It’s bye-bye to Air Passenger Duty on long-haul Avios redemptions from certain UK cities

As I wrote yesterday, a selection of Flybe flights are now available for redemption using Avios points on ba.com.

I was probably a little harsh in that article on the value you can get from these redemptions – it seems I picked a bad example.  Readers were happy to show me Flybe flights priced at up to €360 which were available for 4,500 Avios points.

Flybe flies to a number of small airports in the UK where the Air Passenger Duty regime does not apply. 

To quote from the Flybe website here:

The UK is the most taxed aviation market in the world, with the possible exception of Chad

The following [Flybe] departure airports are already exempt from APD : 

Benbecula, Barra, Campbeltown, Guernsey, Islay, Inverness, Jersey, Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Stornoway, Tiree and Wick

The following routes are already exempt from APD:

London Stansted – Dundee

London Gatwick – Newquay

The ability to avoid APD applies to any flight which connects to a flight from one of the airports above.  This leads to some impressive savings.

Let’s take the Cathay Pacific flight from Manchester to Hong Kong.

A one-way business class redemption on that route costs 60,000 Avios + £187.

(By the way, Cathay Pacific is offering EIGHT business class seats for redemption on that route on some flights.)

However, if you book Inverness – Manchester – Hong Kong, the cost changes to 64,500 Avios + £70.  A saving of £117 may not be enough to make it worthwhile buying a one-way ticket to Inverness to start your trip, but if you live in Scotland it certainly looks attractive.  Similar deals are available via London if you fly down from Inverness and connect to a Heathrow or Gatwick flight.

Here is another example:

Heathrow to New York in Club World, one-way, costs 40,000 Avios + £351.

However, if you book Newquay – Gatwick and Heathrow – New York, the trip costs 44,500 Avios + £222.  You save £129 per person.

So, some good news if you live in Cornwall or northern Scotland.  The impact of the Avios changes has just been sharply reduced.  Other HfP readers with time of their hands will also be able to make modest savings if they fly to Inverness or Newquay to start their redemption.

(PS.  You only ‘lose’ the APD on the Newquay to Gatwick route.  If you use Flybe to fly from Newquay to Manchester or Stansted, full APD will be charged.)

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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.