the british travel awards

• British Travel Awards 2023
• Award Categories
• Travel Companies to Destinations
• Travel Companies by Holiday Type
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• British Travel Awards 2024
• BTA 2023 Accreditations

Meet the Team

The British Travel Awards trademark registration, and copyright is owned by Konawood Ltd. The British Travel Awards competition, event and production is devised, managed and operated by UK Travel Awards Ltd. Konawood Ltd and UK Travel Awards Ltd are registered at: Spirit House, 8 High Street, West Molesey, Surrey, KT8 2NA

Contact : Lorraine Barnes Burton Tel: +44 (0)7557 951027 | Email: [email protected]

Copyright © 2010 - 2024 UK Travel Awards Limited Privacy Policy

• ABOUT THE AWARDS
• BTA 2024 NOMINATIONS
• Holidays to Europe and Macaronesia
• Holidays to the Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean
• Holidays to the Americas
• Holidays to Asia, Australasia and Oceania
• Holidays by Specific Type e.g. Summer Sun, Winter Sun et al
• Tailor-made and Touring Holidays
• Special Occasions and Special Interest Holidays
• Adventure, Activity and Sports Holidays
• Cruise Lines and Ferry Operators
• Hotel Chains
• Agencies, Planning and Booking Apps, Marketing
• UK Aiports and Air Travel Services
• Holiday Add-on Services
• UK/Domestic Holidays
• PRIZE DRAW PROMOTION
• BTA 2023 MEDIA CAMPAIGN
• PREVIOUS ACCREDITATIONS
• FAQs and LEGALS
• VIDEO LIBRARY

BTA 2024 - Nominated Companies and Brands

The nomination process.

Leisure travel providers are invited to nominate their brands for listing on the BTA 2024 consumer voting form. Companies have from 14 February until 10 May 2024 to submit their applications online by completing the form on our main website.

Once an application for listing is received the BTA panel review the details to check validity in the selected category(s). Nominee websites are reviewed to check validity in their chosen categories. And, referenced with publically available information from industry professional bodies such as ABOT, ABTA, AITO, ATOL, CLIA, TTA.

In size graded categories (G) companies are required to enter size information when completing the nomination application form. In the event of this information not being provided, the British Travel Awards Panel will determine a company’s size based upon these considerations: (a) Past voting results, (b) Available company/third party data (c) Brand recognition, (d) Size of product portfolio, (e) Web browser SEO positioning.

Size Graded Categories

Companies are required to declare which size group is applicable when registering their nomination(s).

Best Travel Company to:

(G)  Central/Northern Europe

(G)  Western Europe/Ireland

(G)  East/Southeast Europe

(G)  Iberia/Macaronesia

(G)  Italy/Western Med. Islands

(G)  Hellenic Europe

(G)  The Middle East/North Africa

(G)  Sub-Saharan Africa

(G)  The Indian Ocean

(G)  Canada

(G)  U.S.A.

(G)  The Caribbean/Central America

(G)  South America

(G)  The Far East/Central Asia

(G)  Southern Asia

(G)  Southeast Asia

(G)  Australasia/Oceania

Best Travel Company for:

(G)  Summer Sun Holidays

(G)  Winter Sun Holidays

(G)  Family Holidays

(G)  Luxury Holidays

(G)  All-Inclusive Holidays

(G)  Villa Holidays

(G)  Adults Only Holidays

(G)  Singles Holidays

(G)  Tailor-Made Holidays

(G)  Escorted Group Holidays

(G)  Touring Holidays

(G)  Rail Holidays

(G)  Coach Holidays

(G)  Weddings & Honeymoons

(G)  Romantic Getaways

(G)  Special Interest Holidays

(G)  Safari Holidays

(G)  Wildlife & Nature Holidays

(G)  Arts & Culture Holidays

(G)  Adventure Holidays

(G)  Activity/Sports Holidays

(G)  Sports Tours Holidays

(G)  Ski/Winter Sports Holidays

Best Cruise Line for:

Ultra-Luxury Holidays

Luxury Holidays

Family Holidays

Expedition Voyages

River Cruise Holidays

Ultra-Small/Boutique Holidays

No-fly Cruise Holidays

Best Ferry Operator for:

Routes from/to UK Ports

Short Sea/Mini Cruises

Best Hotel Brand for:

Luxury Breaks

Premium Breaks

Midscale Breaks

Economy Breaks

All-Inclusive Resorts

Travel Agencies, Planning and Booking Apps, Marketing

Best Travel Agency:

Online/Call Centre Travel Retailer

National Travel Retailer

Cruise Holiday Retailer

Best Travel Website for:

Travel Deals

Price Comparison

Flight Booking

Accommodation Booking

Favourite Company for:

TV Advertisements

Radio Advertisements

Print Advertisements

On-line Advertisements

Best Airline for:

Short-haul Flights

Long-haul Flights

Low Cost Flights

Economy Class Travel

Business Class Travel

Airports and Air Travel Services

(G)  UK Airport for Leisure Travel

Airport Retailer for Consumer Goods

Airport Retailer for Food and Beverages

Company for Airport Parking

Company for Holiday Car Hire

Company for Travel Insurance

Retailer for Forex/Travel Money

Best Company for:

(G)  UK Family Holidays

(G)  UK Parks & Lodges Holidays

(G)  UK Short Breaks

(G)  UK Holiday Home Rentals

(G)  UK Coach/Touring Holidays

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British Travel Awards winners list for 2020 as Brits voted for favourite firms

The British Travel Awards full winners list for 2020 is here after 132,000 Brits cast their votes for their favourite travel firms

• 16:01, 14 Dec 2020
• Updated 11:44, 15 Dec 2020

The British Travel Awards winners list for 2020 is here - as voted for by members of the public.

This year has been difficult for the travel industry but that didn't stop 132,000 Brits showing their support and casting over 244,000 votes across the 51 categories, to celebrate their favourite travel agents, companies and tour operators.

Some categories also featured multiple winners depending on whether they were large, medium or small companies.

BTA CEO Lorraine Barnes Burton said: "Voters were specifically asked to show their support for companies they had a good experience with, paying particular attention to customer service - recognising companies who had helped them with re-bookings, refunds and cancellations. The British Travel Awards is still the biggest consumer voted awards in the UK and congratulations to all the worthy winners. We’re looking ahead and forward, all being well, to travelling again soon."

So, who took home the gold? You can check out the full winners list below...

Best holiday companies

• Best Family Holiday Company: On the Beach (large), Solmar Villas (medium), Canterbury Travel (small)
• Best UK Family Holiday Company: Parkdean Resorts (large)Haven (medium)
• Best Luxury Holiday Company: Emirates Holidays (medium), Cloud 9 Adventure (small)
• Best All-Inclusive Holiday Company: On the Beach (large), Mercury Holidays (medium), Star Tours (small)
• Best River Cruise Holiday Company: Viking Cruises
• Best Escorted Tours Holiday Company: Newmarket Holidays (large), Titan Travel (medium), Wendy Wu Tours (small)
• Best Singles Holiday Company: Saga Group (large), Just You (medium), One Traveller Ltd (small)
• Best Wedding & Honeymoons Holiday Company: Olympic Holidays (large), Ionian Weddings (medium), Honeymoon Dreams (small)
• Best LGBTQ+ Holiday Company: On the Beach
• Best Assisted/Accessible Holiday Company: Traveleyes
• Best Coach Holiday Company: Alfa Travel Ltd (large), Titan Travel (medium), On the Go Tours (small)
• Best Rail Holiday Company: Great Rail Journeys (large), Rail Discoveries (medium), Railtrail Tours Ltd (small)
• Best Camping & Mobile Holiday Company: Eurocamp (large), Canvas Holidays (medium), Cool Camping (small)
• Best Escorted Adventure Holiday Company: Exodus Travels (medium), On the Go Tours (small)
• Best Ski & Winter Sports Holiday Company: Skiworld (medium), Ski Safari (small)
• Best Safari, Wildlife & Nature Holiday: Saga Group (large), Exodus Travels (medium), Naturetrek (small)
• Best Special Interest Holiday Company: Saga Group (large), Titan Travel (medium), The Railway Touring Company (small)
• Best Activity/Sports Holiday Company: Neilson Active Holidays (medium), GolfKings (small)
• Best Travel Deals Finder: Travelzoo
• Best Travel Review/Ratings Website: Silver Travel Advisor
• Best Consumer Travel Magazine: BRITAIN - The Official Magazine
• Teletext Holidays Best Travel Blogger: The Travel Scribes
• Best National Travel Retailer: Travel Counsellors
• Best High Street Travel Agency: Stewart Travel
• Best Online Travel Retailer: On the Beach
• Best Cruise Holiday Retailer: Bolsover Cruise Club
• Best Villa Holiday Company: Ionian & Aegean Island Holidays (medium), Villa Select (small)
• Best UK Cottage Holiday Company: Sykes Holiday Cottages (large), Coast & Country Cottages (medium), Coquet Cottages (small)
• Best UK Parks & Lodges Holiday Company: Parkdean Resorts (large), Verdant Leisure (medium), Waterside Holiday Group (small)
• Best Foreign Exchange/Travel Money Retailer: Post Office
• Best Travel Insurance Provider: Staysure
• Best Holiday Transfer Provider: Titan Travel
• Best Airport Parking Company: APH ( Airport Parking & Hotels)

