Highland games: no BA / Loganair codeshare deal as Flybe launches in competition

Loganair operates flights to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, primarily from Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh.  It is probably best known for its service from Glasgow to Barra, where the plane lands on the beach and the flight times are adjusted to the tide table (photo below).

Between 1993 and 2007, Loganair operated as a British Airways franchise.  In 2007, it switched to being a Flybe franchise.  It remained a British Airways codeshare partner, however, and because Flybe is a BA and avios.com partner you have been able to redeem Avios for these services.

Loganair and Flybe are ending their franchise agreement on 1st September 2017.  From that date flights will operate under the Loganair brand.

When this news was first reported in November 2016, it was said that the British Airways codeshares would remain in place.  This would allow you to, for example, book through tickets from Heathrow to Sumburgh in Shetland via Edinburgh.

It wouldn’t have been a perfect arrangement.  Unless Loganair signed up as an Avios partner, you would not have been able to redeem Avios on these routes.  You WOULD have been able to continue to earn Avios and British Airways tier points as long as you booked revenue tickets under a BA flight code.

But nothing has been announced ….

1st September is now getting very close.  There have been no announcements from British Airways about what is happening.

As far as ba.com is concerned, destinations such as Barra simply disappear from the BA route map in three weeks time.  The flights will still be operating – and will be bookable on the Loganair website – but not as a BA codeshare.  This will create issues over through-checking of luggage and of course you won’t earn any Avios or tier points.

Last week, a statement appeared on the Loganair website.  All it says – stripping out the waffle – is “Loganair has confirmed that it is in discussion with British Airways on an expanded code share agreement, with a view to its introduction in the near future.”  On the upside, the statement implies that we could eventually see a broader deal than the current one which does not cover all Loganair routes.

More confusion as Flybe partners with Eastern Airways

Clearly annoyed at losing its deal with Loganair, Flybe has agreed a joint venture with Eastern Airways.

Eastern will use four of its aircraft to operate the following new routes, using Flybe branded aircraft and with tickets sold via the Flybe website.  The joint venture covers services from:

• Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow to Sumburgh, Shetland
• Aberdeen to Kirkwall
• Glasgow to Stornoway
• Glasgow to Manchester

Eastern / Flybe will now operate in direct competition to Loganair on these routes.  The strategy is that flyers will remain loyal to the Flybe brand that they have used for the last eight years.

These flights will launch on 1st September.

It appears that these six routes are not available for Avios redemption, despite the Avios deal with Flybe.  You will be able to earn Avios on these flights at the standard Flybe rates although it is not possible to earn British Airways tier points.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 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

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 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. 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

Huge 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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th December 2024, there are EXCLUSIVE sign-up offers for our readers on the two Capital on Tap small business Visa cards. You can earn 20,000 points on the Business Rewards card and 30,000 points on the new Pro card. Click here to apply.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

20,000 points (ONLY TO 9TH DECEMBER) Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

30,000 points (TO 9TH DECEMBER) 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.