British Airways has confirmed that Executive Club members earning Avios through American Airlines bookings will do so under the new spend-based system from 18 October.
Last month BA announced changes to the way members earn Avios, with members collecting up to nine Avios per £1 spent depending on their tier status.
These changes come into effect on 18 October, but at the time of the announcement BA said that “on flights marketed or operated by other airlines, passengers will continue to collect Avios according to each airline’s model of accrual”.
This would have resulted in members earning Avios under the old system when booking eligible flights through BA’s joint business partner American Airlines.
But in a new statement BA said:
“Today we are pleased to share the news that from the same date [18 October], this new way of collecting Avios on flights will also apply to British Airways’ Atlantic joint business partner, American Airlines.
“This means that Executive Club Members will collect the same Avios, whether their flight is marketed by British Airways or American Airlines, to offer consistency across the choices of booking channels.”
The move also follows this week’s announcement that Finnair – which is also part of the transatlantic joint venture alongside BA, AA and Iberia – is to adopt Avios as its loyalty reward currency in early 2024.
Finnair to adopt Avios as loyalty reward currency in early 2024
Commenting on the latest news Ian Romanis, British Airways’ director of retail and customer relationship management, said:
“We are pleased to welcome American Airlines into our new proposition, which will strengthen our partnership as we create a more seamless experience between our two airlines.
“With data showing that the majority of our customers will either collect more or the same number of Avios under the new model, we are looking forward to introducing it and rewarding our Members in a fairer way across the board.”
