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Kids fly FREE on BA to Leeds Bradford and Newcastle – up to 3 kids per adult

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This is, if you look at it logically, a slightly crazy offer.  British Airways is giving FREE SEATS for children with pretty much no restrictions, an offer which could cost it dearly if there is a strong take up.

Until November 1st, kids fly free when an adult buys a ticket between Leeds Bradford and Heathrow or Newcastle and Heathrow.

Up to THREE children can fly for free when an adult buys a ticket!  A child is anyone aged between 2 and 11.

You can find more information here.

Newcastle

The only ‘catch’ is that your booking must be a point-to-point flight and cannot connect to another flight on the same ticket.  Nothing stops you booking an onward flight separately.

This is a bit silly, to be honest.  For a Saturday in October I checked, a one-way ticket for one adult and three children to Leeds Bradford costs £58.  For four people.  That is £14.50 each!

Leeds Bradford price

There appear to be no restrictions on the offer.  You pick a date, one way or return, book the cheapest possible ticket, and you won’t be charged for your children.  It is not clear if the free tickets for your children earn Avios points or not, although you would need a Household Account to claim them anyway.

If you were very sneaky, an adult travelling solo could book two seats for children who later no-show and get himself two empty adjacent seats ….

Full details of the offer, including the terms and conditions, can be found on this special page at ba.com.

British Airways BA Amex American Express

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (September 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards. Both have increased sign-up bonuses until 2nd November 2021:

British Airways BA Amex American Express card

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British Airways BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

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You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

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We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card:

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You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies. This card has a limited time offer of 60,000 Avios when you sign up:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express card

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Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (30)

  • Paul H says:
    2 Aug2 August 09:10

    As for intentionally booking two unused seats, how would you guys feel should the need to make a last minute flight for family reasons occur, there being either not enough availability for your whole family group or be split up across the aircraft, all so some selfish *#*! can sit there smugly. I thought this site existed to help others maximise their travel from the airline companies, not get one over on their fellow travellers.

    • Graeme says:
      2 Aug2 August 15:33

      Kind of agree with you on this one Paul, the NCL to LHR is leas than an hour, I’m sure anyone can manage to actually sit next to someone else for that length of time 🙂

      As for these routes being up for the chop, my limited experience of flying NCL to LHR (admittedly only around 3 times a year) the flights have always been full – less the odd couple of seats. I think BA do 3 flights day on this route so they can’t be that under utilised…

  • czechoslovakia says:
    3 Aug3 August 13:16

    What Berk came up with this idea? Proves BA has no idea whatsoever. Of course people are going to take advantage of this and book “empty” seats for themselves. And only point-to-point? No “point” to that whatsoever. If these flights are under utilised, giving seats to kids for free along with all the necessary kids baggage is only going to delay flights, decrease margins and annoy fellow pax. And as a parent I know how many “essential” things kids simply must take.
    Makes me feel like shoving that damn dropped teddy up BA`s rear. On that subject, BA – 2 things:
    Try and repair the monitors on the aircraft used on the domestics.
    Shorten that darn safety video. The FAs have turned to zombies standing there waiting for that garbage to finish.

  • William Hughes says:
    3 Aug3 August 15:55

    I have a question. I was planning on taking up this offer by flying my son back to NCL from LHR. But he won’t be on the return flight? Do you think they would do anything?

    Spoke to BA to check and they said he must be on both legs, if not, there could be a penalty? Has anyone seen these penalties being enforced? If I do them separately, the price shoots up!

    Thanks

    Will

    • czechoslovakia says:
      3 Aug3 August 16:24

      Normally I wouldn’t worry about it. The airlines count with no-shows, after all. Book on a credit card. Only recently has BA threatened to come after people who don’t use the final leg, but these peeps are doing long-haul ex-EU to avoid APD and bag a much better fare. I`m sure there are hundreds of people who genuinely miss their flight worldwide every day, be that outbound or return…. BA would very quickly loose what reputation it has left if it came after everyone who missed their return leg wanting to reprice it to a single fare.

    • Rob says:
      3 Aug3 August 18:12

      No, you’ll be fine.

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