Best companies for specific destinations

• Best Holiday Company to Western Europe & Ireland: Solmar Villas (medium), Headwater (small)
• Best Holiday Company to Central & Northern Europe: Titan Travel (medium), Headwater (small)
• Best Holiday Company to East & Southeast Europe: On the Beach (large), Solmar Villas (medium), Tucan Travel (small)
• Best Holiday Company to the Iberian Peninsula & Islands: On the Beach (large), Solmar Villas (medium)
• Best Holiday Company to the Italian Peninsula & Islands: Mercury Holidays (medium), Headwater (small)
• Best Holiday Company to Hellenic Europe: Olympic Holidays (large), Ionian & Aegean Island Holidays (medium), Sailing Holidays Ltd (small)
• Best Holiday Company to the USA: Ocean Florida (medium), American Sky (small)
• Best Holiday Company to Canada: Canadian Affair (large), Titan Travel (medium), My Canada Trips (small)
• Best Holiday Company to the Caribbean & Bermuda: Tropical Sky
• Best Holiday Company to Central & South America: Trailfinders (large), Mercury Holidays (medium), Journey Latin America (small)
• Best Holiday Company to North Africa: Red Sea Holidays
• Best Holiday Company to Sub-Saharan Africa: Newmarket Holidays (large), Titan Travel (medium), Distant Journeys (small)
• Best Holiday Company to the Middle East: Travelbag (large), Emirates Holidays (medium), Etihad Holidays (small)
• Best Holiday Company to Australasia: Travelbag (medium), Distant Journeys (small)
• Best Holiday Company to Southern Asia: Newmarket Holidays (large), Emirates Holidays (medium), Skanda Holidays (small)
• Best Holiday Company to Southeast Asia: Travelbag (medium), Wendy Wu Tours (small)
• Best Holiday Company to East & Central Asia: Newmarket Holidays (large), Mercury Holidays (medium), Wendy Wu Tours (small)
• Best Holiday Company to the Indian Ocean: Travelbag (medium), Honeymoon Dreams (small)

You can find out more on britishtravelawards.com .

River cruise prize winner

Everyone who submitted a vote in the BTAs was entered into a draw to win a 2021 luxury Nicko river cruise for two people on the Rhine or Danube, worth £5,190 and courtesy of Light Blue Travel. The winner was Julie Crawshaw of Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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2019 British Travel Awards’ winners announced

The results of the British Travel Awards 2019 were announced on 27th November to an audience of 900 senior travel executives and representatives from consumer and trade media.

LONDON – Between July and September this year, 402,734 consumers cast 867,221 votes for their favourite travel companies, to determine the winners in the annual Awards, which are the largest UK consumer voted programme across any industry, not just travel.

The British Travel Award for Best UK Holiday County has been dominated by Cornwall winning in recent years, they lost out in 2018 but they’re back for 2019 reclaiming the title from surprise 2018 winner Northumberland, which has slipped back to the Silver Award, with the Peak District and Derbyshire awarded Bronze.

The Best UK Seaside Town BTA went to Bournemouth, with Bude in second place and Blackpool third.

The Best UK Leisure Attraction went for the first time to Longleat, followed by York Chocolate Story and the Emirates Spinnaker Tower.

After several years of winning the Silver BTA for The Best UK Heritage Attraction, Edinburgh Castle is now triumphant taking the Gold Award, followed by new entry Silver winner Windsor Castle.   In the battle of the tour operators, in the large company category, Newmarket Holidays swept the board winning an impressive seven Gold Awards, including Best Escorted Tours Holiday Company and Best Rail Holiday Company. James’ Villas won five Gold Awards and Saga and Virgin Holidays each won four Gold Awards.

In the medium sized category, Emirates Holidays and Titan Travel were pitching against each other and in the end they were neck and neck with eight Gold awards. Emirates Holidays’ awards included Best Luxury Holiday Company and Best Holiday Company to Austrasia but came out on top as the company was also declared overall category winner in six of their awards, for gaining more votes than the companies in the large and small tour operator categories. Titan Travel’s Gold Awards included Best Special Interest Company and Best Holiday Transfer Provider.

In the small tour operators category five companies did exceptionally well – not only for winning Gold awards but also being named overall category winner. The companies were Solos Holidays , named Best Singles Holiday Company; Martin Randall Travel , Best Special Interest Holiday Company; a first time winner Naturetrek , took Best Safari, Wildlife & Nature Travel Company; Journey Latin America, Best Holiday Company to Central & South America and Wendy Wu Tours , also a first time winner, was not only overall winner in Best Holiday Company to East & Central Asia  but also small category winner winner of Best Holiday Company to Southeast Asia.

Best National Travel Retailer was won by Travel Counsellors and Best Independent Travel Agency was won by Stewart Travel in the medium category and Fleetway Travel in the small.

Best assisted / Accessible Holiday Company was a new award for 2019 and was won by Traveleyes , the Silver going to Enable Holidays and the Bronze to Limitless Travel .

In the airlines’ section Jet2 won Best Short Haul Airline from last year’s winner Easyjet ; Emirates again won Best Long-haul Airline and also Best Business Class and Virgin Atlantic won Best Economy Class.

A Best Airport Category was introduced this year and the Gold awards were won by Birmingham Airport for Best Large UK Airport, Liverpool Airport took the Medium Airport and Doncaster Sheffield for Best Small UK Airport.

Celebrating for winning Gold for the tenth-year running is APH (Airport Parking & Hotels) winning Best Airport Parking Provider.

From planes to cars and for the third year running Avis won the BTA for Best Car Hire Provider.

The popular cruise sector awards saw Silversea pick up Best Ultra-Luxury Cruise Line and Best Specialist Cruise Line (Ocean & Expedition); P&O Cruises won Best Family Cruise Line and Viking Cruises Best River Cruise Line. P&O Ferries won Best Ferry / Mini Cruise Operator. Cruise Nation won Best Cruise Holiday Retailer.

In the hotel sector Accor brands Mercure Hotels won Best Midscale Plus Hotel Brand and ibis Hotels won Best Midscale / Economy Hotel Brand. Best Luxury Hotels was awarded to Marriott and Best Upscale Hotel Brand to Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts .

In other awards the Post Office won Best Foreign Exchange / Travel Money Retailer.

The new award The Teletext Best Travel Blogger Award was won by Bigworldsmallpockets.com , with twinsthattravel.com taking the Silver Award. Silver Travel Advisor won the Best Travel Review / Ratings Website and National Geographic Traveller (UK) won Best Consumer Holiday Magazine.

British Travel Awards’ CEO Lorraine Barnes Burton said: “The British Travel Awards are voted for entirely by the travelling public and 2019 was a fantastic year for consumer engagement with registered voters up 20% on 2018 and the number of votes cast increased by 15% to 867,221. Competition was fierce across many of the categories and this year’s winners should be very proud – congratulations to all winners and thank you to everyone who took the trouble to vote.”

Vicky Karantzavelou

Vicky  is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the  Editor-in Chief . She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.

She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.

