In case you missed it, US Airways merged with American Airlines on December 9th and will join the oneworld alliance on March 31st, 2014! We find that the best benefit of the merger is the ability to use British Airways Avios points for flight redemptions. It’s one of our favorite reward currencies. For example, a flight from NYC to Toronto normally costs $300 even when book way in advance. With Avios it costs only 9000 points + $58 for a round trip – this is only 2.6 cents per mile redeemed!
The shorter the flight the less points you need with Avios. For reference, here’s BA’s award chart for one-way flights when redeeming. Double it for business class; triple it for first.
We have complied a comprehensive list of all of US Airways’ nonstop flights from its hubs in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Phoenix and Charlotte and the points required to redeem for a coach ticket. In addition, we include whether or not there’s a fuel surcharge when using Avios. We know most people on the interweb have short attention spans so we’ve summarized the best but scroll all the way down to find your best.
Best City Pairs
We think these are the city pairs with the best redemption value:
- Washington, D.C. -> Bermuda (7,500), Halifax (7,500), Montreal (4,500), and Toronto (4,500)
- Philadelphia -> Aruba (10,000), Bermuda (7,500), Cancun (10,000), Freeport (7,500), Grand Cayman (10,000), Montreal (4,500), Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (10,000), Punta Cana (10,000), Quebec City (4,500), Santo Domingo (10,000), St. Marteen (10,000), San Jose, Costa Rica (12,500), and Toronto (4,500)
- Phoenix -> Anchorage (12,500), Honolulu (12,500), Lihue (12,500), Kona (12,500), Maui (12,500), Puerto Vallarta (7,500), Cancun (10,000), and Cabo San Lucas (7,500)
- Charlotte -> Toronto (4,500), Montreal (7,500), Cancun (7,500), Grand Cayman (7,500), and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (7,500)
You can fly to four of the Hawaiian islands for 25,000 Avios points each roundtrip from Phoenix. This is the least expensive way to get to Hawaii from Phoenix. If you live in one of US Airways hub cities, Avios is significantly cheaper than using US Airways miles for any destination between 4,500 – 10,000 points band. US Airways requires 25,000 miles roundtrip for most of those.
Here’s the rest of the list in case your city wasn’t listed above.
Washington, D.C. (DCA) – 4,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
The chart is in the format of destination, whether or not it is international, whether or not it is seasonal, and whether or not there are fuel surcharges associated with the destination. Seasonal means it operates just a few months out of the year, usually during late spring to early fall. Fuel surcharges are for certain destinations (mainly European ones) that will incur extra fees when redeeming using Avios and they are usually between $300-$600 roundtrip. It’s not worth it to redeem in coach for destinations with fuel surcharges.
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Akron/Canton | |||
| Albany (NY) | |||
| Asheville | Yes | ||
| Augusta (GA) | |||
| Bangor | |||
| Boston | |||
| Buffalo | |||
| Burlington (VT) | |||
| Charleston (SC) | |||
| Charlotte | |||
| Chattanooga | |||
| Cincinnati | |||
| Columbia (SC) | |||
| Columbus (OH) | |||
| Dayton | |||
| Detroit | |||
| Fayetteville (NC) | |||
| Greensboro | |||
| Greenville/Spartanburg | |||
| Hartford | |||
| Hilton Head | Yes | ||
| Indianapolis | |||
| Jacksonville (NC) | |||
| Jacksonville (FL) | |||
| Knoxville | |||
| Long Island/Islip | |||
| Louisville | |||
| Manchester (NH) | |||
| Martha’s Vineyard | Yes | ||
| Montreal–Trudeau | Yes | ||
| Myrtle Beach | |||
| Nantucket | Yes | ||
| New York–LaGuardia | |||
| Norfolk | |||
| Philadelphia | |||
| Pittsburgh | |||
| Portland (ME) | |||
| Providence | |||
| Raleigh/Durham | |||
| Rochester (NY) | |||
| Savannah | |||
| Syracuse | |||
| Toronto–Pearson | Yes | ||
| White Plains | |||
| Wilmington (NC) |
Washington, D.C. (DCA) – 7,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Bermuda | Yes | Yes | |
| Des Moines | |||
| Birmingham (AL) | |||
| Fort Lauderdale | |||
| Fort Myers | |||
| Fort Walton Beach | |||
