Avios points

[Tonish]

I've just started using Flybe regularly and will continue to do so for short haul UK flights a couple of times a week for the next six months or so. Having built up many, many thousands of points on longer haul flights with Virgin and US Airways over the past number of years, I'm more than a little sceptical about their value. For holidays, when I would like to use my points to subsidise or upgrade, I find that as I'm travelling during school holiday periods, they are next to useless. I'm happy to join the Avios programme with Flybe, but wonder is it any more use to me than the others.

There are many regular flyers here, does anyone have an opinion on whether Avios is any better or worse than the others and how likely am I to be able to use these once I have accumulated them? Will I be able to use them to subsidise my flights to Florida?

[FraserLynn]

Not massive amounts of help on the Avios (I have about 1/2 m of them and have not managed to spend any!) but as someone who has had to be a frequent Fly(may)be customer, I wish you all the very best for the many, many hours of frustration you have in front of you.

The good news is; in 6 months it will be over (probably about the same time you board your first flight!)

[SDJ]

I have used the Avios points on all 3 occasions when I needed them. In fact I have had to change my BA flight twice for my return to UK. BA suggested why not use my Avios rather than cash. I needed to purchase about 2000 which were on offer last month anyway, so changed my flight for a very small amount of money and no fuss.