Bits: new British Airways Boston lounge open, Hilton sale last call, BA Lima cancellations

News in brief:

New British Airways lounge at Boston now open

The new British Airways lounge at Boston Logan opened earlier this week.  It was constructed as part of the expansion of Terminal E to include A380 gates and sees BA move into a new top-floor space with what seems like excellent views.

The lounge will also be used by Iberia, JAL and Cathay Pacific.  This means that it will open and close throughout the day according to departures – after a flight has departed it will re-open three hours before the next one.

BA has not supplied any photographs – there are some knocking around but none I can legally reproduce.  It looks very impressive, however, and shows that the airline is still prepared to invest when it wants to.

It operates as one combined First and Business Class lounge.   There is, however, a table-service dining area which is cordoned off and is exclusively available for First Class passengers.

Last call for the Hilton flash sale

A quick reminder that the current Hilton flash sale, covering the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, ends tomorrow (Monday).

Hilton Honors members can get up to 25% off the best available rate for weekend stays between 24th March and 27th August 2017.

As the discount is based on the ‘Best Available Rate’ which is cancellable without charge as opposed to the flash sale rate which requires non-refundable pre-payment, you do need to take the ‘25% discount’ with a pinch of salt. However if you don’t plan on cancelling your stay you might find a good deal in the flash sale.  The sale home page is here.

British Airways drops Lima over the Winter

The new British Airways service to Lima has been cancelled for the Winter timetable which begins in late October.

If you were booked on the Gatwick – Lima flight you will be rerouted with Iberia via Madrid.  Rebooking on LATAM is not being offered.

It appears that the flight will return with the 2018 Summer timetable, starting in late March, when tourist loads pick up.  British Airways is using the aircraft to add additional capacity to Mauritius from Gatwick.

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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.