Booking reward flights with partner airline – who profits?

[Nomad312]

Hi there, I’m fairly new on here so this may be obvious or well known on this site – apologies if so.

My question is this, if booking with avios on the website of one airline a reward flight with a partner airline, which airline benefits from the purchase? Is it the airline you take the actual flight with or the airline whose portal you used to book it?

There are one or two companies I’d rather not give any money to so this would be helpful to know.

[wookie192]

I couldn’t be wrong here but I think if you’re flying with one or two of those companies then they’d benefit regardless of who you book it through.

[Richie]

There are reciprocal agreements in place and account reconciliations are done on a periodic basis. The operating air carrier of the flight you take doesn’t lose out.

[Nomad312]

So is it the company you fly with that profits and not the company whose portal you use?

[Nomad312]

Or do both benefit? Thanks for taking the time to answer.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

Nomad312 wrote:

There are one or two companies I’d rather not give any money to so this would be helpful to know.

You’ve posted this in the BA forum so I’ll assume it’s a BA partner you don’t want to give any money to.

But the answer “it’s complicated” really is the answer.

Due to the various joint ventures that exist it’s possible to say “never flying AA and not giving them a red cent more” yet still give AA your money because it goes into a single pot that the partners divvy up based on the actual route you fly.

You might loathe IB yet still find it because of (a) the joint venture and (B) IAGs ownership that BA profits get used to pay for new planes for them.

But whether it’s joint ventures or pointe usage there are various reconciliations that are are done to balance things off.

The only way to avoid your cash or avios not benefiting an airline you don’t like is to fly an out of alliance airline.

[Nomad312]

Thanks for the response BA-IHG, that’s very useful. I suppose I was aware that alliances share a certain amount of revenue but never thought of it that way. I realise that you’d wouldn’t go anywhere if you had to be certain your cash would only go where you want it to.

I realise I’ve been vague as I’d rather not name names, so here’s a hypothetical:

Let’s say I hate BA with a passion (I don’t). I have a load of Avios in a Finnair account. I want to fly Aerlingus from Dublin to the USA. If I transfer my avios to and book via a BAEC account does BA benefit from that purchase? If on the other hand it’s Aerlingus I hate (I don’t) but not BA, it sounds from the answers on here that AL will benefit a least a portion, is that the case?

[wookie192]

Nomad312 wrote:

Thanks for the response BA-IHG, that’s very useful. I suppose I was aware that alliances share a certain amount of revenue but never thought of it that way. I realise that you’d wouldn’t go anywhere if you had to be certain your cash would only go where you want it to.

I realise I’ve been vague as I’d rather not name names, so here’s a hypothetical:

Let’s say I hate BA with a passion (I don’t). I have a load of Avios in a Finnair account. I want to fly Aerlingus from Dublin to the USA. If I transfer my avios to and book via a BAEC account does BA benefit from that purchase? If on the other hand it’s Aerlingus I hate (I don’t) but not BA, it sounds from the answers on here that AL will benefit a least a portion, is that the case?

Simply put, Aer Lingus will benefit, they’re not going to allow someone to fly for free without any sort of revenue generated from that flight. If that was the case no airline would be part of Avios as there’d be no benefit (financially) of allowing people to fly for free.

Both BA and Aer Lingus will benefit one way or another, BA for a Booking/Facilitating fee, Aer Lingus for taking you to your destination.

[Rob]

So you’re willing to take a freebie from a despotic regime you despise but won’t pay for it? And that’s OK in your book?

Each to their own of course.

Especially as BA’s main shareholder is the Qatari state.

[Nomad312]

Thanks Wookie. Rob,I can see why you’ve made that assumption. Whether it’s against a despotic regime or otherwise, I can’t see how “taking a freebie” would be wrong if the way it’s set up is that it’s a “freebie” for everyone making the same purchase in a given way. These forums are full of people discussing their purchasing decisions, influenced by all sorts of factors. Asking about something that might influence mine was not intended to provoke anyone (especially I have not mentioned any specifics), so I’m sorry it seems to have irritated.

[zapato1060]

@Nomad312 You could never guarantee that giving one doesn’t benefit the other so stop circumventing the inevitable. Just leave Avios alone and move to VS. I respect your morality btw.