Used British Air Avios for AA flight

In the letter “Efficient Use of British Air Avios” (March ’15, pg. 14), Robert Tews pointed out that British Airways is a member of the airline alliance oneworld (www.oneworld.com), which has a fee structure based on zones. The longer the distance, the higher the fees charged when redeeming their frequent-flyer miles (Avios) for air tickets. British Air flights within Europe will have the most reasonable fees (zones 1, 2 and 3), and long-distance international flights will have the highest fees.

I would point out that British Air Avios can also be used efficiently in the United States by spending them on flights operated by American Airlines (AA), another member of oneworld.

My husband, David, and I flew from Columbus, Ohio, to Honolulu via Dallas on Jan. 26, 2015. For both of us, the total cost of our round-trip economy-class award tickets was 110,000 Avios plus $22.40.

There are several things to be aware of before booking, though. You book through British Airways, not American; you can only book flights on itineraries that British Airways doesn’t fly, and seats purchased at the lowest redemption level are not upgradeable. 

Also, although you can use AA miles to book interisland flights in Hawaii, you cannot use Avios to do so.

PAULA PRINDLE

Orient, OH