airline to convert from a per-sector earning to revenue based.
British Airways will switch the earning model from 18 October 2023. Any flight tickets issued prior to 18 October 2023 will collect Avios based on the current distance-based awarding table.
Members booking flights from 18 October 2023 will collect the following Avios depending on their Tier status:
- Blue members will receive 6 Avios per qualifying* £1 spent
- Bronze members will receive 7 Avios per qualifying £1 spent
- Silver members will receive 8 Avios per qualifying £1 spent
- Gold members will receive 9 Avios per qualifying £1 spent
This new model will also apply to flights marketed by Iberia.
Tier Point earning methods will remain the same.
You will earn Avios on the base fare and carrier-imposed-charges on commercial tickets on any British Airways and Iberia-marketed flights, as well as upgrades (online or airport), pre-paid seating charges or excess baggage on any British Airways or Iberia-marketed and operated flights.
Note, you will earn nothing when paying taxes on a ticket.
The amount of Avios collected per flight will be based on the amount paid rather than the distance travelled.
In Quotes
Ian Romanis, British Airways’ Director of Retail and Customer Relationship Management, said:
“We continue to listen to our customers’ feedback and ideas to evolve our Executive Club. This is a simpler and more transparent system offering more opportunities to collect Avios than ever before and rewarding loyalty based on customers’ cash spend. It’s a tried and tested model already used by a number of global airlines, including our sister airline Iberia.”
More information coming
British Airways have published a guide at www.britishairways.com/executive-club/faqs/collecting-avios-changes for more information.
The airline has provided an FAQ there too, including bookings before the new date, with travel after,
And there are some exceptions in it that will make this messy.
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