The frequent flyer scheme you are most likely to get an award seat with when you want is ….

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• Mrtibbs1999 says:

  9 Jul9 July 07:14

  My sentiments exactly. Last week I needed to get to Berlin. Cash Price for 2 seats in business £2400. The flight was so full carry on luggage was being taken and put in the hold as people boarded. I paid 40k avios plus 80 quid. Conversly I want to go to Thailand in F later this year. The flights are almost empty and selling for peanuts but there is no availability. Seems to me BA want to minimise revenue.

• Worzel says:

  9 Jul9 July 07:18

  Good Morning Raffles,

  You mention BA’s liabilities-80k in the example you’ve highlighted.

  Would you know whether or not Avios liability is shown on the BA balance sheet?

  If we were to value Avios at 1p I imagine that you’re in for about £20,000 and me about £2000.

  Thank you.

  • Mrtibbs1999 says:

    9 Jul9 July 07:31

    From The Anuual Report

    Revenue recognition – customer loyalty programmes
    The Group operates two principal loyalty programmes. The airline’s frequent flyer programme operates through the airline’s ‘Executive Club’ and allows
    frequent travellers to accumulate Avios that entitle them to a choice of various awards, primarily free travel. The fair value attributed to the awarded
    Avios is deferred as a liability and recognised as revenue on redemption of the miles by the participants to whom the Avios are issued.
    In addition, Avios are sold to commercial partners to use in promotional activity. The fair value of the Avios sold is deferred as a liability and recognised as revenue on redemption of the miles by the participants to whom the Avios are issued.

• Andy says:

  9 Jul9 July 07:28

  Economy availability with BA is actually excellent if you are lucky enough to have a gold card – they open up additional availability and one has the pleasant experience of being able to pick and choose; a sharp contrast to the experience when looking for long haul seats!

  I notice BA often open up 2 seats in each class 350 odd days out but its very hard to get more than that. Different routes seem to operate different policies and for some reason Singapore and Hong Kong appears to be more generous at times. I can’t complain anyway – managed to get 4 Club seats to Singapore next Easter using a double 241. The other benefit of Gold (aside from the Flounge) is the lack of fees when booking Avios redemptions – so you can book something that perhaps sub-optimal in the hope something better will turn up.

• James67 says:

  9 Jul9 July 07:29

  Interesting observation on BA. I can sense your frustration as I’m sure many others will to. I’m oftentimes perplexed by the erratic nature of award seat release. Have fpund myself searching for seats for weeks without success and ended up using other carriers only to find days or weeks later BA has reduced a whole flurry of seats that would have suited my needs. Worse though, is the decision as to whether a BA award represents value for money/avios when compared to revenue tickets on BA or other airlines for same route/date at times of booking. The high fees from BA generally, coupled with UK APD for flights departing UK in particular often leave me wondering why I bother collecting avios at all. Apart from RFS from regions and MfUs I don’t find BAEC great value. Or am I missing something?? Perhaps it would be useful to do a future post on ‘best valueroutes’ for BAEC to tap into collective wisdom of our community? I know you have addressed specific ways of improvong value through for example air berlin and aer lingus Raffles which is great. But it would be useful to get some ideas on pther good value routes, and also cheapest ways to get from one region to other. For example, from Europe to se Asia etc.

• Worzel says:

  9 Jul9 July 07:59

  Mrtibbs 1999 -thank you.

  As Raffles says- it’s a Hobby(!).

• BritBronco says:

  9 Jul9 July 07:59

  I wonder what the results would look like for business redemptions.

  On the face of it that US Airways stat is alarming, the impact of their entry to OW may not be good

• r says:

  9 Jul9 July 08:09

  the key is that unlike Raffles airlines don’t value miles on their balance sheet at 1p – more like 0.0001p. Which of course makes sense because most people don’t redeem at all, redeem for pointless economy class tickets or simply redeem for an otherwise half empty flight where the amount of surcharges is enough to make BA better off.

  • Mrtibbs1999 says:

    9 Jul9 July 08:44

    i’d love to know the valuation figure they use, although I suspect it is very low like you stated. I think that almost all non RS flights are revenue generating as opposed to expenses as the surcharges are so high that they cover all marginal costs at the very least.

    • John says:

      10 Jul10 July 03:39

      I believe it is 0.58p

• Nao Amur says:

  9 Jul9 July 08:26

  I hear you on the fuel surcharges but like you say it does mean more availability long haul. I also understand about the Dubai story. For me though mostly flying to Japan and HKG I can usually get a couple of seats in F or J. Even after accounting for the surcharges the 120/180k in avios + £800 in tax/surcharges represents good value vs a cash ticket which in summer can be £3000+ in J

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