The Background

Aer Lingus and British Airways have shared a complex yet mutually beneficial relationship for many years. Both airlines have a storied past, with Aer Lingus being Ireland's national carrier and British Airways being the United Kingdom’s flag carrier. Their partnership has evolved since the International Airlines Group (IAG) (which owns British Airways) acquired Aer Lingus in 2015 to improve the group’s presence in the transatlantic market.

Before this update, the relationship between the two airlines allowed for some crossover in loyalty benefits — most notably, the ability to earn Avios points on Aer Lingus flights. Avios, the currency of the British Airways Club, could be accumulated when flying with Aer Lingus, but there was a catch: you couldn’t earn tier points.

Tier points, which are key for climbing the status ranks within the BA Club, were previously only awarded for flights with a BA flight number, even if they were operated by Aer Lingus.

This was especially frustrating for loyal flyers who, while enjoying the Avios benefits, found their progress towards higher status levels hindered when flying on routes operated by Aer Lingus. This limitation often meant choosing between more affordable flights on Aer Lingus and not earning tier points or opting for potentially more expensive codeshare flights to accrue more tier points.

Now, with the recent changes, British Airways Club members can finally earn tier points on flights directly operated by Aer Lingus, regardless of the flight number. This adjustment not only simplifies the loyalty experience but also improves the value of flying with Aer Lingus for BA’s frequent flyers, truly integrating Aer Lingus into the broader framework of the BA Club benefits. Members can now explore these new options using our Avios flight finder to strategically plan trips that maximise both comfort and tier points.

The Details

This expansion opens up a slew of new routes across Europe and the Atlantic where travellers can rack up their status benefits faster than before. And the deal swings both ways. Aer Lingus AerClub members also get to enjoy similar perks on British Airways flights. 

The number of tier points you rack up depends on your choice of fare class. Let’s break it down:

• Economy Class: Those booking the lowest economy fares (categories L, S, R, W) on Aer Lingus can expect to earn 10 tier points on short flights like London to Dublin, and 35 points on more extended trips such as London to New York. Opting for more flexible economy tickets (categories Y, M, N) bumps those numbers up to 20 and 70 tier points, respectively.
• Business Class: Booking the lowest business fares (category D) on short routes awards 40 tier points, while the same fare on longer routes like transatlantic flights gets you 140 points. If you go for flexible business tickets (categories J, C), the tier points remain at 40 for short hauls and 140 for long hauls.

Examples of popular routes:

London Heathrow (LHR) to Dublin Airport (DUB):

• Economy lowest: Earn 10 tier points.
• Economy flexible: Scoop up 20 tier points.
• Business lowest: Take home 40 tier points.
• Business flexible: Also earns 40 tier points.

London Heathrow (LHR) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York:

• Economy lowest: Bag 35 tier points.
• Economy flexible: Rack up 70 tier points.
• Business lowest: A hefty 140 tier points.
• Business flexible: Likewise, 140 tier points.

Don’t forget to use the Avios flight finder to check the availability of these new routes. With more routes now available, checking BA reward flight availability is even more important for those aiming to earn tier points.

Want to see how many Tier Points you’ll earn on your next trip? Use our British Airways Tier Points Calculator below to quickly check your route and start planning your next status upgrade.

The Considerations

This change is likely to have a substantial impact on frequent travellers who’re part of the BA loyalty programme. Members now have a broader range of flights to choose from, especially considering Aer Lingus's reputation for competitive pricing. This could lead to more strategic booking choices, as travellers might opt for Aer Lingus over other carriers to take advantage of lower fares while still boosting their tier status. As members plan their travel, considering Avios award flights on both Aer Lingus and British Airways will be essential to fully leverage every flight's point-earning potential.

However, several questions remain unanswered that could influence how beneficial this new policy really is. For example, it’s not clear if Aer Lingus flights will count as qualifying flights towards the minimum number of flights needed to reach or maintain a certain status level within the BA Club. Typically, you need a specific number of flights with BA or Iberia to hit status thresholds — will Aer Lingus flights now count towards this requirement?

There's also uncertainty about whether Aer Lingus flights will be included in the BA Holidays double-tier-points promotion, which could significantly improve the value of booking holiday packages through BA.

Looking ahead, there's plenty of room for speculation about what this integration between the two airlines could lead to. One of the more intriguing possibilities is whether Aer Lingus might rejoin the Oneworld alliance. Having left the alliance in 2007, Aer Lingus has since maintained a more independent route but joining forces again could provide additional smooth travel options and benefits across an even broader network of airlines.

These developments and unanswered questions will likely be hot topics among frequent flyers and industry analysts alike. As more information becomes available, it’ll be interesting to see how these changes play out in practice. Stay tuned with Reward Flight Finder (RFF) for the latest updates.

