Aer Lingus launches Dublin to San Francisco, available for Avios redemption

Aer Lingus launched its new route to San Francisco last week.  This will be followed by the new Dublin to Toronto route on April 21st.

The San Francisco service is operating five times a week, departing Dublin at 12.20pm and arriving in San Francisco at 3.20pm.

What is attractive about Aer Lingus is:

they are a British Airways partner, so you can book them using Avios (as long as those Avios sit at ba.com and not avios.com)

they charge very low taxes and charges.  It is difficult to calculate these in advance, but a long-haul Business Class generally comes in at around £75 per person.

My ‘Avios Redemption University’ article on Aer Lingus, which lists all of their long-haul routes, is here.

The most annoying thing about Aer Lingus is that you cannot book their redemptions online.  You need to call British Airways Executive Club to do it.  Flights will cost the same in Avios points as a British Airways service, ie 100,000 in Club World / 50,000 in Economy to San Francisco and 80,000 / 40,000 to Toronto, return.

It is also not possible to accurately check availability online.  The Qantas frequent flyer scheme website appears to be relatively close to showing the seats BA can book.  However, the Qantas site has a habit of showing 9 business class seats available, when in reality there tends to be just two.  There is NO online service which can exactly match what the British Airways call centre will offer you.

You need to remember that there are only 24 business class seats per plane, so expect availability to be hard to find.  In any event, Aer Lingus does not release more than two business class seats on a flight.

Interestingly, these two new routes represent a genuine addition to the Aer Lingus network.  They are not cutting other routes in order to offer these services.  The company has leased three Boeing 757’s, previously used by Finnair, for the shorter routes.  This is unlikely to offer state-of-the-art comfort or space, but you can’t have it all!  San Francisco is operated by an A330 which was freed up from New York and Boston runs.

As far as seating goes, business class currently features the sloping Aer Lingus seat:

It has announced plans to install fully flat seats.  Some US press coverage I saw quotes the Aer Lingus CEO as saying that the San Francisco route will be the first to get the new seat at the end of 2014.

These new Aer Lingus flights start from Dublin.  You would need to book a separate ticket to Ireland if you don’t want to pay long-haul Air Passenger Duty to the UK Government.  If you do this, though, remember that Aer Lingus is not liable to you if you miss your connection.

Don’t forget that Aer Lingus flights clear US customs and immigration in Dublin!  When you land, you are treated like a domestic passenger and can walk straight out of the airport without any delay.  That may be worth the inconvenience of the ‘angled lie-flat seat’ ….

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

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 Mastercard

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

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 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

30,000 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large 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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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

50,000 points when you sign-up 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.