They’re coming soon(-ish) – the British Airways A380 fleet

There are a hundred sites out there for people who want to know all about new planes, building planes etc – this is not one of them.  However, it is worth being aware of the major changes that the BA fleet will be experiencing in 2013.

In May, the first Boeing 787 will be delivered. I haven’t flown on one of these yet. There are real benefits – bigger windows, composite material construction, far higher on-board air quality etc – but as they basically look like any old long-haul plane, it is hard to get too excited about them.

In July, though, BA is due to receive its first Airbus A380.

Business Traveller has a suite of pictures of No 1 here from a trip they did to Toulouse recently.

Flightglobal reports here that the first A380 will join the Winter 2013 timetable, launching late October 2013. However, during the Summer of 2013, it will be flying on short-haul routes from London.

This means that you will have a great opportunity to have a weekend away flying the A380, and getting a fully flat Club World bed in business class for those 2-3 hours!

No-one knows yet where the plane will be rostered, and of course with only one to play with at first, you will never be able to guarantee that it will be flying a certain route, even if timetabled. It is definitely something to keep an eye out for, though.

I was lucky enough to fly First Class on an Emirates A380 a couple of years ago. It was, frankly, the most amazing flight experience I have ever had – the full size bathroom, the in-flight shower, the private ‘suites’ that Emirates have in First Class, the onboard bar etc etc.

Unfortunately, BA will not be importing most of these feature into its A380’s, but it will still be a real experience climbing those stairs for the first time.

---

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.