British Airways launches flights to Cologne – book your Avios Christmas Market trips now

British Airways has announced a new route from London Gatwick to Cologne.

The service will launch on 16th November in order to catch the Christmas Market traffic.

Cologne is the 4th largest city in Germany, with its sightseeing attractions topped by the huge cathedral.  Business travellers will also appreciate the ability to reach the enormous Koelnmesse trade show complex.

The new route will operate four times per week, on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.  It is currently only due to operate for the Winter timetable which runs until late March.

As usual, two Club Europe and four Euro Traveller seats have been made available on each flight for Avios redemptions.  If you want to book a Christmas Market trip then you should find good availability on prime dates if you take a look today.

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.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Until 9th April 2021, American Express is running the biggest sign-up bonuses ever seen on a UK payment card.

You will earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points on American Express Business Platinum (apply here) and 50,000 Membership Rewards points on American Express Business Gold (apply here) which is FREE for your first year. Points transfer 1:1 into Avios. Here are links to our reviews:

Here are your other options. There are two official British Airways American Express cards:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

If you have a small business, we especially recommend Capital On Cap’s Visa card which comes with a generous bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)