| Halifax | Yes | Yes | |
| Huntsville | |||
| Jackson (MS) | |||
| Kansas City | |||
| Key West | Yes | ||
| Little Rock | |||
| Omaha | |||
| Orlando | |||
| Pensacola | |||
| Memphis | |||
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | |||
| Nashville | |||
| Nassau | Yes | ||
| New Orleans | |||
| Sarasota | |||
| Tallahassee | |||
| Tampa | |||
| West Palm Beach |
Washington, D.C. (DCA) – 10,000 and 12,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| 10,000 Points | |||
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Las Vegas | |||
| 12,500 Points | |||
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Phoenix | |||
| San Diego |
Philadelphia – 4,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Akron/Canton | |||
| Albany (NY) | |||
| Allentown/Bethlehem | |||
| Baltimore | |||
| Bangor | |||
| Binghamton | |||
| Boston | |||
| Buffalo | |||
| Burlington (VT) | |||
| Charleston (SC) | |||
| Charlotte | |||
| Charlottesville | |||
| Cincinnati | |||
| Cleveland | |||
| Columbia (SC) | |||
| Columbus (OH) | |||
| Dayton | |||
| Detroit | |||
| Elmira/Corning | |||
| Erie | |||
| Greensboro | |||
| Greenville/Spartanburg | |||
| Harrisburg | |||
| Hartford | |||
| Indianapolis | |||
| Ithaca | |||
| Knoxville | |||
| Long Island/Islip | |||
| Louisville | |||
| Manchester (NH) | |||
| Montreal–Trudeau | Yes | ||
| Myrtle Beach | |||
| New Haven | |||
| New York–LaGuardia | |||
| Newark | |||
| Newburgh | |||
| Newport News | |||
| Norfolk | |||
| Ottawa | Yes | ||
| Pittsburgh | |||
| Portland (ME) | |||
| Providence | |||
| Quebec City | |||
| Raleigh/Durham | |||
| Richmond | |||
| Roanoke | |||
| Rochester (NY) | |||
| Salisbury | |||
| Savannah | |||
| State College | |||
| Syracuse | |||
| Toronto–Pearson | Yes | ||
| Washington–National | |||
| White Plains | |||
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton | |||
| Williamsport | |||
| Wilmington (NC) |
Philadelphia – 7,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Atlanta | |||
| Bermuda | Yes | ||
| Birmingham (AL) | |||
| Chicago–O’Hare | |||
| Fort Lauderdale | |||
| Fort Myers | |||
| Freeport | Yes | Yes | |
| Halifax | Yes | Yes | |
| Jacksonville (FL) | |||
| Kansas City | |||
| Miami | |||
| Milwaukee | |||
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | |||
| Nashville | |||
| Nassau | |||
| New Orleans | |||
| Orlando | |||
| St. Louis | |||
| Tampa | |||
| West Palm Beach |
Philadelphia – 10,000 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Aruba | Yes | Yes | |
| Austin | |||
| Cancún | Yes | Yes | |
| Dallas/Fort Worth | |||
| Denver | |||
| Grand Cayman | Yes | Yes | |
| Houston–Intercontinental | |||
| Montego Bay | Yes | Yes | |
| Providenciales | Yes | Yes | |
| Punta Cana | Yes | Yes | |
| Salt Lake City | |||
| San Antonio | |||
| San Juan | |||
| Santo Domingo–Las Américas | Yes | Yes | |
| St. Maarten | Yes | Yes | |
| St. Thomas |
Philadelphia – 12,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Las Vegas | |||
| Los Angeles | |||
| Phoenix | |||
| Portland (OR) | Yes | ||
| Sacramento | Yes | ||
| San José de Costa Rica | Yes | Yes | |
| San Diego | |||
| San Francisco | |||
| Seattle/Tacoma |
Philadelphia – 20,000 and over Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| 20,000 Points | |||
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Amsterdam | Yes | Yes | |
| Barcelona | Yes | Yes | |
| Brussels | Yes | Yes | |
| Dublin | Yes | Yes | |
| Edinburgh | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Frankfurt | Yes | Yes | |
| Glasgow–International | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lisbon | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| London-Heathrow | Yes | Yes | |
| Madrid | Yes | Yes | |
| Manchester (UK) | Yes | Yes | |
| Munich | Yes | Yes | |
| Paris–Charles de Gaulle | Yes | Yes | |
| Shannon | Yes | Yes | |
| 25,000 Points | |||
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Athens | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rome–Fiumicino | Yes | Yes | |
| Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion | Yes | Yes | |
| Venice-Marco Polo | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zürich | Yes | Yes |