• Vicky Karantzavelou https://www.traveldailynews.com/author/vicky-karantzavelou/ Airlink to implement New Distribution Capability (NDC)
• Vicky Karantzavelou https://www.traveldailynews.com/author/vicky-karantzavelou/ Trip.com Group expands presence in the Middle East with strategic initiatives and new regional office
• Vicky Karantzavelou https://www.traveldailynews.com/author/vicky-karantzavelou/ JetBlue announces Puerto Rico expansion, new Mint service to three cities, and three new destinations
• Vicky Karantzavelou https://www.traveldailynews.com/author/vicky-karantzavelou/ Hyatt reports First Quarter 2024 results: Net Income was $522 million

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Register for the 2023 British Travel Awards

Registrations are coming in fast for the 2023 British Travel Awards (BTA).

Travel companies that still want to be listed are urged to hurry.

This year there are 77 award categories, across leisure travel, including reinstated airline and airport awards.

New for 2023 is the Best Airport Retailer.

Thirty-nine of the “Best Travel Company” BTAs are graded by size, based upon the annual number of passengers carried.

Smaller, specialist operators compete fairly against each other.

Once a company’s registration has been approved, they will receive the licence to use the official “Nominee BTA 2023” logo across all their communication channels.

When voting opens on 19 June they will be listed on the consumer voting form.

This year the voting period has been extended and will last for 15 weeks.

To help with vote lobbying campaigns nominees will also be sent a selection of “Vote for Us” buttons, which can be linked to a direct voting app .

BTA director of events and partnerships, Lorraine Barnes Burton, said: “There is long list of benefits that British Travel Awards’ nominees receive, even before the winners are announced.”

“Our consumer media partner is again Reach Solutions, publishers of national and regional newspapers, including the Mirror and Express titles.”

“In addition, we will be lobbying our 450,000 subscribed past voters to participate in this year’s awards.”

British Travel Awards winners are determined solely on the number of verified consumer votes cast .

This year winners will be announced at the British Travel Awards Gala evening, in London on 28 November.

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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Winner in the British Travel Awards 2023

Travel department | 29 november 2023.

We’re delighted that Travel Department have won for the second year in a row at the  prestigious British Travel Awards 2023 for ‘ Best Escorted Group Holiday Travel Company. ’  We have been providing our customers with expertly crafted travel experiences to some of the best destinations in Europe and across the world for over 25 years. We take care of just about everything on our guided holidays, from planning the itineraries, flights, accommodation, transfers and expert local guides. You can easily join one of our guided tours, to discover some of the most spectacular destinations worldwide as we offer departures from Belfast , Edinburgh , Glasgow , and London .

From all of us at Travel Department, we really want to thank all of our lovely customers and friends who have helped us achieve this incredible accolade in the British Travel Awards!

The British Travel Awards is the largest consumer voted awards programme in the UK travel industry and the ceremony took place on November 28th 2023 to celebrate the resilience of the travel industry and recognise the best UK travel companies and tour operators.

BTA director of events and partnerships, Lorraine Barnes Burton, said: “This year saw more than one and a half million votes cast to determine the winners of the 2023 and competition was fierce. Travel Department is therefore to be sincerely congratulated on the achievement in winning Best Escorted Group Holiday Travel Company . Ultimately it is the travelling public who decide the winners by voting for the travel companies they consider the best in the business. The British Travel Awards is the largest awards programme in the UK and to win is truly an achievement.”

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Home / News / Awards / Magnificent Seven at the British Travel Awards

Magnificent Seven at the British Travel Awards

Published: Wed 30 Nov 2022 at 15:17

Jet2.com , Jet2holidays and Jet2CityBreaks were a major success story at last night’s British Travel Awards , scooping a magnificent seven awards as voted for by travelling customers .

The British Travel Awards recognise the travel companies that provide the best customer service and product offering, whilst delivering the best holidays across various categories.

At a special event in London hosted by ITV This Morning’s Alison Hammond, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays were recognised on no fewer than seven occasions. The accolades include Best Travel Company for Southern Europe/Canaries , with Jet2CityBreaks also scooping the award for Best Travel Company for City/Short Breaks .

This continues Jet2.com and Jet2holidays track record of winning prestigious accolades, with the companies recently winning Which? Travel Brand of the Year .

The complete list of awards won by the leading leisure airline and UK’s largest tour operator to many destinations across the Mediterranean and Canary Islands at last night’s British Travel Awards are:

• Best Travel Company for Southern Europe/Canaries – winner
• Best Travel Company for City/Short Breaks – winner
• Best Travel Company for Hellenic Europe – silver accreditation
• Best Travel Company for Summer Sun holidays – silver accreditation
• Best Travel Company for Winter Sun holidays – silver accreditation
• Best Travel Company for Luxury holidays – silver accreditation
• Best Travel Company for Villa holidays – silver accreditation

Jet2.com and Jet2holidays received numerous accolades for their handling of the pandemic, including the way they provided smooth and speedy refunds to customers whose travel plans were affected. Following the reopening of international travel, the companies did not cancel any flights or holidays due to their own staff shortages, despite operating their busiest ever Summer programme in 2022.

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone who voted for Jet2.com , Jet2holidays and Jet2CityBreaks at the British Travel Awards. The true measure of how well we are doing is feedback from paying customers, and our track record of winning awards such as these tells us we are getting this right, which makes us all extremely proud. As we look ahead to a busy winter period and Summer 23 we want every customer to know that our complete focus will continue to be on delivering award-winning flights and holidays for them to enjoy. Our colleagues work tirelessly every day to deliver on that promise, and I would like to pay tribute to their fantastic work and determination to always look after our customers.”

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The best ways to redeem British Airways Avios

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British Airways is the largest full-service airline in the United Kingdom and flies to more destinations in the United States than any other European carrier.

The airline’s loyalty program is called Executive Club , with Avios as its currency. With a substantial U.S. route network, excellent airline partners and a loyalty currency that is easy to earn and redeem, this program should be on your radar, even if you aren’t traveling to the U.K. Unlike the major U.S. loyalty programs, Executive Club does not use dynamic pricing , though there are discounts for off-peak travel dates. Provided there is availability, you will always know what you will need to pay with no nasty surprises or 300,000-point flight redemptions.

Here are the best ways to redeem British Airways Avios.

Related: 5 reasons why you should care about British Airways Avios

Short-haul awards

Short-haul tickets are arguably the best British Airways Avios redemptions. They start at just 4,750 Avios plus 17.50 British pounds (about $22) for an off-peak award flight 650 miles or less in distance operated by British Airways. One example would be a flight between London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).

Since British Airways has a distance-based award chart and American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are Oneworld partners , you can use Avios to book any American or Alaska flight with saver-level award availability.

Partner awards, including those operated by Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines, start at 6,000 Avios but exclude flights within North America. Meanwhile, partner flights in North America start at 7,500 Avios for flights 650 miles or less and get more expensive for longer flights.

Booking short-haul flights with British Airways can be a great deal, even if you’re booking flights in North America on American or Alaska. A flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) clocks in at 733 miles, meaning you need 9,000 Avios one-way in economy class. This is often cheaper than you’ll pay to book the same flight with American’s AAdvantage program.

Thanks to the British Airways Reward Flight Saver offer , Executive Club members also have the option to choose to pay more Avios to reduce the (already reasonable) fees and taxes, down to just 62 cents per flight.

Related: How to book awards using British Airways Avios

Island-hop through the Caribbean

You can use Avios to fly American Airlines to the Caribbean, starting from just 7,500 Avios each way, as mentioned above. But here is a neat trick to experiencing more of the Caribbean once you are there.

While flights between islands in this region can be expensive, British Airways operates several fifth-freedom routes where, for example, a BA flight originating in London will fly from Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU) to St Kitt’s Robert L. Bradshaw Airport (SKB) several times per week.

You can book just the short hop between the islands, and British Airways prices these short flights in the same way as its European short-haul flights. Using the Reward Flight Saver offer , redemptions start from just 4,750 Avios each way plus 17.50 British pounds (about $22) on off-peak dates. Award availability is usually outstanding on these fifth-freedom flights as many passengers disembark at the first stop, leaving plenty of empty seats for the second, short leg.

If you can’t decide between two islands in this beautiful part of the world, consider using Avios to cheaply hop between both.

Related: What it’s like flying British Airways for a 20-minute flight between Caribbean islands

Domestic business class on American

Though American Airlines names its domestic premium-class cabin “first class,” you can redeem Avios for this product at business-level rates.

