Can you upgrade a BA flight with Avios at the airport?

[eesoterik]

We have a reward flight booking. There is now room in the cabin above to book as a reward flight. Are we able to upgrade to that cabin at the airport, using avios?

No. Only cash at the airport if airport upgrades are available. Just call BA Exec Club instead to upgrade with Avios. Even if that means from your mobile in the airport itself.

Saying that, not sure if you can Avios upgrade once the airport take control of the flight (usually 24 hours-ish in advance) so best to call sooner rather than later while the seats still show as available.

Ah but if we call up BA we have to pay the £35 per person change fee, even though we’re paying them more!

Can’t you do it online? I do almost everything online for my reward flights, except adding a return to an existing avios booking (when they usually waive the charge if the return date was out of the bookable range when you made the outward booking)

Well then you don't get to upgrade with Avios if you won't call them. They're not psychic. And they can't do it at the airport. You can ask if they have any cash upgrades when you check-in but there's no guarantee they will or that you'll like the price they want.

Just to add, I think the rules on whether you can do this depend on the type of booking you have e.g. whether you have a pure avios (+ taxes) booking or upgraded from one cabin to the next using avios.

OP says in her first post that she has a reward booking and now wants to try and upgrade that reward booking using more Avios to the next cabin.

Strictly speaking “Reward flight” would usually mean avios + taxes, yes, but it’s often use as a catch all term for bookings using avios. The BA website itself lists multiple ways to use avios under this heading. Not all of them would allow this change.

You cannot upgrade using Avios at the airport.

You have to call, we’ve just done this. You can also only upgrade one class I think, so economy to premium or premium to club.