The cavity-inducing sweet spot of travelling to Europe with Iberia Avios has been well-documented.
With mild taxes and levies, you can book an economy ticket for as little as 17,000 Avios each way — or a lie-flat business-class seat for just 34,000 Iberia Avios.
It'll be difficult to find a more cost-effective method to travel across the Atlantic in elegance.
According to One Mile at a Time, this delicious spot has recently been updated, and you can now book it using British Airways Avios as well.
Let's take a brief look at this offer and see what the changes mean for you.
Iberia's award pricing in broad strokes
Here's a quick overview if you're not familiar with this wonderful spot.
Iberia, Spain's flag carrier, offers flights to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) from the following airports for as little as 17,000 Avios in economy and 34,000 Avios in business class:
• Logan Airport is located in Boston, Massachusetts (BOS).
• The International Airport of John F. Kennedy is located in New York City (JFK).
• Airport Dulles (IAD).
• The International Airport of O'Hare is located in Chicago, Illinois (ORD)
From the following airports, you can fly to Madrid in economy for 21,250 Avios and in business class for 42,500 Avios:
• Miami International Airport is located in Miami, Florida (MIA).
• Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is located in Dallas, Texas (DFW).
• Los Angeles International Airport is located in Los Angeles, California (LAX).
• San Francisco International Airport is located in San Francisco, California (SFO).
These rates are only available during off-peak travel periods (of which there are plenty).
Peak periods can cost up to 20,000 Avios more.
The only true drawback to these low-cost award flights is the high cost of taxes and fees, which may cost upwards of $280 for a round-trip travel.
Fuel surcharges for award flights on Iberia have been reduced by British Airways.
Avios are the same points currency used by British Airways and Iberia.
You can transfer Avios between your British Airways and Iberia accounts at any time.
However, airlines can charge various rates for different routes, and Iberia has historically been the more cost-effective option for its own flights.
For example, the above award fares to Madrid were also available on the British Airways website, but reserving this manner required hundreds of dollars in fees for business-class seats, making them a no-go for any logical award traveller.
Until now, that is.
When flying aboard Iberia aircraft, British Airways has decreased its taxes and fees to match Iberia's.
To put it another way, you may now book this package using either British Airways or Iberia Avios.
On December 5, Iberia is offering a business-class flight from Chicago to Madrid.
It costs 34,000 Avios ($123.70) plus 34,000 Avios.
Do you think this change is significant?
This shift is significant for several reasons.
Booking the Iberia sweet spot is now a little easier for many, as it's now available on two distinct websites.
For many Avios collectors, the ability to use British Airways Avios to book the ticket directly (rather than transferring Avios to Iberia) removes a step out of the process, making things a little less scary.
It's worth mentioning, though, that award availability does not appear to be identical.
We discovered far more award inventory on Iberia's own site after lengthy searching.
The most important takeaway from British Airways' latest adjustment is that it signifies another step toward consistency between reward programmes that use Avios as their currency, thereby adding value to customers.
Consider the following scenario:
• Qatar Airways has officially joined the Avios family, providing Avios collectors even more possibilities for redeeming their points.
• Citi ThankYou points can now be converted to Avios.
• To match Qatar's pricing, British Airways decreased its taxes and fees when booking Qatar Qsuite with British Airways Avios.
British Airways, which is known for its punishing fuel surcharges, has now lowered the out-of-pocket cost for Iberia flights as well.
Avios' situation is improving.
The programme is still working to synchronise rates across its many airline currencies, including British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Qatar Airways.
For better or worse, all four airlines may soon offer equal fares.
Final thoughts
If you've been wishing to take advantage of the 34,000 Avios (plus modest costs) Iberia business-class awards to Madrid from East Coast destinations, the process has just gotten easier.
The same flights are now available through British Airways without the exorbitant fuel fees.
Just keep in mind that while the process has been simplified, award seats may be few.
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