The real kicker is that American Airlines regularly flies internationally configured wide-body aircraft on domestic routes , including 777s and 787s. For example, AA’s flagship 777-300ER operates some flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Miami International Airport (MIA), a 1,089-mile journey. You could book a business-class award on this flight for only 16,500 Avios, which is a great deal.

West Coast to Hawaii

Since we’re on the subject of American Airlines, another sweet spot you’ll find with Avios is the ability to fly from major West Coast cities to the Hawaiian Islands for just 13,000 Avios each way, thanks to the Avios distance-based chart. That beats the award rate for all the U.S. airlines, and there’s no close-in booking fee either.

But in this case, it’s not just about American’s route network. Alaska Airlines is also a British Airways partner, which means you have access to Alaska’s flights to Hawaii, though you’ll need to call to book Alaska flights with Avios since they aren’t searchable on ba.com. That opens up routes that AA doesn’t serve but Alaska does, such as Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG).

So if you live almost anywhere on the West Coast — or can easily position there — Avios can be your friend to Hawaii.

Related: The best ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles

Aer Lingus at off-peak prices

If you can travel during off-peak dates — which cover roughly eight months of the year — you can fly to Dublin from a handful of U.S. cities, including as far west as Chicago. This award will set you back just 26,000 Avios round-trip in economy or as low as 50,000 one-way in business class .

And suppose you live in the South in a city like Orlando or Miami, or the West in Los Angeles or San Francisco. In that case, the price only increases to 32,500 Avios round-trip in economy and 62,500 one-way in business, which is still a great deal considering how long these flights are.

You also won’t be charged fuel surcharges when redeeming British Airways Avios for Aer Lingus flights.

Related: Flight review: Aer Lingus business class on the A321neo, Dublin to Philadelphia

How to earn Avios

Avios branded credit cards.

The easiest way to earn a meaningful number of Avios for everyday spending is by applying for the  British Airways Visa Signature Card .

This card offers new applicants 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. TPG values Avios at 1.5 cents each , making the full bonus worth $1,125. The  British Airways Visa Signature has a $95 annual fee and earns 3 Avios per dollar spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level. Plus, you can earn 2 Avios per dollar spent on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel. All other purchases earn 1 Avios per dollar spent.

Remember that Avios can easily be transferred at a 1:1 rate between the different programs that use this currency. So you might also want to consider the  Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card or the Iberia Visa Signature Card, which offer the same 75,000-Avios welcome bonus, generous earning rates and low annual fee.

The following cards all currently offer strong welcome bonuses that you could easily convert to Avios:

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express : Earn 120,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Check to see if you’re targeted for a 125,000-point welcome offer through CardMatch  (offer subject to change at any time). Terms apply.
• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Terms apply.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card : Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card : Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card : Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Citi Premier® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening (see rates and fees).

Bottom line

You might be wondering why we didn’t mention using Avios for transatlantic flights on British Airways or non-flight redemptions such as hotels and cars. Since British Airways insists on tacking huge surcharges onto its award tickets , using Avios for transatlantic flights on the carrier itself usually doesn’t make much sense. And the value you’ll get from burning Avios on hotels or car rentals often isn’t worth the cash you’re saving in the first place.

But now that you know the best uses, you can get terrific value from your Avios regardless of whether you prefer economy or premium class or take international or domestic flights. Just remember the hows and whens so you can use your Avios wisely.

Additional reporting by Ethan Steinberg and Andrew Kunesh.

SPONSORED:  With states reopening, enjoying a meal from a restaurant no longer just means curbside pickup.

And when you do spend on dining, you should use a credit card that will maximize your rewards and potentially even score special discounts. Thanks to temporary card bonuses and changes due to coronavirus, you may even be able to score a meal at your favorite restaurant for free. 

These are the best credit cards for dining out, taking out, and ordering in to maximize every meal purchase.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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British business excellence celebrated in second year of The King’s Awards for Enterprise

The recipients of this year's King's Awards for Enterprise announced

• 252 recipients announced in The King’s Awards for Enterprise - the UK’s most prestigious business awards.
• Five businesses have received awards in two categories this year.

The recipients of The King’s Awards for Enterprise have been announced today [Monday 6 May], celebrating the achievements of UK businesses.

This year, 252 businesses representing every part of the United Kingdom and a diverse range of sectors have been recognised by His Majesty The King as among the best in the country. A total of 257 Awards are made with five companies being recognised with two Awards.

161 businesses were recognised in the International Trade category, 59 for Innovation, 29 for Sustainable Development and 8 for Promoting Opportunity through social mobility.

Businesses like these are central to delivering on one of the Government’s five priorities to grow our economy – from creating new opportunities and supporting people into work through to developing new innovations and exporting the best of Britain around the world.

Minister for Enterprise Kevin Hollinrake said:

I congratulate the recipients of this year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise, who exemplify the talent, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit of British business. I wish them every success and commend the invaluable contributions they make to communities both at home and overseas, helping to grow the UK economy.

This year’s recipients include:

• Timpson Group, who have received the award for Promoting Opportunity through social mobility for their work providing training and employment opportunities to marginalised groups
• Halo Solutions Ltd, producers of lifesaving crowd safety and security software invented by former national counter-terrorism police officer Lloyd Major, who wanted to improve emergency communications, safety and security in venues and public spaces after the Manchester Arena bombing. Halo Solutions have been recognised in the Innovation category of the King’s Awards.

James Timpson OBE, CEO of Timpson Group said:

As a business, we are delighted and honoured to have received the Kings Award, in the category of Promoting Opportunity through social mobility. We have received this award due to being one of the largest employers of ex-offenders, and others who face barriers to employment in the UK. The work that we undertake in the Timpson Foundation enables us to provide prison leavers and other marginalized groups with a second chance, through the offer of employment. By being such an inclusive employer, not only are we able to recruit some amazing people into our business, but we also help to reduce re-offending, which in turn creates fewer victims of crime. Without doubt, none of this would be possible without the support and generosity of spirit of our wonderful colleagues, who embody our culture of kindness and compassion. We are very proud to have been given this award and it reflects all our hard work and dedication to giving people second chances. We hope it inspires others to do the same.

Lloyd Major, CEO of Halo Solutions said:

Halo is in the business of protecting people. Anywhere the public gather, from train stations to football stadiums, festivals to universities and everywhere in-between, it takes great communication and co-ordination of information and resources to keep them safe. The Halo system is the software that connects everything together to enhance public safety and to help protect everyone. It was a huge honour for Halo to also play a role in both the state funeral of Her Majesty and also at the coronation concert for King Charles III.  Winning the King’s Award for Enterprise is a stunning recognition of the hard work we do in this space as a British tech company to bring innovative software to the operational environments that need it most.  We have an amazing team – who along with our amazing clients - are dedicated and committed to protecting the public and keeping them safe in public spaces.

The King’s Awards for Enterprise were previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise and were renamed last year to reflect His Majesty The King’s desire to continue the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II by recognising outstanding UK businesses. The Award programme, now in its 58th year, has awarded over 7,000 companies since its inception in 1965.

This year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise are given for outstanding achievement in:

• Innovation (59)
• International trade (161)
• Sustainable development (29)
• Promoting opportunity through social mobility (8)

His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenants will be presenting the Awards to businesses locally throughout the year.

Eligible businesses are free to apply for one or more categories. The recipients pass a robust assessment process, judged by experts from industry, academia, the voluntary sector and senior officials in Whitehall.

On that basis, each year, The King’s Awards for Enterprise recipients are recommended by the Prime Minister.

The full list of Awardees across the four categories can be found in the London Gazette: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/awards-and-accreditation/content/kings-awards-for-enterprise-2024

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Credit Cards

Winners of the 2023 Prince of Travel Awards!

During the month of December 2023, you’ve all had the opportunity to cast your votes in the 2023 Prince of Travel Awards, the fourth edition of our annual awards to recognize excellence in travel, hospitality, loyalty programs, and credit cards.

We’re excited to announce the winners of the 2023 Prince of Travel Awards in all 30 award categories, along with some thoughts and impressions about the results.

Best Overall Travel Rewards Credit Card

• Winner: American Express Platinum Card

Once again, the  American Express Platinum Card has been honoured with the title of Best Overall Travel Rewards Credit Card. It emerged victorious with 35% of the vote, with the American Express Cobalt Card and the TD® Aeroplan Visa Infinite* Card taking second and third place, respectively.

