British Airways launches ‘no suitcase’ fares from Gatwick – first step to a low-cost model?

For some time, there has a been a view that – in a continued attempt to make BA’s Gatwick operation profitable – it would move towards more of an easyJet approach to life.

Gatwick already has ‘self bag tag’ machines, where you need to print your own baggage tag before taking it to the desk.

And now ….

British Airways has launched ‘hand baggage only’ fares from Gatwick. Initially, they are only available on the Amsterdam, Dubrovnok, Jersey, Tunis and Turin flights, from February 26th. Other routes will follow later.

Hand-baggage will remain free.

The discount is £10-£11 each way. Does this really reflect BA’s costs for handling a case? And is this even a real discount, or have the fares with a case actually been bumped up by £10-£11?

What is not clear is the position of Gold and equivalent oneworld status card holders, who theoretically get an extra free item of checked baggage. Does this mean you can book one of these fares and still check a suitcase? This does not seem to have been fully thought through.

Given that Heathrow will not be adopting this policy, it could all go horribly wrong. Let’s see.

Ironically, the one bit of the low cost model I would like to see BA bring in – buy on board food – has not happened. Frankly, given the choice, I would rather pay for something from an easyJet style food menu than be given a free cup of tea and a ‘savoury snack’ with no option of getting anything better ….

---

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.