How do the new British Airways short-haul fare classes (Basic, Plus, Plus Flex) price up?
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
Back in February, British Airways announced an overhaul of its short haul economy fare structure yesterday.
Then it all went quiet although the fares were available for purchase.
This was because someone at BA decided that the names for the three fare classes – ‘Hand Baggage Only’, ‘With Checked Bag’ and ‘Fully Flex’ – were not catchy enough.
The new ticket class names which have just been introduced are ‘Basic’, ‘Plus’ and ‘Plus Flex’.
What has changed?
The first big change is that Basic (previously Hand Baggage Only) is no longer sold as semi-flexible or fully flexible tickets. This removed the stupid situation whereby – as happened to my wife recently – someone could pay £500 for a fully flexible short-haul economy flight but, because it was booked as Hand Baggage Only, could not select a seat until check-in opened. Even status did not help.
The second big change is that Plus and Plus Flex tickets can be changed for FREE on the day of departure.
Ah, but won’t this cost me a fortune?
I am a grumpy old cynic and wrote, back in February:
“the only thing that is not clear is how big the price gap between ‘Hand Baggage Only’ and ‘With Checked Bag’ will be. It almost certainly will not be the £10 or so currently seen.”
And yet, I am wrong. Plus tickets do seem to offer excellent value for money, primarily due to the ability to change planes for free.
Here are a couple of examples of varying distances:
Hamburg – Plus is £15 each-way more than Basic
Milan – Plus is £15 each-way more than Basic
Istanbul – Plus is £20-£26 each-way more than Basic
On most routes, an extra £30 per person will get you free seat selection from 48 hours before departure (or immediately if you have status), 1 x free suitcase and the option to change your seat to another flight on the day of departure.
You can play games with this new policy of course. If you are prepared to live with a small amount of risk, you could book the cheapest flight on any particular day in Flex, knowing that you can switch to another – more expensive – flight on the day. Unless that flight is 100% full, you can move without paying a penny. Changes can be made up to one hour before departure.
The new fare classes in detail
Here are the key characteristics of each new short-haul ticket class:
Basic
Standard hand baggage allowance (no Checked Baggage allowance)
Seating allocated at check-in or paid for seat selection
Flight changes can be made for a fee plus any difference in fare
Plus
Includes a 23kg Checked Baggage allowance, plus the standard hand baggage allowance
Free seat selection from 48 hours prior to departure
Free flight changes on the day of departure, up to one hour before scheduled flight time
Plus Flex
Fully refundable
Includes a 23kg Checked Baggage allowance, plus the standard hand baggage allowance
Free seat selection at time of booking
Free flight changes on the day of departure, up to one hour before scheduled flight time
No change fees (a fare difference may apply if flight is changed before day of departure)
On UK domestic routes, Fully Flex fares will be branded ‘Business UK’. These fares include access to British Airways’ lounges and Priority Boarding.
Club Europe fares are unaffected. Short haul tickets booked as a transfer to a long haul flight will also not be covered by these changes and will be driven by the fare rules of the long haul ticket.
Here are the rules for the ‘free flight changes’ on Plus and Plus Flex tickets:
Flights can be changed on the same day for free to an earlier or later available flight. The customer’s original flight and the flight they change to must both be within 00:00 and 23:59 local time of the departure airport. At least one hour’s notice must be given prior to the scheduled departure time.
The routing (origin and destination airports) must remain unchanged. Routing or date changesmade on the original day of departure may incur fare and/or tax differences, as usual.
Changes are subject to availability on the new flight in the same cabin as the original flight.
These changes are genuinely positive for short haul travellers, especially as the fare difference between Basic and Flex is modest.
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:
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
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
25,000 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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a 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, 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.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review
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.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
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
40,000 points sign-up bonus 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.
harry 
john 
zsalya 
Callum 
Jeff 
Kipto 
lebron james 
Genghis 
Comments (102)