This Canadian credit card offers cardholders a comprehensive suite of benefits, such as unlimited lounge access , Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts , a $200 annual travel credit , and the new $200 annual dining credit .

Even with a rise in its annual fee this year from $699 to $799, the extensive perks, generous welcome bonus, and valuable American Express Membership Rewards points were enough to keep this card at the top of the list.

Best No Annual Fee Credit Card

• Winner: CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card

With over 40% of the vote share, the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card has again won this category.

As the only Aeroplan co-branded credit card in Canada with no annual fee, it’s a great entry-level card for anyone looking to earn Aeroplan points without incurring any costs year after year. Indeed, it’s also an indication of how much the community values Aeroplan points compared to cash back and other points currencies.

Plus, cardholders benefit from preferred pricing on Air Canada Aeroplan redemptions, which can be a nice treat when the flights price out at the lower end of the dynamic spectrum.

Best Airline Credit Card

• Winner: TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card 

As one of TD and Aeroplan’s flagship credit card products, there are many reasons why the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has been voted as Canada’s Best Airline Credit Card with over 58% of the vote share. It’s also one that we recommend for all Canadian travellers , and especially to anyone who flies Air Canada with any frequency.

In 2023, we saw fantastic welcome bonuses available on the card, some of which were at an all-time high or came with a first-year annual fee rebate. The card’s 1.5x earning rate in meaningful categories makes it a great card to use for everyday spending, and its free first checked bag on Air Canada flights can result in meaningful savings over the course of the year, especially for families.

If you haven’t added this card to your wallet yet, be sure to take a look at the current offer , which is set to expire on January 3, 2024.

Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Card

• Winner:  Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card

Scotiabank swept the podium in this category, as it remains the best Canadian issuer of travel credit cards with no foreign transaction fees .

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card was voted as the best of the best when it comes to cards with no foreign transaction fees, taking in 56% of the vote. Cardholders can also take advantage of six free lounge visits and extensive insurance coverage as some of the card’s ongoing perks.

It’ll be interesting to see if any other Canadian banks take notice of Scotiabank’s dominance in this category to stir up some competition in 2024. Until then, if you’re looking for a great card to use for foreign transactions, look no further than the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card.

Best Premium Credit Card

For the second time this year, the American Express Platinum Card has been voted the best-in-show at the 2023 Prince of Travel Awards, with just over 46% of the votes.

Premium credit cards command higher annual fees and offer a suite of perks to help justify the added expenses. The Amex Platinum Card continues to lead the way when it comes to added benefits for cardholders.

Despite an annual fee of $799, cardholders can look to the annual $200 travel and dining credits and lucrative Amex Offers to find value throughout the year.

For frequent travellers, it’s rather difficult to find a major airport without at least one lounge that you can access, and anyone who books cash fares for business class or First Class can take advantage of the International Airline Program .

Best Small Business Travel Rewards Credit Card

• Winner: Business Platinum Card from American Express

The Business Platinum Card from American Express wins this category handily, as it offers valuable benefits like unlimited lounge access, a $200 travel credit, and Marriott Gold status for travelling business owners. Plus, earning a consistent 1.25x MR points across all categories makes it a great candidate for non-categorized business spending.

As with last year, the American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card comes in a distant second place, with travel benefits that are arguably weaker than the Business Platinum’s. However, for the business owner looking for Maple Leaf Lounge access and exclusive perks with Air Canada, the Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve Card is certainly a worthwhile option to consider.

It’s worth noting that the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business ranked in third place this year, perhaps due to its 1.25x base earning rate and the ability to redeem Avion points at an elevated rate for business class flights .

Best Cash Back Credit Card

• Winner: CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card

Canada’s cash back credit card landscape is marked by a series of fairly competitive players, with no clear winner among them. As we’ve seen in previous years, it was a pretty close race this time around.

On top this year is the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card , which came in with 23% of the votes. With a 4% return on eligible gas, EV charging, and grocery purchases,† and a fairly comprehensive insurance package for a cash back card, this card has been voted as Canada’s best.

Last year’s victor, the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite Card , was just behind with 22% of the votes, and then we had a close race between the SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express and the recently revamped Rogers World Elite Mastercard duking it out for third, with the SimplyCash coming out just ahead.

Our results once again illustrate how tight the competition is for cash back cards in Canada, and hopefully 2024 adds even more fuel to the fire.

Best Overall Mastercard

• Winner: WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard

With the HSBC World Elite Mastercard being closed to new applications as of Fall 2023 , the top spot for Canada’s Best Overall Mastercard was up for grabs in 2023.

Last year’s runner-up, the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard , took top spot this year with 25.9% of the vote in a showdown with the up-and-coming MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard , which took 24.5% of the vote. 

With its annual companion voucher , free first checked bags on WestJet flights, and the emergence of a record-high welcome bonus late in the year, the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard is a must for anyone who flies with WestJet.

It’ll be interesting to see how this category plays out next year, especially with MBNA Rewards teasing that members will be able to transfer points to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan in 2024 . And if the card’s temporary promotion for earning 5x MBNA Rewards points at wholesale clubs like Costco becomes permanent, we might just see competition heating up when it comes to Canadian Mastercard products.

Best Overall Visa Credit Card

• Winner: TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card

In another landslide victory, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card once again reigns supreme as Canada’s Best Overall Visa Credit Card in the Prince of Travel Awards.

Its dominance in this category can be attributed to its generous welcome bonus, 1.5x category earning rates, wide acceptance, preferred pricing on Air Canada Aeroplan redemptions, $100 NEXUS credit, and solid travel insurance, including on Aeroplan redemptions.

Best Credit Card for Travel Insurance

• Winner: TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card

In one of our new categories this year, the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card was voted as the Best Credit Card for Travel Insurance, taking in 36.5% of the vote. It was a close battle for second place, with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard eking out the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card with 20.2% of the vote compared to the latter’s 20%.

The TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card’s suite of insurance includes up to 21 days of travel medical insurance worth $2,000,000 for travellers aged under 65, and four days of coverage for travellers aged 65+. † Plus, there’s trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance of up to $1,500 and $5,000 per person,† as well as up to $500 in flight delay insurance and an aggregate amount of $1,000 for lost, stolen, or delayed baggage. †

However, it’s worth noting that award travel booked with the card isn’t covered for insurance, and for those bookings, we suggest having the National Bank World Elite Mastercard in your rotation.

Best Credit Card for Frequent Flyers

• Winner:  American Express Platinum Card

Once again, the American Express Platinum Card has edged out the competition, this time as Canada’s Best Credit Card for Frequent Flyers.

This comes as no surprise, due to the usual reasons of unlimited lounge access, very strong travel insurance, Amex Offers, and more contributing to this card’s prowess as one of Canada’s best.

Best Aeroplan Credit Card

• Winner: American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card

In Canada, there’s certainly no shortage of Aeroplan co-branded credit cards ; however, in the Prince of Travel Awards, there’s only room for one at the top of the list.

This year, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card ranked in at the top, with 30.5% of the vote, while the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card came in at second place with 27.7% of votes.

As a premium product, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card offers a number of meaningful benefits to Air Canada’s frequent flyers and Aeroplan’s most engaged members: unlimited Maple Leaf Lounge access, rollover benefits for unused SQM and eUpgrades , 3x points on Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations purchases, and more.

If you’re in pursuit of Aeroplan Elite Status , be sure to add one of the premium Aeroplan credit cards to your wallet, as you’ll be missing out without one.

Best Scene+ Credit Card

• Winner:  Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

Scene+ has been rising in prominence in the Canadian loyalty space in the recent past, and is arguably Canada’s best, most flexible fixed-value points program (more on that below).

This year, the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card eked out the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card as the Best Scene+ Credit Card in Canada, with 33.5% of the vote compared to the latter’s 33.1%.

With an outstanding 5–6% earning rate at grocery stores, no foreign transaction fees, access to Amex Offers, and a very low annual income requirement of $12,000, this card is a must-have for anyone who’s looking to quickly pad their Scene+ balance and save on foreign spending.

Best American Express Credit Card

• Winner:  American Express Cobalt Card

Ever since its debut in Canada in 2017, the American Express Cobalt Card has been amongst the best pound-for-pound credit cards available.

