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Bits: BA drops Kos, good BA luxury European deals, upstairs on a BA 747

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News in brief:

British Airways drop Kos

British Airways has decided to cancel the Kos route next year.  This is unfortunate, because tickets have been on sale for 5 months ….

The service was due to run between 5th May and 29th September 2018.

Cash passengers will be offered a re-route via Vienna, changing onto the Austrian Airlines service to Kos.  There is also an option to fly to Athens and then change to an Aegean service.  In both cases, business class passengers will be downgraded to economy for the second leg as they are ‘one class’ flights.

Note that Vienna is an 80 tier points route and Athens – like Kos – is a 160 tier points route.  If you have booked in Club Europe then it is easier to go via Athens if you want to be sure of your tier points.  BA should ‘make you square’ if you go via Vienna but it is likely to require a few emails back and forth.

Avios passengers will not be re-routed.  Your Avios will be refunded and you will have to make other arrangements at your own cost.

Passengers who are on a codeshare and not travelling on BA-issued tickets (ie a ticket number which does not start 125-) will also not be re-routed and will have to claim a refund from the airline with which they booked.

British Airways launches short haul Club Europe holidays sale

If you are planning a short break over the Winter, BA Holidays has launched a ‘Club Europe holidays’ short break promotion.

The special deals are listed here on ba.com.

These offer excellent value for money compared to the cost of booking flights on their own.  You will also get at least 80 tier points each – more for longer routes – which makes this a cheap way to help your plans to earn or retain your British Airways Executive Club status.

This article lists the BA Club Europe routes which earn 160 tier points return.

You need to:

book by midnight on Monday 23rd October

travel between 1st November 2017 and 18th March 2018

These are the headline prices being promoted by British Airways Holidays, although there is no guarantee this price will be available on the dates you want.  All hotels are four or five star.

  • Bilbao business class flights + 3 nights hotel £272 pp
  • Paris business class flights + 3 nights hotel £284 pp
  • Amsterdam business class flights + 3 nights hotel £286 pp
  • Istanbul business class flights + 3 nights hotel £299 pp
  • Athens business class flights + 3 nights hotel £420 pp
  • Palermo business class flights + 7 nights hotel from £308 pp
  • Larnaca business class flights + 7 nights hotel from £585 pp
  • All inclusive Malaga business class flights + 7 nights hotel from £421 pp
  • Palermo business class flights + 7 nights hotel £308 pp
  • Malaga business class flights + 7 nights hotel £370 pp
  • Mallorca (Palma) business class flights + 7 nights hotel £374 pp
  • Larnaca business class flights + 7 nights hotel £585 pp
  • Krakow business class flights + 3 nights hotel £311 pp
  • Berlin business class flights + 3 nights hotel £340 pp
  • Prague business class flights + 3 nights hotel £345 pp
  • Vienna business class flights + 3 nights hotel £353 pp
  • Budapest business class flights + 3 nights hotel £383 pp

Take a look at BA Holidays here for more details.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus card

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

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.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review

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.

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

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.

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

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

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (130)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Anna says:
    21 Oct21 October 08:16

    They have to offer re-routing, by comparable transport – I don’t see why this would not apply to redemption flights in the same way that EU regulations on compensation do. We had flights from MAN to Germany cancelled by BA earlier this year and they immediately offered us re-routing via Heathrow, so we’ve got the hassle of connecting flights but aren’t out of pocket. Anyone who’s booked redemption flights to Kos in the school holidays is probably looking at around £1000 for cash seats for a family of four.

  • Anna says:
    21 Oct21 October 08:26

    Additionally, it beggars belief that BA are trying to wriggle out of their legal obligations after the very public recent shaming of Ryanair for doing something similar. I just hope they don’t start cancelling the new MAN summer timetable, it would probably be the end of RFS for me now you have to “pay” twice to fly via LHR.

  • Jonathan says:
    21 Oct21 October 08:28

    Weirdly Virgin have some economy seating upstairs, helps take away the experience of cattle class being in a relatively small cabin.

