British Airways launches new routes from City, inc Florence and Rotterdam

British Airways has announced some new routes from London City Airport for the Summer 2014 timetable.  We should expect similar announcements on a regular basis at the moment, as there are three new aircraft going into City soon to expand the BA operation.

From a leisure perspective, the most interesting option is Florence.  BA will be flying this route four times a week.  They have cunningly positioned the weekend flight to maximise the weekend break market, with an 11.05 departure on Friday and a 19.55 return on Sunday.

Oddly, Vueling – the low-cost carrier now owned by BA’s parent company – currently flies to Florence from Heathrow.  You can book this with Avios, but only if you transfer them to Iberia Plus first!  I get a sneaky feeling that this route will now be dropped and the flight slots taken over by BA for something more profitable.

The second new route is Rotterdam.  This is a substantially more aggressive launch, with up to five flights per day.  I lived in Rotterdam for four months whilst I was a student … its tourist appeal is limited compared to Amsterdam or The Hague, unless you are keen on architecture (see above, for example).

If you are flying  to Rotterdam, our review of the Rotterdam Airport lounge is here.

Tickets should be available for Avios and cash bookings at ba.com or avios.com.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.