Avios have their uses...but the one you describe - TATL on BA metal (it must be with those YQ charges) - is at the absolute rock bottom of the pile.
What you should have done instead: laundered the BA Avios into IB Avios and redeemed using the IB engine, avoiding BA and their breathtaking brassnecked taxes/fees...or better yet, in addition to BA Avios, amass UA MP miles or AS MP miles and use them for the big TATL sectors, THEN use Avios for fun intra-EU positioning.
It seems as if some customers expect their first experience with FFP - usually a US-based one - to carry over to all other FFP without doing any research.
A general observation. It amazes me how many people commit to accumulating miles, requiring years of patience and a certainly amount of effort, without, just once, going to the relevant website and performing a test redemption. BA certainly doesn't hide this fact and even when you perform a redemption, for example using AS MP, just look at the whacking fees BA charges for such flights, everyone can see it clearly....hey, a world first, did I just sound like a BA apologist??!!

Regulars will know, I'm not. But I feel it coming on...
Now let's take this a step further and channel The Saint... "But you can't blame BA for your error here. The fare was not in any way "misfiled" and taxes and fees were disclosed. Having see these, you opted to purchase. Your bad."
Click to expand...