British Airways launches new route to Chile – good Avios availability

British Airways announced yesterday that it is starting flights to Santiago de Chile on 3rd January.

This will be the longest British Airways flight on the network.  It clocks in at 14 hours and 40 minutes, 50 minutes longer than the current longest flight to Buenos Aires.

The route will be operated with a 4-class Boeing 787-9.

This is what BA says about Chile:

As the capital and economic centre of Chile, Santiago is a lively and vibrant city and its mild winters and very warm summers make it an ideal year-round destination. There is a wealth of things to see and do, including museums, theatres, restaurants, bars and events throughout the year. Must-sees include the Parque Metropolitano, the Cerro San Cristobal, which provides breath-taking views of the city, the Plaza De Armas, Catedral Metropolitana and the Mercado Central, the city’s bustling central market.

Santiago is an excellent gateway from which to discover the rest of the country. With its close proximity to the Andes mountains, as well as coasts of the Pacific Ocean, it’s an ideal destination for skiers and sun worshipers alike. Mountain climbing, hiking and bike tours are available for sports enthusiasts, with cooking classes and wine tasting tours making for a more relaxed break. And those looking to explore even further can travel onward to Easter Island.

And for those HfP readers who live in Chile:

Those visiting London from Chile will discover an iconic city packed with an eclectic mix of museums, galleries, shops, theatres, markets and nightspots. From royal landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London to the shopping hubs of Oxford Street and Notting Hill; captivating museums such as the Natural History Museum to glittering West End shows, there’s something for everyone.

London is also a convenient gateway from which to explore further afield in the UK. Discover Devon’s picturesque coastal towns, the breath-taking landscape of the Peak District or Manchester’s lively nightlife

Flight times

The flight will leave Heathrow at 10pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, landing into Santiago at 09.40.

The return leaves Santiago at 18.45 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, landing at Heathrow at 12.05.

These timings seem a little bizarre, as BA is keeping $100m+ of aircraft sitting on the ground for nine hours.

Avios availability

Seats are already showing for Avios redemption.

BA seems to have opened up the expected four World Traveller and two Club World seats per flight, plus an additional two World Traveller Plus seats.  I could not see anything in First Class but the F cabin on the 787-9 has only eight seats.

Unfortunately, ba.com has an issue and you cannot get through to the payment page.  It also does not show the Avios or taxes required.  The flight is 7,228 miles which should make it Zone 9 and therefore a shocking 300,000 Avios in Club World on a peak date and 250,000 Avios off-peak.

It is possible that BA will choose to fudge the numbers and push it into Zone 8 which would be 210,000 / 175,000 for peak / off-peak in Club World.  This is already done on some routes which just sneak into the wrong band.

Tax will presumably be around £500.  Remember that you can save considerable sums by booking the Iberia flight from Madrid to Chile instead.  If you book on iberia.com and not ba.com the Business Class tax figure should be around £150.  More details on booking Iberia redemptions to save tax can be found in this article.

If you want to find out more, British Airways has produced a factsheet on the route which can be downloaded as a PDF here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (June 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 13th June, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card is doubled to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – and you get £200 to spend at Amex Travel too! Apply here.

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.