Did I ever mention how much I hate airline schedule changes? Well, here I am to remind you once again how much I hate them. Over the last year and a half, I’ve tried twice to use BA Avios to book award flights on Iberia. Back in November of 2023, I booked Iberia Business Class from Dallas to Munich via Madrid using Avios. That trip nearly got derailed because of an Iberia schedule change. Apparently lightning can strike twice, because Iberia nearly screwed me again with a late change. Worse, British Airways offered little in the way of recourse for a partner booking, almost leaving me out to dry.
Strike One – A Failed BA Avios Business Class Redemption
Back in 2023, I booked a fall points trip to Switzerland. For the trip over, I found Business Class space on Iberia via Madrid using British Airways Avios. The nice thing about Iberia redemptions is the fuel surcharges are quite mild, unlike on BA metal. The Business Class redemption from DFW to Zurich cost just 38,400 Avios and $468.30, using a Cash + Avios booking. Now, I booked this trip way in advance – a November 2023 booking in late December 2022. So, I knew the risk of a schedule change. And sure enough, in May, Iberia unilaterally rebooked me from a Friday to Saturday departure.
While only a day, the change made my trip essentially useless. I needed to arrive in Martigny by Saturday night to enjoy the 4-course dinner at the Rêves Gourmands. And so I ended up canceling, and rebooking on jetBlue Mint, though at a very high price in Capital One points. The gourmet dinner was well worth the effort, incidentally.
Lightning Strikes Twice – Another Iberia Schedule Change
Fast forward a year and a half. In May, I’m planning a quick trip to Munich and back. The main purpose of this trip is an attempt to fly SWISS First Class on the way back. (No, not with a direct booking, but I’ve booked a Business Class reward ticket, and plan to gamble on a paid upgrade to First at check-in.) To get to Germany, I once again found a reasonably priced BA Avios award on Iberia. This time, I found a Premium Economy award from Dallas to Munich via Madrid for 39,000 Avios + $113.40. I booked this ticket in early December, so again, I figured schedule changes were a risk.
This time, though, the months went by with nothing doing. Until about 3 weeks ago – mind you, less than 75 days before departure. Once again, Iberia canceled my scheduled flight, and unilaterally booked me on the next day’s flight. And also yet again, this made my stay in Munich way too short. Fortunately, I managed to find SWISS Business Class award space one day later on my return, so I went with it. Annoyingly, though, this subjected me to an Aeroplan change fee, and my preferred window seat from DFW to Madrid was long gone, leaving me to settle for the aisle.
But wait, there’s more! A few days ago – now just 60 days from departure – Iberia canceled the Madrid to Munich leg. This time, no alternative options were offered.
This necessitated a call to British Airways. While BA’s customer service is nice enough, they are, well, completely unwilling to help. The only options offered were to take a one-stop from Madrid to Munich via London, or downgrade to coach and fly DFW-LHR-MUC. BA’s terms and conditions won’t allow you to switch destinations (for example, to Frankfurt or Zurich). Nor will they agree to open up space on their own metal in case of a partner cancellation.
For now, I’ve decided to just take the connection through London, though I may end up cancelling if I can find something better.
The Ugly Reality of Loyalty Programs Today
The whole episode reveals a couple of things. First, somebody upstairs really doesn’t want me to fly Iberia on a reward ticket. Second, it displays the consequences of the shadowy devaluations all major loyalty programs have engaged in. The trend over the last couple of years has been to largely kill last-minute award availability for high-value redemptions. If you want a high-value redemption, you largely have to book way in advance. But at the same time, airline have become incredibly aggressive with bulls*** schedule changes, often not that far out from departure.
And of course, when an airline cancels, or changes a schedule to create a trip in vain situation, you’re often SOL. If you book a partner award, often times, your only recourse is to take a refund of your points. A lot of good that does 60 days before departure, when there’s no replacement award availability. Fortunately, this trip will soldier on, though I’m now facing an 11:15 pm arrival into Munich. I set up this trip to avoid a late night arrival, so count me as an unhappy camper.
The overall lesson here – watch your award booking like a hawk. Airlines will screw you with schedule changes, and if it’s a partner award booking, expect little help from the program you booked with.
