BA Doubles Avois Reward Seat Commitment

British Airways has dramatically expanded the number of seats that may be booked using Avios, the airline’s reward currency on every flight.

On every journey, the airline has always promised that at least a certain number of reward seats — tickets that can be booked with Avios – will be available. This guaranteed minimum number of reward seats in Euro Traveller (short-haul economy), Club Europe (short-haul business class), World Traveller (long-haul economy), and Club World has now been increased (long-haul business class). For the first time, it has added guaranteed availability in British Airways’ popular long-haul premium economy cabin, World Traveller Plus. The additional seats are available on flights beginning July 28, 2021, and can be reserved starting today.

Reward seats are those that may be booked using Avios for a cash price that only covers taxes, fees, and carrier costs. Return fares on short-haul flights start at £1 plus Avios, and long-haul flights start at £100 plus Avios. To cater for persons with different Avios budgets, the cash and Avios amounts can be adjusted. They are distinct from the Avios part-payment program, in which Avios are used to reduce the cost of any ticket, in any cabin, on any flight.

British Airways regularly makes millions of extra incentive seats available to destinations across its network, in addition to the guaranteed seats.

British Airways regularly makes millions of extra incentive seats available to destinations across its network, in addition to the guaranteed seats. Over 250,000 additional reward seats have been added to British Airways’ booking system as a result of today’s improvements.

British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, Tom Stevens, said: “Our Members appreciate the benefits their Executive Club membership brings, but the feedback we hear is that people would like us to make it easier to book flights using Avios. We have listened and acted on this, and today’s announcement directly addresses this feedback, opening up six extra reward seats on a short-haul flight, and eight on a long-haul flight. We hope this means that a family holiday, or that big friendship group trip away, will be much easier to book using Avios.”

Chief Executive at IAG Loyalty which manages the Avios currency, Adam Daniels,  said: “This is an exciting change that we have worked closely with the British Airways team to deliver. We hope it offers Executive Club Members even more opportunities to spend their hard earned Avios.”

This is the latest in a long line of enhancements to British Airways’ Executive Club. The airline announced in March that Executive Club Members’ Tier status would be protected for another year. British Airways stated in February that any Executive Club vouchers set to expire before December 31, 2021, would be extended for six months. Following similar extensions in March 2020 and October 2020, this was the third extension granted. British Airways is also extending the validity of all new Companion Vouchers and Travel Together tickets purchased between June 2020 and December 2021 by six months. All new Companion Vouchers and Travel Together tickets booked between June 2020 and December 2021 will have their validity extended by six months.