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British Airways launches flights from London Heathrow to Preveza and Bastia

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British Airways has announced two new Summer routes to Preveza (Greece) and Bastia (Corsica) starting from May 2019.

Flights to Preveza will be operating on Wednesdays and Sundays starting on 26th May, departing London Heathrow at 08:20 on Wednesdays (arriving 13:45) and 11:25 on Sundays (arriving 16:50) and returning from Preveza at 14:45 on Wednesdays (arriving 16:10). This seasonal flight will be operated until 29th September.

British Airways A320

Starting on 25th May there will also be a once weekly flight from Heathrow to Bastia. This flight will be operating on Saturdays leaving Heathrow at 07:40 (arriving 11:00) and returning from Bastia at 11:50 (landing at 13:10). The last flight of the season will be on 28th September.

As new routes, London Heathrow to Preveza and Bastia are wide open for Avios availability and bookable as of now.

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.

On the downside, British Airways has announced that flights to Murcia will not resume next Summer.  There has also been an unannounced cut in the weekend services from Manchester to Ibiza, which drop from four weekly flights to just one.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus card

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

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Barclaycard Avios card

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There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

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British Airways American Express

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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

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

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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 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

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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.

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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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

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American Express Business Gold

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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 (144)

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

  • Kai says:
    18 Oct18 October 14:49

    OT: Do CE passengers flying out of LCY get any vouchers in lieu of lounge access?

    • Stu N says:
      18 Oct18 October 15:45

      Nope.

      From what I can ascertain, you get the following “perks” flying CE out of City:
      – priority boarding. This means you’re hemmed into a sub-pen at the gate and allowed to start the dash to the plane a few moments before the rest of the passengers
      – a light meal, the value of which depends on time of flight. Quality was decent IIRC and the booze is freely available (not that it’s usually restricted in ET – remember LCY isn’t on “buy on board” and shows no signs of going that way).
      – extra tier points and Avios if it’s a cash booking.

      IMO it’s really not worth it unless you need the TPs.

      • William PH says:
        18 Oct18 October 16:19

        And 2 large suitcases. I recently cancelled a Y redemption and booked one in J from LCY to AMS when I needed to take a lot of kit across – much cheaper than the fees they wanted to charge for extra bags in Y!

        • Shoestring says:
          18 Oct18 October 16:24

          Another perk more useful for LHR than LCY – CE can also check in w/ checked luggage from 5AM whereas ET need to wait for T-3 hrs approx

        • Stu N says:
          18 Oct18 October 22:08

          I always forget about luggage as we never use more than one bag short haul, and never fly less than business long haul*.

          *not being boastful here – I keep the receipt for a WT+ flight we took in 2014 as a reminder of how much we have learned in the last two or three years about premium travel for non-premium prices…

  • Shoestring says:
    18 Oct18 October 16:21

    O/T compo news: I mentioned a couple of weeks a that people have won MCOL cases claiming EC261 compo against BA for delayed flights due to in house strikes – which are no longer seen as extraordinary circs. (You wouldn’t stand a chance with ATC strikes.)

    Now CAA is advising Ryanair passengers hit by Ryanair strikes to claim compo
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/holidays/article-6232711/Watchdog-tells-Ryanair-passengers-claim-compensation-strike-delays.html

    You can go back 6 years.

    • Mr(s) Entitled says:
      18 Oct18 October 16:54

      If this is comp under EC261, can I go back and make a claim from Lufthansa for their own, frequent, industrial action? Flight was GER to UK.

      • Shoestring says:
        18 Oct18 October 16:58

        Sure – CAA is encouraging it against Ryanair for the same reasons you would probably win against Lufthansa. CAA considers the airlines have NOT done their best to keep the flights going in these in house strike situations (which are foreseeable and manageable). Be prepared to fight, though. Or consider Bott & Co if you don’t want the hassle.

    • Lady London says:
      18 Oct18 October 20:24

      Do you think that’s fair @Shoestring?

