Surprise: BA reduces China Southern redemption price

China Southern, one of the three major Chinese airlines, left the SkyTeam alliance ages ago and quickly picked up an partnership with British Airways. The progress however was rather slow, and it wasn’t until the second half of last year that bilateral award redemptions finally launched.

The pricing levels were in accordance with Cathay Pacific, and it was definitely not cheap – the shortest one-way flight would cost 9,750 Avios.

Some very positive news: I’ve just discovered that redemption prices have dropped. You can now book China Southern award tickets from as low as 6,500 Avios. Here are some examples:

• Beijing – Changchun 6,500
• Beijing – Shenyang 6,500
• Beijing – Shanghai 10,000
• Beijing – Sanya 12,500
• Beijing – Urumqi 12,500
• Beijing – Seoul 6,500
• Beijing – Tokyo 12,500

• Shanghai – Qingdao 6,500
• Shanghai – Guiyang 10,000
• Shanghai – Sanya 12,500
• Shanghai – Seoul 6,500
• Shanghai – Taipei 6,500
• Shanghai – Tokyo 10,000

• Guangzhou – Xiamen 6,500
• Guangzhou – Sanya 6,500
• Guangzhou – Kunming 10,000
• Guangzhou – Urumqi 14,500
• Guangzhou – Hanoi 6,500
• Guangzhou – Bangkok 10,000
• Guangzhou – Singapore 12,500

It appears the pricing has been aligned with the standard partner chart (such as Malaysia Airlines), which makes short-haul flights significantly cheaper. Long-hauls have actually become more expensive, but they were of poor value anyway.

Taxes and surcharges are fixed on China’s domestic routes (decided by the aviation bureau) and typically below £10 per segment. The fees on international routes tend to very reasonable too.

Although only economy class redemption is available at this time, the cost is now genuinely low, and China Southern tends to release decent availability. If you ever find yourself in a position to visit China or transfer there, there’s now a new option.