Avios, originally the frequent flyer loyalty currency of British Airways, has been spreading its wings lately, with its adoption by more airlines in recent months.
Avios are the core currency for the airlines of the International Airlines Group, which includes BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, and members of those airlines’ loyalty programs can move their points to whichever one they plan to use for award tickets.
The Avios world has expanded significantly in the past year to other members of the OneWorld Alliance; it is now in use for Qatar Airlines, and Finnair will switch next year to Avios for its Finnair Plus plan.
And now, a non-Alliance opportunity has opened up with a deal that allows Qatar loyalty members to use their Avios to purchase award flights on JetBlue, although the announcement was tarnished by a quick and unfavorable-to-users shift on the amount of points required for most seats.
