[garygca]

HedgeFundFlyer – 16/03/2016 17:10 GMT

Yes, the reduction in F seats cannot have helped the situation. While AA added a flight when BA reduced from 3 to 2, you still can’t get the AA awards using Avios!

[garygca]

coudntthinkofaname – 16/03/2016 17:36 GMT

The idea of spending 400,000 points is just insane; way too many points for the value! I think the whole Gold award structure is just further devaluation of the points we worked so hard to earn!

[dutchyankee]

@garygca – 17/03/2016 03:22 GMT

Just curious, have you seen if there is availability with AA? While admittedly, in F I would prefer BA, AA tends to have availability that you wont even see on the BA web site. You can call them and see if they can assist. LAX is obviously a high end route so probably plenty of demand, and given the competition on the route, BA would undoubtedly be the chosen carrier from a service and product perspective when booking F, so I am not surprised the availability is almost non-existent. As already mentioned, you can try a connection. JFK and EWR always have F availability, I guess due to the number of flights, and if you go through JFK you could then connect onto AA’s transcon F which is very good.

EDIT: Sorry, just noticed you had tried AA for awards seats to LAX.

[EU_Flyer]

How irritating.

It’s no surprise that BA F is popular into LHR from LAX though – especially given that’s a lucrative market and the fact the immediate competition (AA) is pretty average in F and Virgin don’t offer F. Also, the A380 BA F suites are not too shabby at all compared to the 777/747

Perhaps a nice way to break the trip is to fly on the AA coast to coast service and then connect to BA F in New York /Washington / Chicago? Alternatively, via west coast connections through Vancouver / Seattle or Las Vegas?

[dutchyankee]

Fully agree with you Alex_Fly, only one caution would be obtaining F Avios seats on Seattle would be as difficult if not more so than LAX, but JFK and ORD would certainly be easier IMHO, and the AA Transcon from JFK as I mentioned is excellent!

[kweeki1]

Generally speaking I find that it’s very complicated and almost impossible to find rewards tickets even in Business class, expecially compared with Flying Blue or Miles&More. Sometimes I can find tickets outbound from Paris but never for the return flights.

I’m seriously considering to switch from BAEC to another Oneworld program, can somebody advise which program offers acceptable avalibility in long-haul Business class?

[goalie11]

Have you tried San Diego? It’s only a short hop from LAX to SAN. Don’t know your dates but playing around I got availability on a random date in October and flights came up direct with BA to LHR in F (85000 points and £341) or a connection AA to ORD and BA to LHR (108000 and £337). So there flights to be had.

[LuganoPirate]

I’m Gold with *A and almost never had a problem with a seat for miles or an upgrade.

[Charles-P]

LuganoPirate – me neither.

[MartynSinclair]

Is *A mileage usage as easy for longhaul as avios is for shorthaul…?

[FDOS_UK]

Martyn

Like the other posters, I’ve been able to secure upgrades or redemption flights on * in the past, fairly easily (so on a par with RFS). But I haven’t done one for over a year, now, so it may have changed.

Edited to add I think SQ might be a different matter, but I’ve never tried.

[LuganoPirate]

Martyn, both are relatively easy. I don’t use miles for shorthaul as the value is not that good I think. 15,000 miles plus about CHF 200 in taxes etc for a ticket that maybe costs all in chf 300.00

[MartynSinclair]

Thanks FDoS. Question though was more geared to * longhaul which seems to be the main grumble re avios. Shorthaul avios availability is superb and easy.

Just flown my 14th avios sector (all shorthaul) in 2016, covering 3 countries and 5 cities…

Thanks LP – interesting to note that our useage of miles is so diametrically opposed, due to the charges/taxes.

Avios is relatively cheap for shorthaul unlike the * costs. I no longer even try for avios longhaul, my value is certainly shorthaul avios….

[garygca]

LuganoPirate – 17/03/2016 12:51 GMT

I agree about *A. I have over 5 million miles with UA and never have an issue there….this is really an issue of how hard it is to redeem AVIOS for F award seats (at least out of LAX). Thanks for the suggestion however.

[FDOS_UK]

Martyn

Just to clarify, I was replying in the context of * long haul – I interpreted your question to mean ‘are seats as widely available on * long haul as on BA SH RFS’ and they were for me, when I used them.

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