Is the British Airways companion ticket worth it for Europe and Israel travel?
A TravelSort reader writes “British Airways has a great looking Visa card with 50K [to 100K] miles and a free companion ticket…does it make sense to fly AA but get the BA card? Especially since I am likely to use my miles trying to get to Israel?”
The British Airways Visa with 50,000 to 100,000 bonus Avios can be a good card to get, but there are some key things to keep in mind about Avios awards and the British Airways companion ticket. Here's what to know:
British Airways Charges High Fuel Surcharges When Flying British Airways Metal
British Airways Avios are often best used to fly short, non-stop flights on airlines other than British Airways, such as AA flights within the U.S. or to Canada and the Caribbean; LAN flights to South America; Air Berlin flights, short intra-Asia flights on Cathay Pacific, intra-Australia flights on Qantas…you get the idea.
When flying British Airways, you're hit with a double whammy: high fuel surcharges and high Air Passenger Duty tax (APD) when departing from London, British Airways' hub.
Note that you can't get around British Airways fuel surcharges by booking awards with AAdvantage miles; AA passes along the same fuel surcharges when booking a British Airlines flight.
Economy Class Awards on British Airways Flight Are Not Worth It
The high fuel surcharges mean that it's pretty much never worth it to book a British Airways economy class award, since you'd pay only a bit less than a paid ticket, while still redeeming Avios for the award–Avios that could have been used for a higher value award, as mentioned above. If you intend to fly British Airways, then the awards that make most sense are Business Class and First Class, since at least you're getting a much more expensive product for the Avios and fuel surcharges you pay.
The British Airways Companion Ticket Can Only Be Used on British Airways Metal: Best Use is to Fly Business Class or First Class
The British Airways Companion Ticket can only be used on British Airways metal–that is, when the actual aircraft flown is a British Airways plane. So forget using the companion ticket on AA, Cathay Pacific, or any oneworld partner, because you can't. And as mentioned above, high fuel surcharges and APD apply, so you're best off finding routes and dates where two business class or two first class award seats are available, to make using the companion ticket worth it. Don't forget that you will need to pay taxes and fuel surcharges on the companion ticket; it's only “free” in terms of not needing to pay additional Avios for it.
Also note that certain routes, such as British Airways flights to Israel from London, are two-cabin, so even if you booked a first class award from NYC JFK to TLV via LHR, you'd only be in first class from JFK to LHR, then in British Airways' Club World business class from LHR to TLV.
As you can see below, one way JFK to TLV via LHR in British Airways Business Class is 65,000 Avios + $496.
Make Sure to Check British Airways Award Availability on Flights You're Interested In
While the “upside” of British Airways charging high fuel surcharges is that there's often better business class award availability on BA than on some other airlines, don't get too complacent–it can still be tough to find availability to London during peak periods or if you've procrastinated too long. For example, when checking the award calendar from JFK to London LHR for the rest of January and February, there was no business class award availabilityat at all in January.
Also, some routes are plain difficult, such as NYC to Tel Aviv. Good luck getting business class or first class award seats for your preferred date, since in general there's only 1-2 dates with availability per month (and sometimes for just one person at that).
British Airways Avios Award Options to Avoid High Fuel Surcharges: Aer Lingus, Air Berlin, Iberia
You can use your Avios for award travel to Europe while avoiding the high fuel surcharges you'd pay flying British Airways. Aer Lingus flies to Dublin and Shannon, and if you manage to snag Boston to Dublin or Boston to Shannon, it's an especially great deal at 25K Avios + ~$150 in taxes for roundtrip economy class, or 50K Avios for roundtrip business class. Note that because British Airways's award chart is distance based, NYC to Dublin or Shannon is more expensive, at 40K Avios for economy class and 80K Avios for business class. Also see Maximizing British Airways Avios: Fly Aer Lingus to Europe and Avoid Fuel Surcharges
Also note that you must call British Airways both to find award availability and to book, because Aer Lingus releases better award availability to British Airways than to partners such as United. I would recommend trying to call as soon as possible after the award calendar opens for the Boston to Dublin and Boston to Shannon flights, because this is now a well known deal and books up quickly, especially Aer Lingus business class.
Iberia to Madrid is another good option for avoid high fuel surcharges on Avios awards; see How to Transfer British Airways Avios to Iberia Plus to Avoid High Fuel Surcharges.
Finally, don't forget Air Berlin, which can especially be a good option to Israel if you're willing to fly via Berlin or Dusseldorf. Fuel surcharges on this flight from JFK to TLV via DUS are only $22:
Nonstop Options to Tel Aviv Using Frequent Flyer Miles
There are certainly nonstop flights from the East Coast to Israel TLV, but the problem is that business class award availability is often abysmal–you may as well forget a United business class award on the EWR-TLV nonstop unless your plans happen to jive with the fewer than 10 days a year on which it seems to be offered.
A better bet can be US Airways PHL-TLV, although business class availability isn't so great for that either (although better than the United business class award availability from EWR).
Alternatively, use AA miles to book El Al, or book the nonstop Air Canada flight from YYZ to TLV. See Using Frequent Flyer Miles for an Award Ticket to Israel.
The Verdict: Only focus on earning the British Airways Companion Ticket (which requires $30,000 spend within a calendar year) if you're willing to pay the high fuel surcharges and APD that comes with the territory of British Airways companion tickets. Most likely this means you're flying British Airways business class or first class to Europe. A British Airways business class or first class award to Israel is much tougher to get, so I wouldn't count on being able to get 2 award seats for your dates. For Israel using an Avios award, I would recommend Air Berlin business class to avoid high fuel surcharges, and book as far in advance as possible. If you have high flexibility, it may be possible to score a nonstop award using US Airways miles to or from PHL, then use Avios on Air Berlin the other direction.
Have you used the British Airways companion ticket for award travel to Europe or Israel?
Related Posts
How to Maximize the British Airways Companion Ticket on Award Travel
Using Frequent Flyer Miles for an Award Ticket to Israel
Maximizing British Airways Avios: Fly Aer Lingus to Europe and Avoid Fuel Surcharges
British Airways New First Class Review
Need Award Booking Help? Our fee is as low as $75 per ticket if you book your hotel through us.
If you enjoyed this, join 90,000+ readers: please follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Become a TravelSort Client and Book Your Hotel with Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred VIP Amenities!