Qatar Airways has devalued some Avios candy spots for award flights on accomplice airways together with American Airways and Alaska Airways, as first reported earlier at the moment by DansDeals.
Traditionally, Qatar Airways Privilege Membership has been a preferred, if considerably area of interest, loyalty program for U.S. flyers thanks partially to the discount redemption ranges of short-haul flights on Qatar’s U.S. airline companions. Sadly, that’s now not the case. And what’s extra, Qatar Airways made this devaluation with no discover to its Privilege Membership members. It’s simply another reason that vacationers ought to at all times contemplate diversifying the varieties of factors and miles they earn and redeem as a result of devaluations like this come all too usually.
Listed below are the main points on this newest blow, what flyers can anticipate, and the way you would possibly nonetheless be capable of get some worth from Qatar Airways Avios on short-haul American Airways and Alaska Airways flights.
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Qatar Airways devalues American Airways and Alaska Airways short-haul awards
Qatar Airways makes use of a number of (unpublished) award charts for flights on varied airways.
Though the airline made no announcement that it was altering the chart it makes use of for American Airways and Alaska Airways awards, flight searches reveal that the redemption charges for short-haul American and Alaska routes have certainly gone up. The price of these flights in Avios has elevated by as much as 64%, with the shortest routes seeing probably the most dramatic worth hikes. Here’s what we’ve got been capable of piece collectively.
| Flight distance | Pattern flights | Price earlier than (in Avios) | Price now (in Avios) | Change |
| As much as 650 miles | Charlotte to New York Metropolis on American
Seattle to Portland, Oregon on Alaska |
6,000 economic system
12,500 enterprise |
9,500 economic system
20,000 enterprise |
+58%
+60% |
| 651 to 1,151 miles | Miami to New York Metropolis on American
Seattle to Los Angeles on Alaska |
9,000 economic system
16,500 enterprise |
13,000 economic system
27,000 enterprise |
+44%
+64% |
| 1,152 to 2,000 miles | Miami to Chicago on American
Seattle to Minneapolis-St. Paul on Alaska |
11,000 economic system
22,000 enterprise |
14,500 economic system
34,000 enterprise |
+32%
+53% |
| 2,001 to three,000 miles | Miami to Seattle on American
Los Angeles to Newark on Alaska |
13,000 economic system
38,750 enterprise |
16,000 economic system
43,000 enterprise |
+23%
+11% |
Which means even the shortest routes, like a 129-mile flight from Seattle to Portland, Oregon, will set you again not less than 9,500 Avios every manner.
The excellent news is that longer-haul flight awards on American and Alaska, in addition to redemption necessities for JetBlue flights look like unaffected … for the second. Since this devaluation got here with no warning, there’s no telling whether or not the Qatar Airways Privilege Membership intends to make extra modifications to its award ranges within the coming days. So if you happen to have been planning to e book one thing utilizing Qatar Airways Avios, achieve this sooner relatively than later.
For now, the Qatar Airways award charts for flights on different accomplice airways stays unchanged as nicely.
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What’s the very best use of Avios?
Though Qatar Airways award charges for these flights have jumped considerably, within the grand scheme of factors and miles, they’re nonetheless comparatively inexpensive.
British Airways Government Membership, which additionally makes use of Avios as its foreign money, not too long ago underwent a comparable devaluation. The British Airways award chart for Alaska and American accomplice flights is structured very like Qatar’s, besides that every worth tier prices just a few thousand extra Avios.
| Flight distance | Qatar Airways value (in Avios) | British Airways value (in Avios) |
| As much as 650 miles | 9,500 economic system
20,000 enterprise |
12,000 economic system
24,000 enterprise |
| 651 to 1,151 miles | 13,000 economic system
27,000 enterprise |
16,000 economic system
32,000 enterprise |
| 1,151 to 2,000 miles | 14,500 economic system
34,000 enterprise |
18,000 economic system
40,000 enterprise |
| 2,001 to three,000 miles | 16,000 economic system
43,000 enterprise |
20,000 economic system
50,000 enterprise |
If you happen to plan to make use of Avios to e book award flights on American or Alaska, you’ll nonetheless get the very best costs if you happen to e book by Qatar Airways. Nevertheless, relying on what rewards currencies you’ve gotten, there could also be higher choices.
As an example, if you happen to wished to fly from Miami to Chicago, a one-way ticket on American booked by Qatar would value 14,500 Avios in economic system or 34,000 in enterprise class.
Or you can e book the identical flight by American for under 8,500 AAdvantage miles in economic system or 26,500 miles in enterprise class.
Nevertheless, since American makes use of dynamic pricing, utilizing AAdvantage miles could not at all times be the most affordable possibility. You’ll have to double verify in every case.
AAdvantage miles are additionally among the hardest frequent-flyer miles to earn as a result of this system has only a few switch companions (the identical is true for Alaska Mileage Plan miles). You might discover it simpler to e book award flights with Avios since you possibly can switch them from:
As talked about, Qatar Airways has not, at time of publication, modified its award chart for JetBlue flights, so should still be capable of get nice worth out of your Avios by reserving short-haul flights on JetBlue. Right here’s the present award chart Qatar makes use of for JetBlue flights:
| Flight distance | Price in Avios |
| As much as 1,100 miles | 8,500 economic system
17,000 enterprise |
| 1,101 to 2,000 miles | 13,000 economic system
26,000 enterprise |
| 2,001 to 2,800 miles | 18,500 economic system
74,000 enterprise |
| 2,801 to three,700 miles | 25,000 economic system
78,000 enterprise |
So, you can fly from Fort Lauderdale to New York (a 1,070-mile route) on JetBlue for under 8,500 Avios every manner in economic system.
A comparable route on American or Alaska would value 13,000 Avios by Qatar Airways or 16,000 by British Airways.
When trying to find routes to or from cities that Qatar Airways doesn’t serve, town or airport could not seem within the vacation spot drop-down menu. That’s okay — simply enter the airport code into the vacation spot field and click on “Search,” and flight choices ought to seem.
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Backside line
Regardless of this devaluation, Qatar Airways Avios are nonetheless the most affordable sort of Avios to e book Alaska Airways and American Airways award flights.
British Airways’ award chart is pricier than Qatar’s for these accomplice flights, and it’s way more troublesome to e book accomplice award flights on the opposite airways that use Avios (Finnair, Iberia and Aer Lingus). You must also at all times double-check awards on American and Alaska’s personal websites if in case you have their miles to see if you may get a greater deal that manner.
For now, Avios collectors ought to preserve their eyes peeled, as extra devaluations may very well be in retailer.