This year, it has been voted by you as Canada’s Best American Express Credit Card in a landslide victory. No other card can match its 5x earning rate at grocery stores, restaurants, and bars, especially since the valuable MR points can be transferred to many airline and hotel partners.

Plus, with a reasonable monthly fee, you won’t have to break the bank as you watch your MR balance grow.

Indeed, this card is another that we recommend for every Canadian traveller , and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Best Credit Card for Hotel Stays

• Winner: Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card

In Canada, we aren’t blessed with the same array of hotel co-branded credit cards as our neighbours to the south, and the winner of this category should come as no surprise.

The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card remains the best option for hotel credit cards in Canada. As a cardholder, you’ll get a Free Night Award worth 35,000 points each year, as well as a generous earning rate for spending at Marriott hotels.

It’d be great to see some more competition in this category in future years, but until then, we’re not likely to see any changes.

Travel, Hospitality, and Loyalty Programs

Best transferable points currency.

• Winner: American Express Membership Rewards

As we’ve seen in years prior, American Express Membership Rewards is the shoo-in to emerge as Canada’s Best Transferable Points Currency.

This predictable result confirms that the transferable points currency landscape in Canada continues to be dominated by American Express , with by far the widest array of airline and hotel programs to choose from.

It’s worth noting that the future of HSBC Rewards points, another one of Canada’s transferable points currencies, is in limbo with the upcoming acquisition of HSBC Canada by RBC . However, we’re likely to see MBNA Rewards become a new transferable points currency in 2024, which is a wholly positive development.

Best Fixed-Value Points Currency

• Winner: Scene+

Fixed-value points currencies are a useful tool to have in your overall points strategy. They can be particularly useful for offsetting the cost of things like boutique hotels, independent airlines, car rentals, and cruises, that are otherwise difficult to book through loyalty programs.

For the second year in a row, Scene+ has been voted as Canada’s Best Fixed-Value Points Currency, taking nearly half of the votes.

Scene+ is notable for the ability to book travel with any vendor, and then redeem points directly against travel expenses at a set value of 1 cent per point. There’s no need to shop through a particular portal or jump through any hoops – just book whatever you’d like, and redeem points against the cost.

Best Airline Loyalty Program

• Winner: Aeroplan

As we’ve seen before,  Aeroplan comes out miles ahead of the competition as the Best Airline Loyalty Program. Members have access to over 40 airlines, and can redeem points for flights in economy and premium cabins all over the world.

Compared to many other programs, Aeroplan also offers members plenty of opportunities to earn points through co-branded credit cards, transferable points currencies, the Aeroplan eStore , everyday partners such as the LCBO and Starbucks, and more.

Whether it’s a short-haul flight from Vancouver to Edmonton, or a long-haul flight in First Class from New York to Tokyo, Aeroplan remains the most beloved airline loyalty program for Canadians seeking to elevate their travel game.

Best Hotel Loyalty Program

• Winner: Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy remains the most accessible and most desirable hotel loyalty program in Canada. With properties across the country and throughout the world, Canadian Miles & Points enthusiasts are more engaged with Marriott Bonvoy than any other program.

There’s been no change in this category from previous years, especially as it’s the only hotel chain with a co-branded credit card in Canada. 

This leaves the door wide open for competition, which is something Canadian travellers would benefit from in 2024 and beyond.

Best International Award Sweet Spot

• Winner: 55,000 Aeroplan points for Vancouver–Tokyo business class

As we saw in 2022, Prince of Travel loyalists have voted Aeroplan’s sweet spot of 55,000 points for business class flights between Vancouver and Tokyo as the best of the best.

It’s worth noting that 2023 saw some ongoing challenges with ANA award availability through Aeroplan; however, awards appear to have returned to inventory, although competition amongst Miles & Points enthusiasts on any route to Japan these days is quite fierce.

However, if you’re able to find award availability, you’ll be handsomely rewarded with ANA’s outstanding reputation as a five-star airline, and you’ll likely not want the flight to come to an end.

Best Domestic Business Class in Canada

• Winner: Air Canada 787 Signature Class

For another year, Air Canada’s 787 Signature Class product has won handily over the nearly identical products on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330.

With lie-flat seats, dimming windows, and a quiet ride, it’s easily the best way to fly across Canada in comfort, day or night.

Best Domestic Economy Class in Canada

• Winner: Air Canada

Air Canada has been voted as the Best Domestic Economy Class in Canada, taking in 47.6% of the votes. 

Canada’s largest airline offers passengers the most choice when it comes to domestic flights, including a range of aircraft with various configurations. 

However, it’s worth noting that Porter Airlines came in at second place with 34.3% of the vote, and WestJet at a distant third with 12.8%. 

Porter Airlines has been in the headlines throughout 2023, as it has taken delivery of new Embraer E195-E2 jets and is launching new routes seemingly every other day. With a 2-2 configuration, free Wi-Fi, a rapidly expanding network, and complimentary beer and wine for all passengers, it’ll be interesting to see how the 2024 results take shape.

Best International Business Class

• Winner: Qatar Airways Qsuites

Qatar Airways Qsuites has been voted as the Best International Business Class product by Prince of Travel’s readership.

The Doha-based airline continues to receive accolades for its excellent hard product, consistently outstanding soft product, and vast route network.

As we’ve seen before, ANA’s “The Room” business class took second place, which is also an outstanding way to fly to or from Japan.

Best International First Class

• Winner:  Emirates First Class

For the past few years, this award has alternated between Emirates First Class and Singapore Airlines Suites Class . Last year, Singapore Airlines had the honour; however, Emirates First Class has been voted as 2023’s Best International First Class in the Prince of Travel Awards.

With copious amounts of caviar and a shower in the sky, Emirates’s opulent and ostentatious First Class experience continues to be a fan favourite.

As airlines continue to roll out new First Class cabins, we’ll be keeping an eye on how you vote in the years to come.

Best Airport Lounge in Canada

• Winner: Air Canada Signature Suite Toronto

For the second year in a row, the Air Canada Signature Suite Toronto has been voted as the Best Airport Lounge in Canada in the Prince of Travel Awards.

Indeed, Air Canada’s most premium lounges, including its counterpart in Vancouver, are also widely considered to be amongst the best in North America. 

As you might expect, the access policy is much more exclusive than Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges, as you need a paid Air Canada business class ticket, a Business Class (Flexible) Aeroplan redemption, an Emirates First Class ticket, or the invite-only American Express Air Canada Card to enter.

However, as long as you’re eligible, you’re certainly in for a treat before your flight.

Best International Business Class Lounge

• Winner: Air Canada Signature Suites Toronto & Vancouver

After a second-place finish in the 2022 Prince of Travel Awards, the Air Canada Signature Suites Toronto & Vancouver have overtaken the Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge in Doha for the honour of Best International Business Class Lounge.

Whereas the Doha lounge is vast, Air Canada’s Signature Suites are intimate, which perhaps swayed the votes in their favour.

Best International First Class Lounge

• Winner: Qatar Airways Al Safwa Lounge Doha

Once again, the Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge has emerged as the winner of Best International First Class Lounge, with 28.6% of the vote. With phenomenal dining, sleep rooms, and a jacuzzi, it’s an experience like no other in airports worldwide.

Coming in just behind with 28.4% of the vote, is the Singapore Airlines Private Room experience. Third place was also a close call, with the Lufthansa First Class Terminal edging out the Air France La Première Lounge with 17.5% versus 16.9% of the vote, respectively.

Best City Hotel in Canada Bookable on Points

• Winner: The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto

When it comes to redeeming points for aspirational city hotels in Canada, this year, you’ve chosen The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto as the number-one choice with 26.5% of the vote.

Last year’s winner, the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver , came in just behind, with 25.8% of the vote.

All properties nominated in this category fall under the Marriott Bonvoy umbrella, which isn’t surprising given that it remains the most accessible hotel points program in Canada. 

Best Resort in Canada Bookable on Points

• Winner:  Westin Whistler

It appears that Prince of Travel readers love a trip into the mountains, as the Westin Whistler has once again been bestowed with the honour of Best Resort in Canada Bookable on Points. 

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, however, since cash rates in Whistler are often sky-high, and it can make for valuable redemption at any point throughout the year.

Best Aspirational Hotel Bookable on Points

• Winner:  St. Regis Maldives Vommuli

This year, the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli has taken the crown from perennial favourite Al Maha Desert Resort Dubai as the Best Aspirational Hotel Bookable on Points.

