LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British Airways is set to raise the prices on its reward flights starting December 15. They're pointing to a bunch of reasons for this, like the rising Air Passenger Duty, fees from third parties, inflation, and general market pressures.
Customers got the heads-up in an email that the number of Avios points needed and the cash amounts for fares are both going up, following what was shared in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' recent budget announcement.
BA explained that these changes are unavoidable since APD which is a tax on all flights leaving UK airports and usually gets passed on to passengers is expected to rise above inflation in April 2026 and again in 2027. The airline also mentioned that they didn't pass on the last APD increase, which makes the current situation tougher to manage.
For example, an off-peak round-trip economy ticket from London to New York will increase from 50,000 Avios and GBP 100 to 55,000 Avios and GBP 120. Similarly, a London to Geneva off-peak economy return will go from 9,250 points and 50p to 10,000 points and GBP 1, with business-class fares seeing similar hikes.
BA made it clear that any reward flights booked before December 15 will still be honored at the old rates.
They stressed that these changes are in line with industry-wide inflation and are necessary to help fund future investments in their services.
Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2025 AFX News
