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In a bit of sad news, British Airways just devalued partner awards on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. This devaluation was unannounced, seemingly left for British Airways Executive Club members to discover on their next award bookings.
Here's what we know about the higher pricing.
British Airways Hikes Avios Awards on American and Alaska
As discovered by AwardWallet reader Andrew Huechteman, British Airways Avios awards on American Airlines suddenly seemed more expensive than a few days ago. What changed? Well, British Airways made awards on American Airlines more expensive.
But they didn't stop there. British Airways also hiked the rates for flights on Alaska Airlines. You'll now also need to pony up more Avios the next time you book an award flight on British Airways' Seattle-based partner, too.
British Airways did not impose a flat percentage increase on award rates for either carrier. The rates at which routes increase will vary — ranging from 10% to 23% based on the itineraries we've priced out.
For example, let's look at an award ticket between Los Angeles (LAX) and Honolulu (HNL). On either carrier (the rates are identical), you'll now pay 16,000 Avios for a one-way ticket between the U.S. mainland and the Hawaiian islands — an increase of 3,000 Avios from the old pricing. This increase clocks in at 23%.
Here's the before:
And here's the after:
Other notable increases in our first batch of award searches include:
- Dallas (DFW) to Denver (DEN) on American: Now 8,250 Avios one-way (previously 7,500)
- Miami (MIA) to Cozumel (CZM) on American: Now 8,250 Avios one-way (previously 7,500)
- Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) to Cancun (CUN) on American: Now 11,000 Avios one-way (previously 9,000)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR) on Alaska: Now 16,000 Avios one-way (previously 13,000)
The damage is even worse in domestic first class, with increases of up to 32%:
- Miami (MIA) to Cozumel (CZM) on American: Now 16,500 Avios one-way (previously 12,500)
- Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) to Cancun (CUN) on American: Now 20,500 Avios one-way (previously 16,500)
- Seattle (SEA) to Detroit (DTW) on Alaska: Now 29,000 Avios one-way (previously 22,000)
- New York (JFK) to San Francisco (SFO) on American: Now 42,000 Avios one-way (previously 38,750)
Now, this is no slight increase in pricing. A devaluation is a devaluation — even if it's tiny (this isn't). Paying more for awards is rarely a good thing, and the fact that British Airways hiked award rates without notice is an unpleasant surprise.
New British Airways Award Chart for American and Alaska
British Airways Award Chart Change (AA, Alaska)
| Distance/Zone | Economy | % Increase | Business | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 650 miles (Zone 1) | 8,250 | 10% | 16,500 | 32% |
| 651 to 1,151 miles (Zone 2) | 11,000 | 22% | 20,500 | 24% |
| 1,152 to 2,000 miles (Zone 3) | 13,000 | 18% | 29,000 | 32% |
| 2,001 to 3,000 miles (Zone 4) | 16,000 | 23% | 42,000 | 8% |
Final Thoughts
British Airways raised the prices for award flights on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines — as much as 23% on select routes. Unannounced devaluations are always painful to discover, and this one is no different.
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