Phoenix – 4,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Albuquerque | |||
| Bakersfield | |||
| Burbank | |||
| Durango (CO) | |||
| El Paso | |||
| Flagstaff | |||
| Fresno | |||
| Grand Junction | |||
| Hermosillo | Yes | ||
| Las Vegas | |||
| Long Beach | |||
| Los Angeles | |||
| Monterey | |||
| Oakland | |||
| Ontario | |||
| Orange County | |||
| Palm Springs | |||
| Reno/Tahoe | |||
| Sacramento | |||
| Salt Lake City | |||
| San Diego | |||
| San Jose (CA) | |||
| San Luis Obispo | |||
| Santa Barbara | |||
| Tucson | |||
| Yuma |
Phoenix – 7,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Austin | |||
| Boise | |||
| Dallas/Fort Worth | |||
| Denver | |||
| Guadalajara | Yes | ||
| Houston–Intercontinental | |||
| Kansas City | |||
| Manzanillo | Yes | Yes | |
| Mazatlán | Yes | ||
| Omaha | |||
| Portland (OR) | |||
| Puerto Vallarta | Yes | ||
| San Antonio | |||
| San Francisco | |||
| San José del Cabo | Yes | ||
| Seattle/Tacoma | |||
| Spokane |
Phoenix – 10,000 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Atlanta | |||
| Baltimore | |||
| Boston | |||
| Calgary | |||
| Cancún | Yes | ||
| Charlotte | |||
| Chicago–O’Hare | |||
| Columbus (OH) | |||
| Des Moines | |||
| Detroit | |||
| Edmonton | |||
| Fort Lauderdale | |||
| Indianapolis | |||
| Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo | Yes | Yes | |
| Milwaukee | |||
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | |||
| Orlando | |||
| Pittsburgh | |||
| St. Louis | |||
| Tampa | |||
| Vancouver | Yes | ||
| Washington–National |
Phoenix – 12,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Anchorage | |||
| Honolulu | |||
| Kahului | |||
| Kona | |||
| Lihue | |||
| New York–JFK | |||
| Newark | |||
| Philadelphia | |||
| San José de Costa Rica | Yes | Yes |
Charlotte – 4,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Akron/Canton | |||
| Albany (NY) | |||
| Allentown/Bethlehem | |||
| Asheville | |||
| Atlanta | |||
| Augusta (GA) | |||
| Baltimore | |||
| Birmingham (AL) | |||
| Blountville/Tri-Cities | |||
| Boston | |||
| Buffalo | |||
| Charleston (SC) | |||
| Charleston (WV) | |||
| Charlottesville | |||
| Chattanooga | |||
| Chicago–O’Hare | |||
| Cincinnati | |||
| Cleveland | |||
| Columbia (SC) | |||
| Columbus (OH) | |||
| Dayton | |||
| Daytona Beach | |||
| Detroit | |||
| Fayetteville (NC) | |||
| Florence (SC) | |||
| Fort Lauderdale | |||
| Fort Myers | |||
| Fort Walton Beach | |||
| Freeport | Yes | Yes | |
| Gainesville | |||
| Greenville (NC) | |||
| Greenville/Spartanburg | |||
| Gulfport/Biloxi | |||
| Harrisburg | |||
| Hartford | |||
| Hilton Head/Savannah | |||
| Greensboro | |||
| Huntington (WV) | |||
| Huntsville | |||
| Indianapolis | |||
| Jackson | |||
| Jacksonville (FL) | |||
| Jacksonville (NC) | |||
| Knoxville | |||
| Lexington | |||
| Little Rock | |||
| Louisville | |||
| Lynchburg | |||
| Manchester (NH) | |||
| Melbourne (FL) | |||
| Memphis | |||
| Mobile | |||
| Montgomery | |||
| Myrtle Beach | |||
| Nashville | |||
| New Bern | |||
| New York–JFK | |||
| New York–LaGuardia | |||
| Newark | |||
| Newport News/Williamsburg | |||
| Norfolk | |||
| Orlando | |||
| Pensacola | |||
| Philadelphia | |||
| Pittsburgh | |||
| Providence | |||
| Raleigh/Durham | |||
| Richmond | |||
| Roanoke | |||
| Rochester (NY) | |||
| Salisbury (MD) | |||
| Sarasota | |||
| Savannah | |||
| Syracuse | |||
| Tallahassee | |||
| Tampa | |||
| Toronto–Pearson | Yes | ||
| Washington–Dulles | |||
| Washington–National | |||
| West Palm Beach | |||
| White Plains | |||
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton | |||
| Wilmington (NC) |
Charlotte – 7,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Austin | |||
| Baton Rouge | |||
| Bermuda | Yes | Yes | |
| Cancun | Yes | ||
| Cozumel | Yes | ||
| Dallas/Fort Worth | |||
| Des Moines | |||
| Fayetteville (AR) | |||
| Grand Cayman | Yes | ||
| Key West | Yes | ||
| Houston–Intercontinental | |||
| Kansas City | |||
| Miami | |||
| Milwaukee | |||
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | |||
| Montreal–Trudeau | Yes | ||
| Nassau | Yes | ||
| New Orleans | |||
| Omaha | Yes | ||
| Ottawa | |||
| Portland (ME) | |||
| Providenciales | Yes | ||
| St. Louis | |||
| San Antonio |
