How to save by using Avios for airberlin long-haul – Part 1

Since airberlin joined the OneWorld airline alliance on March 20th, it has opened up a new range of long-haul routes from Europe that can be booked with Avios. (In some ways, it makes up for the loss of opportunities when Malev of Hungary went bust last year.)

airberlin is an odd airline. It markets itself like a low-cost carrier, but is generally well regarded for its seating and service. It serves a number of long-haul routes, whilst easyJet and Ryanair are strictly 100% short-haul. It also has a business class product, unlike most low-cost airlines.

It also has a lot of code share arrangements, most importantly with Etihad of Abu Dhabi. It sometimes makes wild claims about the number of long-haul destinations it serves, but in reality these mainly involve changing to an Etihad aircraft in Abu Dhabi – and these routes are not available for Avios redemptions.

However … strip out the code shares and you are left with a decent selection of routes served with airberlin planes. And there are some good deals to be had!

How many Avios do I need?

Below I have listed the core airberlin long-haul routes, together with the number of Avios needed for a return trip in business class and the taxes required. For economy or one-way business class tickets, halve the number of Avios shown. (I have ignored a couple of routes which are ending in October, such as Namibia.)

Looking at the number of Avios required, some destinations require more than a BA flight from London, and some require less. This is because the distance from Berlin, Dusseldorf or Munich to your destination will be different to a similar flight from London, and this sometimes tips the flight into a different pricing band.

Looking at the taxes required, you will notice that these are a lot lower than flying from London. This is partly due to lack of Air Passenger Duty, and partly due to differences in fuel surcharges. Some of this saving will be offset by the cost of getting to and from Germany to start your trip, of course – more on this in Part 2 of this post tomorrow.

airberlin long haul routes (business class return price):

Abu Dhabi from Berlin – 50,000 Avios + £48

Abu Dhabi from Dusseldorf – 80,000 Avios + £49

Cancun from Munich – 120,000 Avios + £85

Cancun from Dusseldorf – 100,000 Avios + £82

Chicago from Berlin (starts 3/13) – 100,000 Avios + £62

Curacao from Dusseldorf – 100,000 Avios + £43

Dominican Republic (3 airports) from Munich, Dusseldorf – 100,000 Avios + £105

Fort Myers, Florida from Dusseldorf – 100,000 Avios + £63

Las Vegas from Dusseldorf (Summer 2013) – 100,000 Avios + £63

Los Angeles from Berlin (Summer 2013) – 120,000 Avios + £62

Los Angeles from Dusseldorf – 120,000 Avios + £63

Miami from Berlin – 100,000 Avios + £62

Miami from Dusseldorf – 100,000 Avios + £63

Mombasa, Kenya from Munich – 80,000 Avios + £79

New York from Berlin – 80,000 Avios + £62

New York from Dusseldorf – 80,000 Avios + £63

Phuket from Abu Dhabi – 80,000 Avios + £27

Vancouver from Dusseldorf (Summer 2013) – 100,000 Avios + £79

Varadero, Cuba from Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf – 100,000 Avios + £50

There are also non-EU flights to various destinations in Egypt, Israel, Morocco and Tunisia, although I don’t class them as long-haul for the purposes of this article. You can use ba.com (I will explain how in Part 3) to look up pricing to these places.

Tomorrow, in Part 2 of this article, I will discuss important things to consider before booking on airberlin.  Part 3 will look at the process of booking partner awards on ba.com.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.