With its stunning overwater villas, exceptional spa, and azure-blue waters, many Canadian Miles & Points enthusiasts aspire to book a dream trip at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli.

With the winners announced, the 2023 Prince of Travel Awards have concluded. Our sincere thanks goes out to all who participated in the voting process here at the fourth annual Prince of Travel Awards.

Keep an eye out on our social media channels for the announcement of the winner of a prepaid digital $100 gift card.

This year, there was some movement in the award winners; however, we’d love to see credit card issuers, loyalty programs, and travel partners step up their game to make next year’s iteration even more competitive.

We hope you’ve enjoyed voting in the 2023 Prince of Travel Awards, and we wish you a very rewarding year in 2024.

• Earn 70 ,000 MR points upon spending $10,000 in the first three months
• Plus, earn  30,000 MR points  upon making a purchase in months 14–17 as a cardholder
• Also, earn 2x MR points on all dining and travel purchases
• Also, receive an annual $200 travel credit
• Also, receive an annual  $200 dining credit
• Transfer MR points to Aeroplan and other frequent flyer programs for premium flights
• Unlimited airport lounge access for you and one guest at Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, Centurion, and other lounges
• Credits and rebates for daily expenses throughout the year with Amex Offers
• Bonus MR points for referring family and friends
• Annual fee: $799

> It’s worth noting that 2023 saw some ongoing challenges with ANA award availability through Aeroplan; however, awards appear to have returned to inventory, although competition amongst Miles & Points enthusiasts on any route to Japan these days is quite fierce.

I am yet to see _any_ award space (economy or business) from YVR to HND for the entire 2024. Are you sure the availability is slowly returning?

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25 Stunning Drone Winning Photos From The British Photography Awards

Drones have revolutionized the world of photography, offering unique perspectives and stunning aerial views that were once impossible to capture. The British Photography Awards 2023 recently celebrated the remarkable talents of drone photographers, showcasing breathtaking images that highlight the beauty and diversity of the British landscape.

These winning photographs not only showcase the technical skill of the photographers but also offer a fresh perspective on the world around us. Through the lens of a drone, familiar landscapes are transformed into breathtaking works of art, inviting viewers to see the world from a new and exciting vantage point.

The British Photography Awards continue to celebrate the ingenuity and creativity of photographers across the UK, and the stunning drone photography showcased in this year’s competition is a testament to the limitless possibilities of this evolving art form.

Scroll down and inspire yourself. You can check their website for more information.

You can find more info about British Photography Awards:

#1. winner: into the labyrinth by john seager.

“This image shows a view over ‘El Laberinto’, a stunning mosaic of mollusc-shaped hills and bone-dry valleys in Argentina’s far northwest. The soft rocks have been sculpted by the harsh climate of the high altiplano into an other-worldly lunar landscape. While looking for possible compositions, I found it was quite difficult to make sense of the scene from ground level, so I decided that an aerial perspective might be the best option. I took this image using a drone in early light, showing the ethereal beauty of El Laberinto’s parched and unforgiving landscape from above.”

#2. Peoples Choice: Winding Paths by Charlie Moss

“This image represents the path that life can sometimes take us on, with twists and turns. Everyone on this planet is on a unique journey of their own, and we are the ones behind the wheel that takes us to where we want to be. Life throws some curveballs but if you stay focused and stick to the path you want, I believe you can achieve anything you set your mind to. This image is a topdown picture of Lombard Street in San Francisco taken at sunrise before the vibrant city bursts into life. You don’t get to see the windy road from this perspective when you’re standing there, which is why I was inspired to capture the image from above.”

#3. A Winter’s Afternoon by Joe Turner

#4. Aerial pictures of the properties that got destroyed after a suspected gas explosion by Dimitrios Legakis

#5. Birth of the Phoenix by Georgina Vincent

#6. Christmas Day by Chris gorman

#7. City In The Sky by Hugo Healy

#8. Forage Harvest by David Booth

#9. Hang on by Reinold Aryee

#10. Hawk Eye by Alex Prins

#11. Icelandic Enigma by Lukasz Sowinski

#12. Impalas on the salt pan by Solly Levi

#13. Into Another Realm by Ridhima Singh

#14. Loch Via by Benjamin Hayes

#15. Lying on Mars by Jonathan Rogers

#16. Magical Beacons by Itay Kaplan

#17. Phu Quoc’s Vibrant Tapestry by Christopher Harrison

#18. Solitude by Simon Hilbourne

#19. Sundial by John Seager

#20. Sunflower trail by Owen Humphreys

#21. The Artisan of Earth’s Canvas by Yang Hong

#22. The Big Bang by Gregg Wolstenholme

#23. The Ten Rings by Siu King Lau

#24. The Way Home by Matt Trollen

#25. Vestrahorn by Edward Hasler

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Comparing Alaska Airlines, British Airways & Qatar Airways Award Prices for 2 Finnair Flights (DUB-HEL & HEL-ARN)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  Last week on the Miles to Memories Podcast , I mentioned my upcoming Summer trip with Laura to Dublin, Helsinki, and Stockholm. I wanted to share my award booking strategy for 2 flights: Finnair flight from Dublin to Helsinki (DUB-HEL) and Finnair flight from Helsinki to Stockholm (HEL-ARN).

I found these flights using the Point.me award search tool and saw that there were many different airline programs that could book the same award.  So which airline program was best?  Spoiler alert: no single airline program was best for all economy and business class awards, but I will show you the various options available for each flight and tell you which program I picked for each flight.

Flight 1: Finnair from Dublin to Helsinki (DUB-HEL), 3 hour flight

I picked a random date in the Summer (June 5) and the flight was 257.64 EUR ($276.43 USD) for economy and 297.64 EUR ($319.35 USD) for business class.  I didn’t pick the cheapest option since I will have more than 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) of carry on bags and would need to check a bag.

On the Alaska Airlines website, those same flights were bookable for 7,500 miles + $28.00 in economy and 15,000 miles + $28.00 in business class.

On the British Airways website, those same flights were bookable for 13,000 Avios + $30.70 in economy and 20,000 Avios + $30.70 in business class.

Lastly, on the Qatar Airways website, those same flights were bookable for 11,000 Avios + 13.64 EUR ($14.63 USD) in economy and 22,000 Avios + 13.64 EUR ($14.63 USD) in business class.

That is a lot of different pricing, so I put it into a spreadsheet and was able to calculate the cents per point (CPP) of the various airline miles.  Alaska Airlines came in first for both economy and business class awards, with economy awards coming in at 3.31 CPP.

Flight 2: Finnair from Helsinki to Stockholm (HEL-ARN), 1 hour flight

I picked a the same random date in the Summer (June 5) and the flight was 87.72 EUR ($94.12 USD) for economy and 161.72 EUR ($173.51 USD) for business class.  I didn’t pick the cheapest option since I will have more than 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) of carry on bags and would need to check a bag.

On the Alaska Airlines website, those same flights were bookable for 7,500 miles + $32.00 in economy and 15,000 miles + $32.00 in business class.

On the British Airways website, those same flights were bookable for 6,500 Avios + $35.10 in economy and 10,000 Avios + $35.10 in business class.

Lastly, on the Qatar Airways website, those same flights were bookable for 6,000 Avios + 17.72 EUR ($19.01 USD) in economy and 12,500 Avios + 17.72 EUR ($19.01 USD) in business class.

That is a lot of different pricing, so I put it into a spreadsheet and was able to calculate the cents per point (CPP) of the various airline miles.  Qatar Airlines came in first for economy (1.25 CPP) and British Airways came in first for business class award (1.38 CPP).

Based on those numbers, we decided to book flight 1 (DUB-HEL) in economy class with Alaska Airlines Miles and flight 2 (HEL-ARN) in economy with Qatar Airways Avios.  I transferred Bilt Points to Alaska Airlines (instant transfer) and then I transferred American Express Membership Rewards Points to British Airways (instant transfer) and then moved the Avios to Qatar (instant transfer).  After both awards were booked, I was able to add both reservations to my Finnair account and select economy seats for free.  We’ve never flown Finnair or visiting Helsinki or Stockholm, so in a future post, I will ask for recommendations on things to see and do in both cities.

If you have any questions about booking Finnair award tickets with any of the above airline programs, please leave a comment below.  Have a great weekend everyone!

