British Airways launches flights to Kos, wide open for Avios redemptions

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• #FML says:

  19 Sep19 September 05:46

  OT:
  I changed my date of travel on an IB avios redemption on a BA flight the original date was peak 120,000 avios but the new date is off peak102,000 avios.Will IB recredit the 18,000 back to my
  IB account ?

  • swhostring says:

    19 Sep19 September 06:34

    No. But you can ask for it @CS. You just reminded me to try the same. I didn’t change my dates but BA changed the Easter 2019 peak/ off-peak calendar, so by booking earlier I paid 1000 Avios more (x4 of us travelling).

    If you don’t get a friendly agent & a positive answer, HUACA

• James P says:

  19 Sep19 September 06:42

  Wow, searched 25th May to the 1 June for 2 people in Club next year…£1,900.

  • ChrisC says:

    19 Sep19 September 06:48

    Bank holiday weekend and 1/2 term no doubt affecting fsrss

  • Prins Polo says:

    19 Sep19 September 08:07

    I think BA loads full fare tickets initially. Promos follow closer to the date. Was the case with Seychelles and other new routes.

    • Mark says:

      19 Sep19 September 13:05

      Ah the complexities of fare setting….

      I believe its generally the case, for economy at least, that a certain number of seats are assigned to a series of fare buckets and, as the cheaper fare bucket allocations are exhausted, prices increase. That’s notwithstanding promos that may temporarily reduce the fares available, or a change in the fare bucket allocations that may be applied where seats are selling less (or more) quickly than originally anticipated.

      Of course for a peak period such as the summer half term there may be little if anything assigned to the cheaper fare buckets and, in the case of Club Europe particularly, there’s less incentive to use cheaper fare buckets as a means of filling the flights when more rows of CE means fewer seats overall, is subject to a hard limit (particularly on new aircraft with less trolley storage) and potentially devalues the CE experience for higher spending customers.

      We got very good HBO fares to Gran Canaria when BA launched the weekly Heathrow flights last year.

• Bob says:

  19 Sep19 September 06:49

  Yet an other flight destination looking after the South of England from our national airline no connecting flights from Manchester to Gatwick only Heathrow which is pointless for Gatwick

  • swhostring says:

    19 Sep19 September 06:54

    Driving Manchester to Gatwick isn’t exactly Le Mans 24 hrs

    • Anna says:

      19 Sep19 September 07:27

      No but it adds at least a day either side to the journey (not feasible for a week-long school holiday, and the last thing you want when you arrive back is a long drive home ????. People up here will fly to e.g. the Caribbean via the US rather than go via Gatwick!

      • swhostring says:

        19 Sep19 September 07:36

        Just checked on Viamichelin and Manchester-GTW is 371km, 4hrs 12mins, whereas my journey Cornwall-LHR is 399kms, 4 hrs 10 mins.

        So I do the same every Avios redemption plus there are no alternative airlines any closer, Bristol is useless as restricted calendar so you miss out on more days beginning & end of school hols.

        Stressful? Yes. A PITA? Yes. Something to moan about when you are getting Reward flights on the cheap & a lounge to look forward to? No.

      • David S says:

        19 Sep19 September 08:41

        Agree with you Anna but plenty of alternatives available though. Going to Caribbean, there are the VS flights from Manchester.
        Swhostring- at least you have the option of flybe to Gatwick from Newquay but from Manchester, either have to drive and possibly stay overnight near Gatwick with parking and a long drive back when you return. I have done this but as you said it is still a PITA. Alternative is flying into LHR and transfer to LGW on the national express after collecting your luggage which is also a PITA. So even though I am BA gold, I am perfectly happy to pay other airline for the convenience if BA doesn’t want my business from the North.

      • Anna says:

        19 Sep19 September 09:02

        Where does Virgin fly to though? Jamaica and Barbados? Not exactly a lot of choice!

  • Mikeact says:

    19 Sep19 September 07:18

    There are more than enough ways to get to the Greek Islands from Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds etc.etc.

