British Airways short-haul: Avios on Economy or Business?

Are you a British Airways Avios collector planning to redeem your points on short-haul European flights? Whilst it’s an easy choice when it comes to choosing between an Economy or Business Class redemption when you’re flying long-haul – the answer is clearly Business Class – things get a little murkier when you’re deciding which short-haul cabin to fly in.

So, to help you out, here’s a breakdown of what you get in Economy (Euro Traveller), and how it stacks up against Business (Club Europe) on short-haul British Airways routes—and when choosing one over the other makes sense.

Here’s what to expect if you book a reward seat in the Economy cabin using your British Airways Avios:

Enjoy the comfort of contoured leather seats with adjustable headrests and pretty reasonable legroom (seat pitch around 78–79 cm depending on aircraft). USB ports are available on most aircraft to keep your devices charged during your flight and beyond – particularly helpful if you’re travelling for work.

A complimentary bottle of water and snack is served on most flights, and The High Life Café “buy before you fly” menu includes sweet and savoury treats that can pre-order for your trip. You can even pay with your Avios if you’re a British Airways Club member – although I wouldn’t say it’s a great value way to spend them…A complimentary meal isn’t part of your booking, but in-flight, there’s a buy-on-board menu that includes freshly prepared sandwiches and snacks that you can buy through the app, debit/credit card or using Avios (my same thoughts apply here). For longer short-haul flights, such as Greece or Turkey, this might feel pretty inadequate, but for shorter flights to Spain or France this is fine.

Most BA aircraft offer wi-fi access (for a fee), and Club members can use free messaging during their flight. You can pre-order duty-free shopping from the High Life Shop to be delivered directly to your seat onboard, which is always a great way to cut out all the fuss of the in-flight trolley service.

Euro Traveller fares include carry-on baggage, and options to add checked baggage depending on your fare type. There are three fare tiers are available to choose from:

• Economy Basic: which includes your carry-on, but extras like checked bags or seat selection require you to pay a fee
• Economy Plus: includes a 23kg checked bag, seat selection from 48 hours before your flight, and allows you to make changes up to 1 hour before departure
• Economy Plus Flex: this gets you all Plus benefits plus full refund and changes up to 1 hour before your departure

Although you can’t use a British Airways lounge with an Economy ticket (unless you have the right BA Status – but that’s for another time), you can purchase a lounge pass for non-BA lounges—allowing you to relax before your flight, for a fee. This normally sets you back around £50 a person, but if you’re on a longer flight and you’ll be needing some sustenance then it might be worth the expense.

If you book a Business Class trip using your British Airways Avios, your airport experience is made much easier, with dedicated check-in desks and Fast Track security (at London airports), as well as lounge access to British Airways or partner lounges (where available) – offering food and refreshments, workspaces, Wi-Fi, and a relaxing environment. You’ll also get to board the plane first with priority boarding (Boarding Group 1), so you can head straight to your seat and make yourself comfortable for take-off.

BA short-haul Business typically uses a blocked middle seat in a 3-3 layout or similar, giving travellers a seat configuration that offers extra personal space and privacy, albeit no greater legroom than economy (~30″ pitch). You’ll find contoured leather seats, with magazine racks and in-seat power on most planes.

Here’s where you’ll notice a step change in your travel experience. In the Business Class cabin you’re served complimentary meals, which rotate between full breakfasts, hot lunches, traditional afternoon teas, or dinners depending on flight timing. You’ll also get free alcoholic beverages—from G&T to Champagne. Yummy! All of this, of course, means you won’t land in your chosen destination with an empty stomach. A nightmare for anyone like me!

Luggage allowance is much more generous than Economy. You’re able to check up to two bags (usually up to 32 kg each), plus one cabin bag and a laptop or handbag. This is a big bonus if you’re travelling with the kids for a family holiday, or with friends for a longer getaway.

Seats in the premium cabin mean a dedicated cabin crew focused solely on Club Europe travellers, which can really elevate your travel experience using British Airways Avios. When it comes to dining, not only do you get meals on-board, you’ll also get them on proper crockery. If your aircraft has wi-fi you’ll get it for free, and there’s free messaging for Club Members. If you’re travelling for work this can be a godsend. Or maybe you just fancy shutting out the world and catching up with your latest Netflix shows.

When comparing short-haul Economy and Business Class, if you’re planning a British Airways Avios reward seat redemption, it’s not just a case of stacking up the service offerings. You also need to consider the Avios cost, and if it’s worth it to you.

The cost of booking Economy British Airwards reward seats starts from 9,250 Avios, plus 50p cash, each way to places such as Amsterdam, Copenhagen or Lyon depending on off-peak/peak pricing. Booking Business Class reward seats can cost significantly more—sometimes double Economy’s Avios—making it a higher points investment. Taking the same three destinations as above (Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Lyon), you’d be looking at costs from 15,000 Avios plus £12.50 to book Club Europe.

Sticking with our three examples, let’s work out the cash value equivalent, and the price difference in between cabins, to give you a better idea of value for British Airways Avios spend.

As a general rule of thumb, you should aim for a cash value of (at least) 1p per 1 Avios, when redeeming points, to give you the best value return. If we apply this rule to our three short-haul destinations:

1 Economy off peak return reward seat booking will cost you the cash equivalent of £186 (18,500 Avios plus £1 cash). 1 Business Class off peak return reward seat booking will cost you the cash equivalent of £325 (30,000 Avios plus £25 cash).

That’s a £139 difference between cabins for this trip. So from there, you can decide if it’s worth it to you to pay that difference in Avios for an upgraded short-haul experience.

There are certainly times that I have chosen to use my British Airways Avios for Business Class reward seats in short-haul, rather than Economy. I tend to choose a Club Europe Avios redemption when I have a nice, healthy Avios balance, so I can enjoy the extra perks of the premium cabin without worrying about my overall point spend. If, like me, you value Business Class lounge access and have time to indulge before you fly, a Business Class cabin redemption is great value. Especially when you think of the cash you’d be saving on paid lounge tickets, and food and drinks in the airport. Most of the time it outweighs the higher Avios/cash cost of the reward seat booking in the higher cabin, especially if you need to pay extra fees for your luggage in Economy as well.

I also lean towards Club Europe when I’m flying overnight, or my flight time is “long” for a short-haul route – such as Turkey or Cyprus. That extra comfort, quietness, food and drink goes a long way to keeping me a happy traveller!

If saving maximum cash isn’t the aim at the time you book, sometimes, just the experience of a quiet lounge, complimentary food and drinks, and dedicated service from check in to landing is well worth the extra Avios outlay you pay for short-haul Business Class.

There are absolutely times when an Economy short-haul redemption makes much more sense than Business Class. Particularly if you’re a British Airways Avios collector who really likes to stretch your points for maximum value. In those cases, you should only focus on booking a Business Class Avios reward seat when you fly long-haul.

If you’re flying for a short hop and the extra comfort isn’t necessary, especially for daytime flights, I’d always suggest you spend your Avios in the Economy cabin. It’s the same if you’re familiar with the route – such as a much loved family holiday destination. In those cases I like to save my points for long-haul redemptions.

Club Europe definitely provides Avios collectors with extra comfort and convenience when making a reward seat redemption, but it comes at a higher Avios cost. If you’re maximising your points and miles, you’ll probably want to stick to Economy when you book short-haul redemptions. Your decision ultimately comes down to whether comfort and perks are worth dipping into your Avios stash—or if you prefer saving them for bigger trips.