Save yourself hundreds of dollars by using Avios on
expensive short routes like New York to Toronto.
Not exact matches
Certain
routes are
short distances, but revenue tickets are
expensive, so I'll show you how to exploit a distance based chart to buy this ticket cheap.
LAN kilometers are most valuable when used on
short - and medium - haul flights, particularly on
routes where cash tickets are
expensive.
On certain
routes and at various times of the year British Airways makes buying a one way
short - haul fare annoyingly
expensive but, while there isn't often too much you can do about the cost, there is something you can do to get a bit more value.
With international Business class fares regularly coming below the $ 2,000 level (just check the Airfare Deals page) I'm not convinced that AAdvantage Miles can get me as much value as I can extract from Avios on the
expensive short - haul
routes.
Avios is a terrible currency for long haul flights (high surcharges and a lot of Avios needed) but it's a great currency for
short haul hops as you need comparatively few Avios to book
routes that can be quite
expensive.
That's a true bargain for this
short, but quite
expensive,
route.
Some of the best values for Delta miles are available by booking
short - haul domestic economy awards on
routes with
expensive cash prices.
As I've mentioned before, there are many reasons why British Airways Avios can be great, including the fact that they are distance - based meaning
shorter flights require fewer miles — even if fares on certain
routes can be as
expensive, if not more so, than on long - haul
routes; and that you can use them for one - way travel as well.
Now, that used to be a terrific deal for
short - haul flights because the bottom level distance band is just 4,500 Avios for flights up to 650 miles long, which meant you could get tickets on
expensive shuttle
routes like New York to Washington, D.C. for just 4,500 Avios, while American would charge 12,500 miles for the same flight.
A new,
shorter, more direct
route — Keystone XL, running diagonally through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska — would be less
expensive and safer.