  • Nick says:

    19 Sep19 September 07:38

    Bob – There is a very good bus service from Heathrow to Gatwick which takes about an hour. Typically there are around 4 buses per day. It is operated by National Express and costs £25 each way. Neither Gatwick nor Manchester airport operate at capacity so presumably British Airways, Easyjet, Ryanair, Flybe have all concluded there is insufficient demand to economically operate a flight between Manchester and Gatwick. A better option might be for you to fly direct from Manchester to Kos with TUI Airways who operate the route in peak season.

    • Bob says:

      19 Sep19 September 10:06

      I know Manchester is well served with other airlines But just a shame BA use Gatwick so much I’m using flight to Malaga this week from Manchester before the end of the service till next May and then October fly to Mauritius with train down to Gatwick from Wakefield cross the road at Kings Cross to St Pancras. Which we found quicker than flying to Heathrow and transferring to Gatwick, that took forever! But cheers anyway.

    • Save East Coast Rewards says:

      20 Sep20 September 09:53

      4 a day? There’s a number of buses every hour! It needs to be relatively frequent as National Express is the recommended way between the airports for connections.

  • Stu N says:

    19 Sep19 September 08:26

    It’s not our national airline. These things barely exist any more and BA certainly hasn’t been a national airline for 3 decades. It’s now a brand operated by a Spanish incorporated European airline group.

    • Mark says:

      19 Sep19 September 13:10

      A Spanish company headquartered in London with a range of British and other European subsidiaries / brands…

      I’d be interested to be a fly on the wall in their Brexit preparation meetings 🙂

  • Andrew says:

    19 Sep19 September 12:06

    “Our National Airline”? It’s a white-label brand of IAG.

• Lee says:

  19 Sep19 September 08:15

  Lettuce all got to Kos 😉

  • Zane says:

    19 Sep19 September 08:39

    Wonder how long you’ve been waiting to use that little gem ????

    • David says:

      19 Sep19 September 22:06

      ????

  • Anna says:

    19 Sep19 September 09:04

    Oh, leaf it out!

    • swhostring says:

      19 Sep19 September 09:28

      BA stole my 4x 1000 Avios, bunch of loose leaves

      • Felix Flyer says:

        19 Sep19 September 11:08

        Suspect these lettuce jokes are just the tip of the iceberg

  • Alex W says:

    19 Sep19 September 09:26

    I’d rather Romaine here thanks

  • Mark says:

    19 Sep19 September 14:05

    All aboard the Rocket Express..

    OK, we’re scraping the salad bowl now… 😉

• PhilW says:

  19 Sep19 September 08:38

  O/T looking at hotels for san fran next year. Thinking of booking a cancellable Hilton as backup should cheaper offers not come along and as the H financial district seems to have a nice lounge. Will Hilton put a hold on my card for the full amount for a whole year?

  • Anna says:

    19 Sep19 September 09:06

    I’ve booked a flexible Hilton rate that far out – the cancellation policy seems to be determined by the rate you choose, not the date you make the booking. This info is included when you are shown the rate.

  • Genghis says:

    19 Sep19 September 10:19

    No

  • Jv says:

    19 Sep19 September 20:52

    No, usually only when the cancellation period passed which is 23:59h in the UK.

• Simon says:

  19 Sep19 September 10:58

  Thanks Rob. Just booked Kos for May half term next year….. Assume prices will only go up….

• Rts says:

  19 Sep19 September 10:59

  Amex cross referrals are back.

• Jordi says:

  19 Sep19 September 11:29

  Thanks for the heads up!! Booked a holiday for end of June 🙂
  Unfortunately only 2 CE seats available and we are with 3.
  Do you know if its possible to upgrade 2 people and the third not ?
  (and hoping for a later redemption seat)

  • ChrisC says:

    20 Sep20 September 03:42

    Yes but the 3rd person would have to be split off the booking and given their own to enable the other 2 to upgrade.

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