The Background

Aer Lingus and British Airways have shared a complex yet mutually beneficial relationship for many years. Both airlines have a storied past, with Aer Lingus being Ireland's national carrier and British Airways being the United Kingdom’s flag carrier. Their partnership has evolved since the International Airlines Group (IAG) (which owns British Airways) acquired Aer Lingus in 2015 to improve the group’s presence in the transatlantic market.

Before this update, the relationship between the two airlines allowed for some crossover in loyalty benefits — most notably, the ability to earn Avios points on Aer Lingus flights. Avios, the currency of the British Airways Club, could be accumulated when flying with Aer Lingus, but there was a catch: you couldn’t earn tier points.

Tier points, which are key for climbing the status ranks within the BA Club, were previously only awarded for flights with a BA flight number, even if they were operated by Aer Lingus.

This was especially frustrating for loyal flyers who, while enjoying the Avios benefits, found their progress towards higher status levels hindered when flying on routes operated by Aer Lingus. This limitation often meant choosing between more affordable flights on Aer Lingus and not earning tier points or opting for potentially more expensive codeshare flights to accrue more tier points.

Now, with the recent changes, British Airways Club members can finally earn tier points on flights directly operated by Aer Lingus, regardless of the flight number. This adjustment not only simplifies the loyalty experience but also improves the value of flying with Aer Lingus for BA’s frequent flyers, truly integrating Aer Lingus into the broader framework of the BA Club benefits. Members can now explore these new options using our Avios flight finder to strategically plan trips that maximise both comfort and tier points.

The Details

This expansion opens up a slew of new routes across Europe and the Atlantic where travellers can rack up their status benefits faster than before. And the deal swings both ways. Aer Lingus AerClub members also get to enjoy similar perks on British Airways flights. 

The number of tier points you rack up depends on your choice of fare class. Let’s break it down:

• Economy Class: Those booking the lowest economy fares (categories L, S, R, W) on Aer Lingus can expect to earn 10 tier points on short flights like London to Dublin, and 35 points on more extended trips such as London to New York. Opting for more flexible economy tickets (categories Y, M, N) bumps those numbers up to 20 and 70 tier points, respectively.
• Business Class: Booking the lowest business fares (category D) on short routes awards 40 tier points, while the same fare on longer routes like transatlantic flights gets you 140 points. If you go for flexible business tickets (categories J, C), the tier points remain at 40 for short hauls and 140 for long hauls.

Examples of popular routes:

London Heathrow (LHR) to Dublin Airport (DUB):

• Economy lowest: Earn 10 tier points.
• Economy flexible: Scoop up 20 tier points.
• Business lowest: Take home 40 tier points.
• Business flexible: Also earns 40 tier points.

London Heathrow (LHR) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York:

• Economy lowest: Bag 35 tier points.
• Economy flexible: Rack up 70 tier points.
• Business lowest: A hefty 140 tier points.
• Business flexible: Likewise, 140 tier points.

Don’t forget to use the Avios flight finder to check the availability of these new routes. With more routes now available, checking BA reward flight availability is even more important for those aiming to earn tier points.

Want to see how many Tier Points you’ll earn on your next trip? Use our British Airways Tier Points Calculator below to quickly check your route and start planning your next status upgrade.

The Considerations

This change is likely to have a substantial impact on frequent travellers who’re part of the BA loyalty programme. Members now have a broader range of flights to choose from, especially considering Aer Lingus's reputation for competitive pricing. This could lead to more strategic booking choices, as travellers might opt for Aer Lingus over other carriers to take advantage of lower fares while still boosting their tier status. As members plan their travel, considering Avios award flights on both Aer Lingus and British Airways will be essential to fully leverage every flight's point-earning potential.

However, several questions remain unanswered that could influence how beneficial this new policy really is. For example, it’s not clear if Aer Lingus flights will count as qualifying flights towards the minimum number of flights needed to reach or maintain a certain status level within the BA Club. Typically, you need a specific number of flights with BA or Iberia to hit status thresholds — will Aer Lingus flights now count towards this requirement?

There's also uncertainty about whether Aer Lingus flights will be included in the BA Holidays double-tier-points promotion, which could significantly improve the value of booking holiday packages through BA.

Looking ahead, there's plenty of room for speculation about what this integration between the two airlines could lead to. One of the more intriguing possibilities is whether Aer Lingus might rejoin the Oneworld alliance. Having left the alliance in 2007, Aer Lingus has since maintained a more independent route but joining forces again could provide additional smooth travel options and benefits across an even broader network of airlines.

These developments and unanswered questions will likely be hot topics among frequent flyers and industry analysts alike. As more information becomes available, it’ll be interesting to see how these changes play out in practice. Stay tuned with Reward Flight Finder (RFF) for the latest updates.