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Air Belgium to operate Toronto flights for British Airways

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As British Airways continues to struggle with the reliability of Boeing 787 fleet, Air Belgium has been called up to take on additional routes.

At present Air Belgium is operating certain Dubai services for BA.

In April and May it will operate one of the Newark services.  From 9th June to 17th August, Air Belgium will operate one of BA’s two daily flights to Toronto.

Flights BA92 and BA93 will be operated by Air Belgium’s ex-Finnair A340.  There are differences of opinion about this aircraft in Business Class – some people complain that it is worn out, but others like the ex-Finnair seating which is seen as preferable to Club World, as the photo below shows.

First Class passengers will be downgraded, although they will retain Concorde Room access and receive First Class Avios and tier points.  No compensation is due except for any fare difference.  Alternatively you can switch to the 2nd daily service.

The same goes for Premium Economy / World Traveller Plus passengers who will be downgraded to Economy / World Traveller or can switch aircraft.


How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 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

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

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

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 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 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 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

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.

American Express Business Platinum

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

American Express Business Gold

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.

Comments (160)

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

  • Georg says:

    O/T – Can anyone recommend a good seat on a Boeing 747 in First Class?

    • roberto says:

      1A or 1K is nice in the nose but you need status to snag it and buddy dining is tight at the front. 2A and 2K are the second choice especially for a couple.

      To be honest its not the best plane to experience First but there are no bad seats in this iconic old bird.

      • BJ says:

        Agreed, used to love 1A/K when I flew ANZ 747 regularly to LAX for work. So much so that I did connecting flights whenever I could to avoid UA 777s direct to SFO. I rate ANZ Business First 747 second only to ancient Thai First on a 747 as my favourite flying experience. Unless I choose a route just to facilitate it then I doubt I will get to fly a 747 again, I think the last time was way back in 2008/9 🙁

      • Matt B says:

        We’re flying in F on the 747 next month, no status so had to make do with 2a and 2k which seems to be the best other than row 1

        • Grant says:

          I assume, like me, you’ll be checking at T-72 to see if Row 1 is available?!

      • Alex says:

        1A and 1K are reserved for Gold status

        • Rob says:

          And that means all passengers are Gold – you can’t take 1A/1K if you are Gold but your partner isn’t.

        • sayling says:

          But if there are no Gold status F passengers interested, you can still grab row 1…

          I got 1A as a lowly silver last year – apparently Paul McCartney’s seat but he wasn’t flying that day 😂

        • john says:

          ..until 72-hours before flight. Not sure if they bump you if you book them when not Gold and then a Gold member shows up and wants them..?

      • xcalx says:

        My second award booking back in 2008 was on this flight and also managed to snag 1A and 1K with no status that was back in the BMI days first ever award booking was JFK-FRA on SQ

    • Georg says:

      Thanks! I’ll check back on that row one then. First time first for me so should be good anyway

  • ADMG says:

    O/T – I am closing in on £10,000 spending limit under my BA Amex. Will the 241 voucher be valid from the date it is earned or from my year end date (which is July)? Additionally does any “excess” spending before the end of my year count towards another voucher or not?

    • Lev441 says:

      It will start from a few days after you reach the £10k limit…
      and spend over and above that won’t count until your new card year starts

    • Matt says:

      From the date earned, and no.

    • Gin and Tonic Please says:

      From the date you earned it.

      Sadly no

    • Darren says:

      Excess spending, no. But if you spend to trigger the voucher and then get a refund on an item the voucher will still be active, you will need to spend £10000 plus the refunded amount on your next voucher.

  • meta says:

    Can you use the gift card to pay for taxes on redemptions with Iberia? That would be useful.

    • Shoestring says:

      sure, with the caveat:
      Gift cards cannot be combined with other special offers or promotions, and neither can they be used to buy tickets for Air Shuttle flights, tickets with Avios or where a discount in Avios applies, or tickets with a discount for residents or large families.

  • Dave Barron says:

    I’m booked on those specific Toronto flights but luckily (in my view) I fly during April so assume I will still get the BA Dreamliner both way.

    • Dave Barron says:

      Also OT I’ve just upgraded from PRGC to Platinum and expect my new card imminently. What’s the process for getting my Priority Pass card? Will this automatically be issued and received around same time as my Amex card?

      In terms of Toronto which is the best lounge to use? Will be travelling as a family with a 3 year old and a 5 year old. Thanks in advance!

      • tom1 says:

        Automatic. In my experience, I got the PP before the Amex card.

        Cant help on Toronto, sorry.

      • fivebobbill says:

        Can’t help you with the best lounge, but I can tell you to avoid the Plaza Premium (Domestic) in T3!! I was transiting through T3 last September and nipped into the above lounge for a seat and a quick bite to eat… bleak, dirty, food on the floor, just terrible… easily the worst lounge I’ve ever been in!
        However, depending on your route, there are a host of lounges accessible with Priority Pass, across Intl and Domestic passengers in both T1 & T3.
        Just be sure to avoid the aforementioned

  • BJ says:

    OT: Anybody waiting for Hilton transactions on avios e store might want to check their accounts. I have had email approvals for 6 of them this morning, all dating back to stays late summer.

    • Doug M says:

      Wait until late this year and they’ll probably all reverse without explanation.

  • Michael says:

    Tried buying Premium bonds last night via Curve Card and Virgin Atlantic credit card. Will report back whats happens and if they try to block it.

    • fivebobbill says:

      Please do, very interested in this, am hoping to invest before the end of the month

    • Bob says:

      I did it last month. Hit spending target for bonus points. No cash advance fees on statement. Thank you curve.

  • Andrew says:

    Is there potential for them to be used to buy UK domestic flights?

    I’ve just tried, but there seems to be a problem with the Iberia website and it’s reallocated all London airports to Leeds Bradford.

  • Tim H says:

    Sorry I am new to Head For Points and I can’t see how I can add comment/question to a previous article so sorry for posting here.

    Can anybody tell me whether I will get a choice re where my Avios bonus will be credited if I open BA Premium Plus Amex card. BA exec or Amex account?

    • Shoestring says:

      The points sit in your BAPP Amex a/c until once a month they get swept across to your BAEC a/c – you can’t change this or move the points elsewhere from the Amex a/c

    • bsuije says:

      Welcome to HfP!

      I think comments sections get closed down after a little while, hence why you wouldn’t be able to post comments on most old articles.

      Re your question – Shoestring is absolutely right. With co-branded Amex cards, such as BA and SPG, your points get transferred once a month into your Avios / Marriott Bonvoy accounts. If you wanted a card where you have a choice about where your points end up, have a look at the Amex Platinum or Gold cards. With those you earn Amex Membership Reward Points, which can then be transferred into various airlines / hotel programs as and when you choose.

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

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