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18 thoughts on “ comparing alaska airlines, british airways & qatar airways award prices for 2 finnair flights (dub-hel & hel-arn) ”.

opportunity cost to do this analysis?

hahahah…

nice. I’m going to bookmark this as I have similar flights. Recently did a lot of comparing between Virgin – BA Avios – United – Aeroplan for North Africa flights.

At first – Virgin was the winner..but then I realized the times sucked for 2 of them..and BA Avios came out ahead for one. And Aeroplan for another.

Time consuming to shop around..but it has its benefits!

The post took longer to write (editing screenshots) than the original analysis did, but ended up saving me some money and miles, plus I learned about booking Qatar Airways awards, which was new to me. Good luck with your award searches :)

yes, preparing the blog post takes more time. Maybe you can ease up on the screenshots? Be more strategic with them rather then showing every shot? Makes me think you are some corporate trainer!

always a semi-thrill to find a new avenue of redemption. I booked my one and only qatar award a few years ago. 70k-75k? for Qsuites West Coast USA to Mykonos via Doha. Already had avios, but transferred in a bunch of TYP on a 25-30% bonus?

It hasn’t occurred to me to look for non Qatar Airways awards with their avios. Maybe I’ll try that for some of these routes in question. See if they beat BA. I seem to think Qatar cancellation is cheaper then BA.

I enjoy walking people through step by step, so the screenshots are helpful. You got a great deal on the Qatar Airways flight to Mykonos, I’ve never flown Qatar Airways or flown through Doha. I believe Qatar Airways cancellation and change fee is only $25 vs $50 for British Airways, according to a few articles I read recently.

8) If you enjoy it – do it! Though I will say, I just scroll by it. It’s too much information and doesn’t add anything for me. Now the mini-table you made at the end — that’s golden. Take as you will.

Yeah, Qsuites is pretty awesome, as I’m sure you’ve read about umpteen million times. Though avoid 1st row…unless you like high magnetic fields making you tired. But that’s another story.

I’ve sat 5k-ish by window and also row 3? in middle. Middle is kind of cool. Flown Qsuites 2x. Will I ever again? Who knows…but my 2 year plan says no. As I’ve never flown Int’l first (Nor DeltaOne nor ANA – The Room)…Qsuites will likely go down as “the best” in-flight experience from a hard product standpoint. Excellent soft product..though I’m not in a position to judge that, nor do I think I care to.

Just looked up my ticket, late 2022 flight (Ticketed in Jan 2022, 9 months before) – it was 85,000 Avios. 70k for Doha, and 15k to Mykonos. Overnight layover in Doha – but since I was able to chill in the awesome Al Mourjan lounge/full service restaurant – no big. Showered and slept there. There is a dark, totally quiet area with large leather sofas in your own large private space….might have to wait – but it’s worth it. Next to the showers.

Otherwise, fixed recline type chairs in the main area which are partially private. The latter you better use an eye shade. More ambient noise.

The Doha-Mykonos connector was not Qsuites, but their 2-2 lie flat on a single aisle!! Very comfy..kind of like AA A321 Transcon…which I flew once — 8 years ago?

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/fleet/airbus-a320.html

1,755 miles, so still nice. And considering it was a 730am flight…nice to lie down for a few hours.

…saw your response to Craig below…I have flown Finnair Business 2x (I think). That was 5+ years ago. I think those were both with AA miles. One time I picked the “throne seat.” Very tight foot space – would not recommend. Bright interiors — maybe too bright I thought – though I did not mind on Air Canada business more recently. .

Planning on next year flying Finnair from Europe-Asia…their new Airlounge product. Darker interior. Like Qatar.

Thank you for sharing all that info about Qatar Airways and Finnair. You have been on some excellent award flights! Currently, I’m in economy for both of my Finnair flights but I would like to switch to their business class on the 3 hour DUB-HEL flight if space opens up. That would only cost 7,500 more Alaska Airlines miles per person, so not a bad price to upgrade.

No comparison of Iberia awards? Sure they’re nonrefundable, but could be cheaper.

With the 30% transfer bonus to Avios, first one seems like a toss up between Qatar and Alaska. It’s a shame DUB-HEL (stop) -ARN is 10 miles over the 1.5k redemption band, or that would be a very nice use of Alaska’s free stopover.

EDIT: I gave Iberia another try and it wasn’t able to find the nonstop DUB-HEL Finnair flight on a few days I checked. Iberia was able to find the HEL-ARN flight for the same price as British Airways (6,500 Avios + $35), but that award is nonrefundable).

Hi iPod, I tried to look on the Iberia website for these awards, but I have difficulty using the Iberia website, plus the fact that the awards are nonrefundable, was enough for me to give up on that option. Yes, that Alaska stop over deal would have been great if it worked out.

Recently booked unicorn LAX-MAD-xxx (other city in Spain) on J class with BA Avios. Iberia was more expensive! Nevermind Iberia website log in is always such a pain for me. Even if Iberia was slightly cheaper, I would not have changed. it would have to be A LOT cheaper. Like around 10,000 pts/miles at least. Anything under 5,000…I’ll just use BA or Qatar.

At some point convenience matters over jumping through too many hoops.

Agreed, the Iberia website is terrible to navigate and I wouldn’t bother with them unless it was a super simple award on Iberia.

Hey Grant! Have you and Laura decided on hotels yet? I no you mentioned that you’ll be asking for ideas in a future post, but preemptively, Choice is a great choice. I haven’t been to Helsinki, but Stockholm is amazing and I’ll have some thoughts for you when get to that post.

Hi Brant, I still need to book my hotel in Stockholm, but I found a Choice Hotel that looks good (Hotel at Six). I bought Choice points during the Daily Getaways deal on Monday and I’m just waiting for the points to post to my account to book the hotel. Did you have specific Choice Hotel in Stockholm you recommend?

Hi Grant – Great article. I love reading articles by experts like you about your strategies and processes for booking award travel in real life. I feel like I learn more from this type of how-I-analyzed-it-and-how-I-booked-it than any other type of article on the points & miles blogs. Thanks for sharing your expertise & experience!

Thank you Craig, it was a good learning experience for me to find out the award prices for the various airline programs. Do you have any experience using the Qatar Airways website or booking Finnair flights?

I’ve done some searching on the Qatar website. Interestingly, the one time I was ready to book flights using Qatar Avios (an AA domestic flight), the booking errored out as if it was phantom availability. However, I had no problem booking the same award flights using Alaska miles. I’m hoping the Qatar problem was just a one-off and things will go smoothly there in the future.

I’ve booked Finnair flights once. Philly and I flew DFW-HEL-AMS in biz class a couple of years ago, using her AA miles. It was a great deal, 57.5k AA + $5.60 for each ticket. I really liked flying Finnair and transiting in HEL – nice experience and I’d be very happy to fly them again.

I can’t wait to hear about your experiences in Stockholm and Helsinki as those are definitely places on our “to go” list!

I did run into some issues with Qatar Airways. When I tried to transfer points from AMEX MR to Qatar Airways, the transfer failed and I didn’t realize it until I logged back into AMEX MR to check. Instead, I transferred the same number to British Airways and then moved them over to Qatar Airways, but I am not sure if that move was necessary. On the Qatar Airways website, if you link your British Airways account, I think you can redeem BA Avios for a flight booked through the Qatar Airways website. I am not sure, but that is what it appeared was possible.

I always get excited to fly a new airline, especially when a good / great award ticket is available.

You got a great deal on your AA award DFW-HEL-AMS for 57,500 AA miles! We are almost flying the reverse home, HEL-AMS-ORD on KLM then ORD-SNA on UA. I am more excited about Stockholm since there seems to be more to do than in Helsinki, but I will let you know :)

If you like ships or anything from that time period…go to the VASA Warship Museum!!

You cannot miss that.

Went to the Mary Rose in 2022 in the UK (Good experience)…and the Vasa is mucho-more well preserved. I visited in 2006! I *might* visit it again.

Off the top of my head, I would say there is more in Stockholm then Helsinki. I’m not much of a city person anymore though…next year’s trip to Sweden (+Norway, maybe couple days in Finland) I’ll be doing mostly camping / wilderness areas.

The Vasa Museum is definitely on my list for Stockholm, I’m glad you really enjoyed that museum.

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