      • Shoestring says:
        18 Oct18 October 20:34

        I think that’d depend on the size of the airline & it’s ability to sort out crew issues – for Ryanair, BA, Lufthansa: they’re huge and should make back-up/ contingency plans. Also all 3 seem very poor at managing staff to avoid strikes. Also knowing that 95% of people won’t claim, then yes I would look after number 1 even if it was slightly unfair to these huge corporations. Maybe make it fairer by not letting crews go on strike without 15 days’ notice.

  • Sam says:
    18 Oct18 October 17:01

    Planning to do a Fri-Sun somewhere reachable via Eurostar in the middle of November. Any particular good SPG hotel redemptions I should be aware of?

    • Lady London says:
      18 Oct18 October 21:04

      Hum. November. Freezing and foggy in a lot of places. However wine, mushrooms and truffles wonderful at that time. Game in season. Sorry I don’t know any nice SPG /Marriott hotels in Piedmont/Alba, or Burgundy. But I wish I did.

  • Alex W says:
    18 Oct18 October 17:51

    OT. I’ve been told it’s best to order Thai Baht before arrival. What is the cheapest way to do this? Can I order it from somewhere in Baht and have it charged to Curve, therefore saving on FX fees? Thanks, sorry if this is a stupid question.

    • Genghis says:
      18 Oct18 October 18:59

      I thought physical cash in Bangkok is best?

      • Shoestring says:
        18 Oct18 October 19:18

        Rule always used to be: take USD banknotes and get them changed locally (in BKK) for the best exchange rate. Can’t see you stand to lose much if you used an ATM (there’ll be a small fee such as 200 Baht) and withdraw (say) £300 a time on a card such as Clarity. All the hotels will accept cards. I wouldn’t get Baht n the UK – crap rate everywhere.

        • mr dee says:
          18 Oct18 October 20:07

          Same for AUD?

        • Alex W says:
          18 Oct18 October 20:15

          Thanks, might take some USD then as 200 Baht is nearly 5 quid a time.
          I was wondering if ordering Baht online can I also PAY in Baht, therefore avoiding any FX fee… I guess not otherwise how would they make any money!

        • Shoestring says:
          18 Oct18 October 21:11

          Mr Dee – in Aus just use the ATM 🙂

        • Shoestring says:
          18 Oct18 October 21:13

          Oh right AUD – should be true same as GBP/ EUR I guess

      • Londonbus says:
        23 Oct23 October 09:14

        Yes. Take £50 notes and change them at SuperRich on Sukhumvit.

        If you must use a Thai ATM then do large withdrawals.

  • Shoestring says:
    18 Oct18 October 18:51

    O/T amongst a lot of the usual dross on FT there is a gem today – BA AGP-LGW £13.50 ow (Malaga-Gatwick) – various dates January through May 2019.

    Decent long weekend for £50 return. Not an error fare. Cheap car hire in off season as well. H/T FT.

  • Lee says:
    18 Oct18 October 20:10

    OT – Marriott 29 ways game
    looks like Marriott has changed their T&C to state per day,

    The total maximum ARV of all prizes is $3,731,553.40USD. Limit one (1) Instant Win Prize per person, per day.

    Another 50 points closer to my next holiday

    • Alex W says:
      18 Oct18 October 20:28

      Hurrah! Thanks for the heads up, another 50 points each for us. Marriott seems to have done more U-turns than I don’t know what.

      • Lady London says:
        18 Oct18 October 21:01

        …than a corkscrew?

        • Stu N says:
          18 Oct18 October 22:15

          Whoop! Just won a second 50pts on my partner’s account.

          Worked out I can play in the time it takes our vending machine to make a cup of tea so persevered on my own account but I’m now back to two plays a day for both of us.

          Thanks for heads-up.

    • Mike says:
      19 Oct19 October 13:16

      Awesome! 1000pts instant win for me today…

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