Charlotte – 10,000 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Antigua | Yes | ||
| Aruba | Yes | ||
| Belize City | Yes | ||
| Denver | |||
| Las Vegas | |||
| Liberia | Yes | ||
| Mexico City | Yes | ||
| Montego Bay | Yes | ||
| Phoenix | |||
| Punta Cana | Yes | ||
| Salt Lake City | |||
| San José de Costa Rica | Yes | ||
| San José del Cabo | Yes | ||
| San Juan | |||
| St. Croix | Yes | Yes | |
| St. Maarten | Yes | ||
| St. Thomas | Yes | ||
| St Kitts | Yes | ||
| St Lucia | Yes |
Charlotte – 12,500 Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Barbados | Yes | ||
| Los Angeles | |||
| Portland (OR) | |||
| Sacramento | Yes | ||
| San Diego | |||
| San Francisco | |||
| Seattle/Tacoma |
Charlotte – 20,000 and over Points British Airways Avios One-Way Destinations
| 20,000 Points | |||
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Dublin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lisbon | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| London–Heathrow | Yes | Yes | |
| Manchester (UK) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 25,000 Points | |||
| International | Seasonal | Fuel Surcharge | |
| Barcelona | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Brussels | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Frankfurt | Yes | Yes | |
| Madrid | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Paris–Charles de Gaulle | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rio de Janeiro–Galeao | Yes | No | |
| Rome–Fiumicino | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| São Paulo–Guarulhos | Yes | No |
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Epic post! Forwarding to my friends in Charlotte and Philly!
I’ve been looking forward to this too! DCA – ALB will be very useful to my family.
I might add that this pairs nicely with the 100k BA Visa offer which is back right now!
Do you know when these will be bookable on BA.com?
@Chris – US Airways joins on March 31st. BA is usually very quick on getting oneworld partners on its site. If not on March 31st, definitely shortly thereafter.
Great post! Looking forward to DCA – BTV for 9k avios roundtrip, much better than the 25k on UA MP that currently exists!
Can this be booked now or we have to wait until 3/31?
@Ekrem – starting March 31st when they join oneworld.
There some errors here for instance CLT-ORD is 600 miles so it should be 4500 avios
Great post and love your site- I just got the BA card for the 100k bonus and PHX is my home airport. What is the best way to find redemption inventory? I tried the BA site and it kept telling me destinations in Europe from Phoenix. Thanks!
@Stuart – US Airways joins oneworld on March 31st. Expect to see it then.
sucks that US is imposing YQ. not cool
@Mr. Cool – US Airways does not charge YQ for redeeming with its own points. BA has always collected YQ for any carrier with fares with YQ — since US Airways fares between United States and Europe does have a YQ, BA will collect them.
Thanks for this great post! I’m curious if there’s an easy way to figure out which routes US actually markets their premium cabin as business class. Is it only on transatlantic and South American routes?
The bummer about domestic and North American/Caribbean redemptions with Avios is that “first” class on AA is charged 3x mileage, since they market those routes as F rather than J, even though we all know domestic “first class” is usually far inferior to international business class.
@JL – Their routes with the Envoy Suites (the same business class seat as Cathay’s) are on on most flights between the U.S. and Paris, London Heathrow, Madrid, Frankfurt, Munich, Manchester, Rome and Tel Aviv on their A330 fleet.
I figured this would be available since they were merging but hadn’t found anything concrete to validate my suspicions – thanks so much!!!
And just to verify, you can cancel an award ticket booked with Avios on AA metal (and starting in April on US metal) for free and get all of your miles redeposited if your plans change, correct?
@Jason – its like $45 to cancel or you can get the miles back and just pay the tax. for a domestic ticket, it usually make sense to just pay the tax (since at most a domestic ticket is $10 on awards) vs $45