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British Airways launches Toronto and Las Vegas flights from Gatwick – wide-open for Avios

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British Airways has announced two new long-haul routes from London Gatwick.

As always with new route announcements, you will find at least two Club World and four World Traveller seats for EVERY flight loaded and bookable at ba.com.

If you jump in today you can take your pick of dates.

BA 747 retirement

Gatwick to Toronto will launch on 1st May and will operate three days per week.  The outbound flights will be Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

Gatwick to Las Vegas will launch on 27th March and will operate three days per week.  The outbound flights will also be on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

These are currently scheduled as ‘Summer only’ services, which is likely to mean that they run until the end of October 2018.

Both services will be operated with 3-class Boeing 777 aircraft.  This means that no First Class is available.

I would be wary of booking these services in World Traveller / Economy.  25 of the 58 Boeing 777 fleet are being converted into 10-abreast seating down the back.  These 25 planes will primarily be based at Gatwick.  As both Las Vegas and Toronto are served from Heathrow, you have a better chance of a 3-3-3 layout and a far wider seat if you go from there.

These flights are now bookable at ba.com.  This is an excellent chance to book yourself a trip to North America next Summer with pretty much no restriction on dates – at least until HfP readers snap them up.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (July 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 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 card

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 Card

30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express Credit Card

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 Credit Card

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

50,000 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 points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 on the FREE standard card and 1 Avios per £1 on the Pro card. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 0.8 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 Card

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.

The American Express Business Platinum Card

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card

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.

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (143)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Jorge says:
    31 Aug31 August 11:48

    Is there a way to avoid high taxes using the BA 241? If I include a stopover will it reduce the taxes? If departing from Scotland will it help at all?

    What do you suggest for best use of the BA 241, minimising costs (taxes)?

    Thanks.

    • Alan says:
      31 Aug31 August 11:49

      Departing from Inverness or Jersey are the two main options I’m aware of for 241s to reduce taxes.

      • Jorge says:
        31 Aug31 August 16:47

        Thanks Alan. It seems to be around £40-£50 lower

        • Alan says:
          31 Aug31 August 16:50

          Ah yes, the APD savings will now be offset by the extra charges for non-London departures that BA impose.

  • Matthew says:
    31 Aug31 August 13:03

    CX just announced new direct routes to HKG from BRU, CPH and DUB. The latter being a great low tax option of just £30 in business. Either 90,000 avios or just 42,500 Alaskan miles if you have any! Combine that with a one way from HKG on the way back and you’ve got yourself a bargain!

    • Matthew says:
      31 Aug31 August 13:07

      Flights from CPH also go into a lower avios band of 75,000 avios plus £40 tax in business one way.

      All these new routes are on the A350.

      • Lumma says:
        31 Aug31 August 15:01

        Amsterdam Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific is only about £30 taxes one way

    • Optimus Prime says:
      31 Aug31 August 18:14

      What’s the best way to accrue Alaska miles if living in UK? SPG Amex —> Marriott Rewards —> Travel Package for 120K Alaska miles?

      • Scallder says:
        31 Aug31 August 18:41

        That’s what I’m doing. They also partner with Rocketmiles and other non-flying partners but likely to be much easier going through Rewards package and SPG for smaller top ups…

      • Matthew says:
        31 Aug31 August 23:26

        Exactly. That’s the best way via the Marriott Travel Package. Or buy some Alaska Miles in the sale.

  • John says:
    31 Aug31 August 16:25

    New Aer Lingus transatlantic Saver fares (with optional add ons) from October are presumably WW’s latest response to Norwegian (though you still get a basic free meal service from EI and a bunch of avios).

    With Cathay starting direct flights to Hong Kong, I hope Dublin airport doesn’t get too crowded.

  • Rob says:
    31 Aug31 August 16:27

    Do IHG Accelerate points count towards Spire Elite status (75000 points required)?

    • Rob says:
      31 Aug31 August 16:40

      No. Only base stay points, credit card spend (not sign-up bonus), Virgin transfers in, probably Finnair transfers in and points from Hertz car rentals.

  • Frankie says:
    1 Sep1 September 17:25

    How come all 142 comments are on one page? This is great!

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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