Earlier this month, British Airways officially announced a devaluation, which has now taken effect. Overall prices are up by about 10%, which isn’t too outrageous. What BA didn’t openly tell everyone, however, is that partner airline redemptions have also been devalued at the same time.
Partner award pricing with British Airways is fairly complex. For short- and medium-haul routes (under 3,000 miles), there are four different pricing bands, all of which have seen increases to varying degrees in this round.
Cathay Pacific / China Southern
| Examples | Eco (old) | Eco (new) | Biz (old) | Biz (new) | |
| 1-650 | Taipei Guangzhou | 9,750 | 11,000 | 20,800 | 23,000 |
| 651-1,150 | Shanghai Manila | 12,000 | 13,500 | 30,000 | 33,000 |
| 1,151-2,000 | Beijing Seoul | 14,300 | 16,000 | 32,500 | 36,000 |
| 2,001-3,000 | Urumqi Bali | 15,600 | 17,500 | 46,500 | 51,500 |
| 3,001-4,000 | Dubai | 20,750 | 23,000 | 62,000 | 68,500 |
| 4,001-5,500 | Sydney Melbourne | 25,750 | 28,500 | 77,250 | 85,000 |
| 5,500-6,500 | London Paris | 31,000 | 34,500 | 92,750 | 102,500 |
| 65,01-7,000 | Madrid San Francisco | 36,250 | 40,000 | 108,250 | 120,000 |
| 7,000+ | New York | 51,500 | 57,000 | 154,500 | 170,000 |
Japan Airlines
| Eco (old) | Eco (new) | Biz (old) | Biz (new) | |
| 1-650 | 10,500 | 12,000 | 17,500 | 19,500 |
| 651-1,150 | 11,000 | 12,500 | 26,400 | 29,500 |
| 1,151-2,000 | 14,300 | 16,000 | 31,200 | 34,500 |
| 2,001-3,000 | 15,600 | 17,500 | 46,500 | 51,500 |
American Airlines / Alaska
| Eco (old) | Eco (new) | Biz (old) | Biz (new) | |
| 1-650 | 12,000 | 13,500 | 24,000 | 26,500 |
| 651-1,150 | 16,000 | 18,000 | 32,000 | 35,500 |
| 1,151-2,000 | 18,000 | 20,000 | 40,000 | 44,000 |
| 2,001-3,000 | 20,000 | 22,000 | 50,000 | 55,000 |
Other non-Avios partners
| Eco (old) | Eco (new) | Biz (old) | Biz (new) | |
| 1-650 | 6,000 | 6,500 | 12,500 | 14,000 |
| 651-1,150 | 9,000 | 10,000 | 16,500 | 18,500 |
| 1,151-2,000 | 11,000 | 12,500 | 22,000 | 24,500 |
| 2,001-3,000 | 13,000 | 14,500 | 38,750 | 43,000 |
For zones 3,001 miles and over the redemption prices are the same which is why I didn’t repeat. For Avios partners (Qatar Airway, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Finnair) their own pricing rules apply.
Overall, the increases are higher than 10%. While not completely brutal this round, partners like American Airlines and Cathay Pacific have been hit repeatedly in recent years, and things are honestly starting to look pretty grim.
A quick reminder: although they all belong to the Avios ecosystem, redeeming these partner flights through Qatar Airways or Finnair can often be significantly cheaper, and is well worth looking into.
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