Securing those hard-to-get seats means being first in the queue…
…but when do seats actually get released? And what’s the trick to being ahead of everyone else?
When does BA release reward seats?
BA releases a guaranteed number of bookable seats using Avios for every flight. That’s four seats in business class, two in premium economy and eight in economy. There are no guarantees on how many first-class seats will be released.
You can book a seat 355 days ahead of the flight. It doesn’t matter how you want to book a flight (Cash/Avios/Companion Voucher), that 355-day rule applies.
Seats are available to book from midnight GMT 355 days before the outbound flight
What’s a good strategy for securing hard-to-get Avios seats?
There are two approaches:
- Be the first person to try to book those flights as they are released. This means staying up late and hitting the phone. More on this in a moment.
- Use a third-party platform for checking Avios availability to set up an alert, and hope that seats become available during the year. It is likely that some seats will become available. It’s common for BA to release reward seats at random times.
If you’re looking to book business class seats to a tricky destination (like Australia), then the best way to secure them is to stay up to midnight and then call the BA call centre.
There’s a reason for this: when you start a booking with them they will place a hold on the seats as they work through your details. If you book online they are not secured until you complete all your details. Minutes can, and do, matter.
The challenge is that the UK call centre closes at 11:59 pm and doesn’t open again until 8 am. The solution is to call their US call centre. On most mobile plans, it will cost you to do this. You may be able to use Skype to reduce the cost, or make the call for free.
The BA US call centre is accessible from the UK on +1 800-247-9297.
Staying on top of Avios availability throughout the year
As BA will release more Avios seats throughout the year, how do you get alerted when seats become available? There are some great third-party platforms that, at a cost, can tell you when reward flight seats become available. They will send you an email or SMS when they spot seats for flights that you’re interested in.
There’s a caveat with these third-party platforms. If you want to book using a companion voucher, one benefit of it is that it will open up more availability. Third-party sites can’t see those seats, so you may miss out on opportunities.
What if you want to book other carriers’ seats using Avios?
Avios is the currency of many airlines, and using the BA booking system means you can also access their partner network, for example, American Airlines.
Booking a partner airline using Avios
Firstly, let’s look at booking a flight on a partner airline. To use Avios for those flights, you’ll have to book via BA, either online or via the call center, which means you can book 355 days in advance of the flight.
However, the partner airline may not release tickets on its own site until later. For example, American Airlines only allows you to book 335 days in advance on their website, so by using BA, you are getting access to flights 20 days before their customers.
I’ve booked a number of partner flights via BA, and it’s a painless process. We did have an Alaskan Airlines flight go “missing” from our BA app, but a quick livechat with Alaskan and we were able to access the details via their website. I found the Alaskan team, and the experience, to be outstanding.
Booking with an airline that uses Avios as it’s primary points currency
If you’re looking to use your Avios points to book directly with an airline (like Qatar, Finnair, Iberia or Air Lingues) then you have two options:
- Book via British Airways
- Book directly with the partner
If you book via BA, you will be subject to the 355-day rule. If you book through a partner, you will be subject to their terms and conditions.
| Airline | Reward seats available (days) |
|---|---|
| Qatar | 361 days before departure |
| Finnair | 361 days |
| Iberia | 360 days |
| Aer Lingus | 330 days |
For Qatar, Finnair, and Iberia, you are better off booking directly with the airline, as you’ll be able to see availability five or six days before BA.
With Aer Lingus, I’ve checked a couple of routes, and it appears that you can book flights via BA before the 330-day mark. Typically, EL is less generous with its award seats, so it’s often harder to find Avios seats on its flights.
Conclusion: Should you stay up until midnight to book your seats?
If the trip is important to you, and it’s on a route that’s typically hard to get Avios reward seats on, then yes.
Through all our years of using Avios, we have never done that, but we are really flexible with where we go on holiday. If we wanted to go to Australia, then we would absolutely be staying up late.
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