Aer Lingus releases details of new lie-flat seats for your Avios redemptions

I reported back in April that the Aer Lingus CEO had told the media that the airline was planning to introduce lie-flat seating.  There was no further information given apart from a hint that San Francisco would be the first route to get the new seats – a logical choice given the distance.

Aer Lingus has now launched a website highlighting the new seat.

There is even a video:

It looks pretty darn good especially the solo seats by the windows in certain rows.  The bed is 6 foot 5 inches which should keep most people happy, and all seats face forward.  Your feet slot under the seat in front when the seat is in bed mode which allows the airline to maximise the number of seats.

Note, too, that business class passengers will receive free in-air wifi!  BA becomes less attractive by the minute ….

Aer Lingus is, of course, a British Airways redemption partner.  Dublin to Boston is possibly the best Avios redemption you can do, coming in at just 50,000 Avios return in business class or 25,000 Avios return in economy.

Taxes and surcharges are generally around £75 return, saving almost £500 per person on a comparable BA Club World redemption – although you need to get yourself to Dublin of course.

You will also clear US immigration in Dublin, allowing you to land as a domestic passenger and walk straight out of the airport – potentially saving you an hour queuing in Passport Control.

Full details of how and where to redeem on Aer Lingus can be found in this Avios Redemption University article.  You cannot book online and you cannot even search for availability online – the Qantas website shows some Aer Lingus reward seats but that does not match what BA can access.

The airline has historically made two business class seats available per flight for redemption.  Given that the new business class cabins looks large – the video implies that the current 24-seat business class cabin will be expanded to 32 seats – I am hopeful that this situation will not change.

The only downside from this news is that the launch date has slipped from 2014 to March 2015 – but it looks worth the wait.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (September 2023)

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.

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.

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.

EDIT: Applications for this card are temporarily suspended due to IT issues with the British Airways On Business SME loyalty scheme.

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.