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Award availability alert: Fly in premium cabins on British Airways from the West Coast to Europe
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
June 14, 2024 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
Award availability is strong for British Airways premium economy and business class flights from major West Coast cities to Europe for travel from late June into winter.
Booking through different airline loyalty programs can yield varying award rates and taxes and fees, so comparing options is recommended.
Taxes and fees on British Airways-operated transatlantic flights are often substantial, especially in premium cabins.
Some itineraries, such as those operated by other Oneworld partners, may offer lower taxes and fees for similar routes.
What to consider
Award pricing and taxes and fees depend on the loyalty program, route and class of service selected.
Transferring points from certain programs to airline partners may have eligibility deadlines, such as Bilt to AAdvantage transfers ending June 24.
Adding connecting flights or choosing different operating airlines can significantly affect both availability and out-of-pocket costs.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of award rates, taxes and fees across multiple loyalty programs and strategies to minimize extra charges on transatlantic flights.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
If you want to fly from the West Coast to Europe in British Airways premium economy or business class this year, now is a good time to book your flights.
TPG Director of Travel Content Eric Rosen noticed this award availability when searching for flights. But, as with many British Airways-operated transatlantic flights, you may need to pay significant taxes and fees.
Deal basics
Airline: British Airways
Routes: From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), San Diego International Airport (SAN) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to various European destinations
How to book: Through reward programs such as American Airlines AAdvantage, British Airways Club, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and other Oneworld alliance partners
Travel dates: Availability from late June into winter
Start by searching for award flights through the program you plan to use to book. Or, if you have more flexibility in your schedule, you may want to use Seats.aero to find a transatlantic award flight before booking through your program of choice.
If you want to travel from San Francisco to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) on Nov. 23, you have several options for a nonstop British Airways flight. If you redeem American miles, you will pay 40,000 miles plus $482.30 in taxes and fees for premium economy or 57,500 miles plus $732.30 in taxes and fees for business class.
AA.COM
If you redeem Alaska miles to fly from San Francisco to London, you will pay 45,000 miles plus $491 in taxes and fees for premium economy or 70,000 miles plus $996 in taxes and fees for business class.
ALASKAAIR.COM
If you redeem British Airways Avios to fly from San Francisco to London, you will pay 57,500 Avios plus $196.30 in taxes and fees for premium economy or 90,000 Avios plus $406.30 in taxes and fees for business class. Just so you know, you can use different proportions of Avios and cash for award flights, so be sure to pick the combination that provides the best value.
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We are seeing similar pricing and award availability for nonstop British Airways flights from other West Coast cities. For example, you could book a British Airways-operated flight from Los Angeles to London for 40,000 miles plus $482.30 in taxes and fees in premium economy or 57,500 miles plus $732.30 in taxes and fees in business class.
AA.COM
American AAdvantage uses dynamic award pricing for its flights on the above route. For this example, you'd redeem far more points but pay significantly less taxes and fees for your premium economy or business-class award if you booked the American Airlines-operated flight with AAdvantage.
If you redeem Alaska miles to fly from Los Angeles to London, you will pay 45,000 miles plus $491 in taxes and fees for premium economy or 70,000 miles plus $996 in taxes and fees for business class.
ALASKAAIR.COM
And if you redeem British Airways Avios to fly from Los Angeles to London, you'd pay 67,500 Avios plus $196.30 in taxes and fees for premium economy or 100,000 Avios plus $406.30 in taxes and fees for business class.
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However, you don't necessarily need to visit London to book an award from the West Coast to London. You can add a flight from London to your award during booking, although doing so may reduce the award options you see. Here's an example through American AAdvantage from San Diego to Prague via London that would cost 57,500 miles plus $749.80 in business class.
AA.COM
If you wanted to book this same British Airways-operated business-class award through the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, it would cost you 70,000 miles plus $1,013.
ALASKAAIR.COM
And if you wanted to book this business-class award from San Diego to Prague via London through British Airways, you could pay 116,250 Avios plus $451 in taxes and fees.
BRITISHAIRWAYS.COM
Finally, it's worth mentioning that you can significantly reduce the taxes and fees on some transatlantic award itineraries if you take an American Airlines-operated flight over the Atlantic and then connect to a short-haul British Airways-operated flight. Here's an example through American AAdvantage: You could fly from Los Angeles to Manchester, England, via London for 40,000 miles in premium economy or 57,500 miles in business class plus $17.30 in taxes and fees.
AA.COM
This deal alert is focused on British Airways-operated transatlantic flights, but I couldn't write this post and not mention how you could pay significantly less taxes and fees on some Oneworld award flights to Europe.
Since the taxes and fees on many of the award flights discussed in this story are relatively high, you'll want to use a credit card that offers bonus rewards for purchases with airlines when booking your award flight. I usually use my Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees). But here are some other cards to consider:
American Express Platinum Card®: 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 in charges per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
American Express® Gold Card: Earn 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline, amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App™
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): At least 2 points per dollar on travel
Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees): 3 points per dollar on air travel
Taxes and fees are usually high when you fly British Airways in a premium cabin across the Atlantic. So, although there is good award availability for premium economy and business class on many British Airways routes between the U.S. West Coast and London this summer and fall, beware of the high taxes and fees many of these awards carry. It's also worth checking multiple programs — some of which you can access using transferable points — to get the best rate if you decide to jump on this award availability.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