    • TripRep says:
      21 Oct21 October 08:50

      The Y seats are positioned behind a few rows of PE up in the bubble, I’ve even seen those Econ pax get off before UC on the lower deck and PE

      • JK says:
        21 Oct21 October 09:02

        The toilets are at the front so the PE passengers have loads of economy passengers passing through, queuing and talking – not great for trying to sleep on a night flight

  • Helen says:
    21 Oct21 October 08:52

    747 Upper Deck is the best cabin, love it flew LHR/IAD 4 weeks ago.

  • Tilly says:
    21 Oct21 October 08:56

    Sorry for the O/T but has anyone had their 1000 avios from Rolling Luggage yet? Wondering how long to leave it before I complain again.

    • Amanda says:
      21 Oct21 October 09:04

      I chased it for the second time yesterday and was told that it was in Avios hands and they had no update. 10 days ago they said they would be posted manually in 5 working days due to a BA issue . So I can see them never arriving.

      • Ade says:
        21 Oct21 October 09:24

        I had exactly the same response, get the feeling they are just padding until we get tired of chasing….

        • Nicky says:
          21 Oct21 October 10:16

          Same here, received a response yesterday saying it was down to Avios: my impression is that had I spent over £100 (which is what they changed it to) I would have received the points straight away but as I only bought a luggage tag I am going to keep receiving the old bs replies.

        • Anna says:
          21 Oct21 October 10:54

          + 1!

    • Tilly says:
      21 Oct21 October 10:22

      Thanks. Maybe I’ll chase again then as only done once so far.

      I’ll be mightily p’d off if they don’t. Wonder what I could threaten them with.

      • the real harry1 says:
        21 Oct21 October 10:37

        paid with PayPal? you could start a dispute to get your money back, only takes 30 seconds

        • Tilly says:
          21 Oct21 October 10:42

          Don’t tend to use PayPal for anything. Just used my amex.

          I’ve just sent them a strongly worded email. Hopefully I get a satisfactory response. If not I’ll be looking into what I can do next. Thing is they have the nerve to send automated emails asking for a review of the product I bought ………

        • the real harry1 says:
          21 Oct21 October 13:30

          one of the reasons I pay with Amex but via PayPal is that they (PayPal) wield power vs suppliers and have a very efficient dispute/ resolution process

          only had call to use it 3 or 4 times & dispute was quickly settled in my favour every time

  • Ahop says:
    21 Oct21 October 08:59

    OT: is anyone clear whether you get the additional clubcard points for topping up a Christmas savers account in Tesco with a Tesco debit card?

    In any event when do points awarded for using the debit card appear in the clubcard account? Is it almost immediately?

    • Tracy says:
      21 Oct21 October 09:51

      Normally points appear on your next clubcard statement. Statements arrive quarterly.

  • TripRep says:
    21 Oct21 October 08:59

    Rob – what’s your interpretation of the law on this, are BA legally allowed to do this because they’re giving more than 14 days notice?

    • Anna says:
      21 Oct21 October 10:59

      EU regs EC 261/2004 are clear on this, they don’t have to compensate pax but they do have to re-route them to the original destination if they choose that option.

    • Anna says:
      21 Oct21 October 11:07

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/ryanair-facing-legal-action-caa-cancellations/

      Obligation to re-route is mentioned in this article, with Ryanair being threatened with legal action for trying to avoid their responsibilities in respect of this. Either it’s completely bypassed the BA bosses, or they think their customers can be fobbed off…

      • Alan says:
        21 Oct21 October 11:34

        I wonder if this is just following what appears to be their usual MO – make a rubbish offer or deny things then back down once MCOL submission made. Presumably they think that it will overall save them money?

    • Rob says:
      21 Oct21 October 11:51

      Not entirely clear, neither am I clear on why redemptions will not be rebooked.

      My wife’s Avios Dubai seat on Thu was rebooked on BA (in a revenue seat) when the Qatar blockade began.

  • Alan says:
    21 Oct21 October 09:07

    Oh absolutely agree re UD – love the feeling of extra space as well as the massive amount of window storage. The refit of the screens has been good too, made a big difference. 64K definitely my favourite seat, remember sitting in it doing my corrections after my viva with a glass of champagne en route to JFK 😛

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