Is Aer Lingus blocking Avios redemption flights within 60 days of departure (again)?

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• Talay says:

  26 Apr26 April 06:16

  Another nail in the IAG coffin.

• Chris W says:

  26 Apr26 April 07:26

  I’m baffled as to the popularity of Aer Lingus that they can be as bold as this

  • Tom says:

    26 Apr26 April 14:02

    Aer Lingus is good for flying to the US using pre-clear at DUB. And for avoiding UK APD. Otherwise I never use it.

    • Londonsteve says:

      26 Apr26 April 14:10

      The appeal of using pre-clear prior to arriving in the US has grown of late. I’d rather find out that I’m not going to be allowed into the US for whatever reason prior to actually landing there! Being turned away and having to get back from DUB is far more appealing than enjoying the hospitality of ICE in the US for a couple of weeks.

      • PH says:

        26 Apr26 April 14:20

        I will avoid later flights to the US for this reason – i.e. will choose outbounds only to airports which have inbounds departing well after the landing time in case of denied entry. I will also avoid entering the USA from other countries.

        The cases where tourists have been detained seem to be because no same day inbound flights were available and/or they declined that option, or the country they were attempting entry from was not somewhere they could be ‘sent back’ to..

        • Londonsteve says:

          29 Apr29 April 11:56

          There may be some truth it that but people have been detained for weeks that hail from countries with regular direct flights from numerous US hubs. I’m not sure it’s binary, such that if there is a flight later the same day from the arrival airport then you’ll be on it. I think they’re seeking to use detention as a shock and awe tactic, they may also believe there are justifiable reasons to detain while further investigations are made. For example, if you refuse to hand over your phone when asked, I strongly suspect you won’t just be put on the next flight home, rather, a period of incarceration is virtually guaranteed. It’s not an experience I’d ever wish to have.

• Dubious says:

  26 Apr26 April 08:08

  It’s funny when you find they often introduce short notice promotional discounts on cash fares – suggesting low demand within the 60-Day window.

• Steve says:

  26 Apr26 April 08:09

  Yeah I noticed the same thing last week

• RC says:

  26 Apr26 April 08:11

  Another Avios devaluation by the. back door. Odd timing when America flights have problems.

  Just goes to prove that Avios are both uncertain and unreliable and untrustworthy. Which undermines confidence in bothering with them except in very short-term earn and burn possibilities.

  • MKCol says:

    26 Apr26 April 12:31

    What problems are the America flights having?

    • PH says:

      26 Apr26 April 14:22

      Media reports about falling demand to USA? Seems to be mostly anecdotal at this point, not sure if backed up by data. Leisure demand has been more affected by the exchange rate for some time

      • kevin86 says:

        27 Apr27 April 01:07

        It is backed up by data.

        Yoy numbers for March aren’t too meaningful as Easter was at a different time but there’s a big drop versus 6 years ago for March when Easter was on the same weekend.

        • PH says:

          28 Apr28 April 14:10

          Should have been clearer, I meant if there’s a drop in travellers correlated to the current political environment…6 yrs ago was pre-Covid distortions and the pound and other currencies weren’t as weak against the dollar then

• Alan says:

  26 Apr26 April 08:45

  I can see the business sense. It encourages early booking. It discourages just using them when cash prices are higher which clearly can happen closer to travel.

  If it were a choice of this move or fully revenue based which would you prefer?

  • Chrisasaurus says:

    27 Apr27 April 06:57

    I can see the business case behind using redemptions to offload seats without discounting, too.

    But that’s besides the point and misses the important one – if customers feel they’re being messed around or tested poorly they’ll give up. Case in point many people and VS redemptions and their insane charges. I’m sure there’s a solid justification for that in Crawley but there’s a stronger justification for me to move on with my life and forget about them.

    • Rob says:

      27 Apr27 April 11:00

      You’re missing a key point. Who the heck books a regional Aer Lingus ticket six months in advance? Manchester to Belfast say? I reckon these aircraft are 95% empty six months out unless there is a major event on.

      • Belfast Boy says:

        27 Apr27 April 21:06

        When did you last travel to BHD on a regional flight with EI?

• lcsneil says:

  26 Apr26 April 08:47

  IAG (& Avios) class loyalty as a one way street. I think most of us here has finally realised that and now going to the best product/price point and burning Avios before they internally combust and are completely worthless.

  • Callum says:

    26 Apr26 April 09:12

    If you only recently discovered that capitalist businesses in a capitalist marketplace prioritise profits over “loyalty” to their customers, then I’m slightly concerned how you’re managing your finances elsewhere!

    If it’s profitable to provide generous frequent flyer benefits then they’ll do it. If it’s not then they won’t. I’m not sure there’s any airline that operates out of a sense of “loyalty” towards their customers?

    • lcsneil says:

      26 Apr26 April 16:08

      Who says I was specifically referring to myself 😉

• RobB says:

  26 Apr26 April 09:46

  Strangely, it’s still possible to book Aer Lingua rewards using United Miles within the 60 day limit. So they’re not ruling out all mileage rewards, just Avios. Perhaps this is the first push towards Revenue Redemptions on IAG?

  • memesweeper says:

    26 Apr26 April 10:20

    That’s very strange. I wonder if this is an IT issue not a policy then?

    • Rob says:

      26 Apr26 April 10:24

      United gets different availability – and oddly its usually better.

    • Ironside says:

      26 Apr26 April 11:05

      Notwithstanding Rob’s point, Aer Lingus’ IT does not have the best reputation.

      It might be less catastrophic than BA’s when it goes down, but there seem to be more frequent failures.

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