British Airways announces new Gatwick routes to fill Monarch’s slots – bookable now on Avios

British Airways made the first of what will presumably be a number of new Gatwick route announcements yesterday.  This is the first such announcement since it purchased Monarch’s take-off and landing slots at the airport in November.

In total, BA will operating 150 additional flights per week from Gatwick this summer compared with 2017.

It is worth noting up front that BA is using Titan Airways to operate some Gatwick services this Summer.  These flights are clearly marked at ba.com.  It simply does not have enough available aircraft to use the Monarch slots, and this is not helped by the late delivery of the new Airbus NEO aircraft and the need to send the older Heathrow short-haul planes off to be ‘densified’.  The plan to take six short-haul Qatar Airways appears to have been dropped.

Titan Airways has covered for British Airways before and is generally seen as OK.  You may even get free food and drink in Euro Traveller although that is not confirmed.

New routes announced

The announcement yesterday primarily covered routes which were Monarch’s heartland.  The following changes will kick in from the start of the summer timetable on 25th March:

Malaga – increases to 35 from 27 Gatwick flights per week

Alicante – increases to 22 from 14 Gatwick flights per week

Faro – increases to 21 from 17 Gatwick flights per week

Tenerife – increases to 13 from 6 Gatwick flights per week

Madeira – increases to 9 from 6 Gatwick flights per week

Lanzarote – increases to 5 from 3 Gatwick flights per week

The following brand new Gatwick routes will also be launched, although none are new to the BA network:

Gibraltar

Palma

Mahon

BA also claims to have added 400 extra flights on existing routes between 9th February and 24th March, although no breakdown has been provided.

I have not been given the exact times and dates for these new flights.  However, they do appear to be bookable now on ba.com for cash or Avios.  If you want a peak August flight down to the Med then this is your chance, as the original Avios allocation will have gone months ago.

Expect further announcements in the coming weeks.

To maximise your miles when paying, your best bet is the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card which earns double Avios (3 per £1) when you book at ba.com or via BA Holidays.  You do not get double Avios if you book with the free British Airways American Express card.  Another option is American Express Preferred Rewards Gold which offers double points – 2 per £1 – when you book flight tickets directly with an airline.

PS.  If you are flying out of Gatwick this year, here are a few relevant articles – Hampton by Hilton hotel review, Bloc hotel review, how to get a good deal on Gatwick Express, how to get a good deal on Gatwick parking, MyLounge (North) review, No 1 Lounge (North) review, No 1 Lounge (South) review, the new British Airways lounges in Gatwick South review

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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:

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. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

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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 and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

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.