NEWS: Finally, a lounge for London City, Qatar restricts Avios bookings and how to book Avios Qatar flights

Booking Avios flights on Qatar Airways

Since Qatar has made a big change to how you book Avios flights via the Privilege Club, I thought it was worth running through how to book Qatar flights using Avios. When it comes to booking redemption flights with your BA Avios for Qatar flights, you can either book through British Airways or link your Avios accounts and book through Qatar with your BA Avios.

Option 1: Book through the Qatar Airways website

Before you start: link your accounts

You need a free Qatar Privilege Club account in the same name as your BA Club account.

1. Join Qatar Privilege Club if you haven’t already.
2. Link the two accounts.
3. Once linked, you can move Avios between them instantly and free of charge. 

It is worth noting that Qatar have two levels of Avios bookings:

• Standard Awards: These are the regular reward seats with the best value. They require the standard amount of Avios but are limited in availability and can sell out quickly, especially during peak travel periods.
• Flexi Awards: These are available for Privilege Club members when Standard seats are sold out, allowing you to book an award seat on a Qatar Airways flight during peak periods. The major caveat is that they cost double the Avios of a standard seat, though the cash taxes and fees remain the same.

Steps

1. Log in to your Qatar Privilege Club account.
2. Ensure your BA Club account is linked.
3. Search for flights and tick “Book using Avios”.
4. If your Avios are still sitting in BA, either:
   • transfer them to Qatar before booking, or
   • use the combined balance if offered during checkout.
5. Pay the Avios plus any taxes and fees.

Option 2: Book through the British Airways website

You can also redeem directly through BA.

Steps

1. Log in to your BA Club account.
2. Go to Book a flight with Avios.
3. Search for Qatar Airways routes.
4. Select the available reward seats.
5. Pay the Avios and taxes.

There are advantages and disadvantages to booking via each airline:

• Qatar release their seats at 360 days in advance rather than 355 days on the BA site, so for popular routes like Australia, you may be better off booking via Qatar,
• BA has a more generous rebooking policy if there are disruptions or cancellations
• If you have a BA household account you can pull from the whole balance if booking via BA. If you book via Qatar, one person must have all the Avios or you will have to make separate bookings.
• Award flights and upgrades can be changed or cancelled up to three hours before departure on Qatar. BA is 24 hours. The fee is $25 up to 24 hours before or $100 3-24 hours before, assuming you have no status.
• Qatar often releases more Qatar-operated award seats through its own site, particularly in Business Class and Qsuite.
• You don’t have access to Flexi Awards when booking through BA.

Qatar put a major restriction on Avios bookings

The good news is that if you only travel solo or your travel companions book their own Avios flights, then nothing has changed. However, if you prefer to make an Avios booking on Qatar for everyone on your booking, then the latest change may not be great.

Qatar has quietly introduced two new rules, effective immediately, for booking Avios seats for anyone other than yourself:

• Your Privilege Club account must be at least 30 days old.
• You must have credited at least one flight operated by Qatar Airways or a partner airline to your Privilege Club account or made a transaction on a Qatar Airways cobranded credit card (which does not exist in the UK).

Some of these are to combat the growing fraud with Avios points, so I don’t blame them for the 30-day rule. However, the other restriction is a little unfair if you are trying to maintain status with another airline but want to book your Avios flights via Qatar.\

So even if you don’t have any immediate plans to redeem on Qatar, it could well be worth getting a free Privilege Club account now, just in case. 

The second new rule is a lot more problematic. The good news is that even if you just credit a one-way, domestic HBO fare with BA to your Privilege account, it would qualify you. However, this doesn’t help if you are trying to reach or maintain BA status.

Once you have met the qualifications, you then need to add up to 10 people you want to book redemptions for. You can add four people through a new feature called “My List” option, and up to six people through the “Family and Friends” option.

My List

Only adults aged 18 years and above may be added to a My List. You can send invitations to add people to your list using their membership number and either their last name or email address, or via an invitation link. Members added to a My List must remain on the list for a minimum of six months from the date they are added to the list. After this, you can delete and replace them.

Qatar Friends and Family

This is more like a BA Household account, but, annoyingly, members already have to have a Privilege account and can’t book Avios tickets themselves.

Family & Friends allows members of any tier create a group by nominating up to six family members or friends (including children over two years old) to combine Avios earnings for faster rewards. However, only the instigator of the list can spend the Avios. The other members will not be able to access them.

After logging in, head over to your ‘Profile’ dashboard and select ‘Family & Friends’. Then select ‘Add new member’ to copy the link or send an email invite. Once your invitation has been accepted, head to your Family & Friends group to approve them.

Like My List, you can only change or delete each person after they have been in your friends and family for at least 6 months.

Finally, a lounge for London City

London City Airport does not have an on-site lounge, and the last lounge they had was pre-COVID in the form of an off-site lounge as part of the Private Jet Centre. Currently, Priority Pass members can use their membership to receive a set credit at two designated airport restaurants/cafés: Juniper & Co. and Soul & Grain. On Tuesday, the airport announced it will open its first “luxury pre-flight hospitality experience,” otherwise known as a lounge.

London City Airport has ambitious growth plans to reach nine million passengers a year, so it is well overdue for a proper lounge.
The lounge, which will be operated by Aspire, will be open by early 2027.

Passengers will access the space via a 5* hotel-like lobby, which will be conveniently located close to the security lane exit. The renderings look luxurious, so hopefully the lounge will be a step above a standard Aspire lounge, given the airport’s target clients.

Features include runway views, a centrepiece cocktail bar and a barista station serving locally roasted coffee. These will be complemented by food and drinks menus inspired by London. There will also be a dedicated workspace with extensive seating and private booths to provide privacy for calls.

Andy Cliffe, Chief Executive Officer of London City Airport, says: “Our partnership with Aspire Pre-Flight Hospitality has unlocked an exciting opportunity to bring this space to life at a time when we are growing and innovating across our business.

“The introduction of this exclusive experience is answering a clear demand from passengers and will elevate our unrivalled customer offer and reputation as London’s most loved airport. We’re delighted to be partnering with Aspire Pre-Flight Hospitality on this project, who have a proven track record of designing and operating luxury lounges in airports around the world.”

The bespoke lounge, which will not be affiliated with any airline, will be accessible to all passengers travelling through London City Airport, via online or walk-in purchase and, in time, through an annual membership, i.e., Priority Pass, etc.