You can now redeem Avios to fly to one of the world's most remote airports
One of the world's most remote airports is now more accessible thanks to one of the easiest points and miles currencies to earn.
St. Helena Airport (HLE), located 1,200 miles off the coast of Africa in the British overseas territory of St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, receives only one weekly departure and one weekly arrival year-round. The service is provided by South African regional carrier Airlink, which is based in Johannesburg.
Previously, travelers could only redeem United MileagePlus miles on Airlink, and at the time of publication, no award seats to or from St. Helena were available through United Airlines.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club members can now redeem Avios to book Airlink flights, including this unique route, following Qatar Airways' purchase of a 25% stake in Airlink.
This service originates at Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) once weekly and stops at Namibia's Walvis Bay International Airport (WVB). The return journey from St. Helena to Johannesburg is nonstop.
Airlink also operates a limited seasonal nonstop service from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to HLE on a handful of Christmas and New Year's dates.
With only weekly service available for most of the year, passengers should be prepared for a 60-minute or one-week visit to this remote island.
Round-trip cash fares in economy class are usually around $1,000 per person. You could also redeem 36,000 Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios plus 4,383.75 South African rand (about $237) in fees, taxes and surcharges. Unlike United's MileagePlus program, Privilege Club shows economy award seats available on this route.
Redeeming Qatar Avios to St. Helena would give you a redemption value of almost 2.1 cents each, far higher than our February 2025 valuation of 1.4 cents each.
Avios are one of the easiest currencies to earn, with more transfer partners than United MileagePlus. You can earn Qatar Avios by transferring Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Points transfer to Qatar at a 1:1 ratio.
Alternatively, you can transfer Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, American Express Membership Rewards points, Bilt Rewards Points and Wells Fargo Rewards points to British Airways Executive Club at a 1:1 rate. Link your British Airways account to your Qatar Airways account, and the combined Avios balance will show in both, allowing you to book Airlink via Privilege Club.
Related: 5 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar Airways
Bottom line
Visiting the remote St. Helena Airport is truly a once-in-a-lifetime AvGeek experience. Cash fares have traditionally been high at $1,000 round-trip in economy, and award availability is currently unavailable when redeeming United miles.
The new partnership with Qatar Airways Privilege Club means anyone with Avios can book flights to and from St. Helena. Thanks to the number of programs that have adopted Avios (and the mechanism to move Avios from program to program), this currency is easy to earn and redeem.
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