Visit the free “BA2119 – Flight of the Future” exhibition at Saatchi Gallery

As part of its 100th birthday celebrations, British Airways is running a special event in August at the Saatchi Gallery in London.

To quote:

What will aviation look like in 20 years, 40 years, 60 years and beyond?

Through in-depth research, and in partnership with the Royal College of Art and world-leading virtual realists, British Airways presents BA 2119: Flight of the Future. An exhibition at Saatchi Gallery which seeks to push the boundaries of imagination and explore how future generations will circumnavigate the globe in a world of advanced jet propulsion, hyper personalisation, automation, AI, modular transport, sustainability, health and entertainment. We hope you enjoy it. 

The exhibition itself is free.  However, for £20, you can take part in a virtual reality experience:

Immerse yourself in the evolution of flight through a first-of-its-kind interactive, multisensory virtual reality experience that traces humankind’s relationship with flight.

Built by multiple award-winning VR creators and an Oscar-winning practical effects team, Fly turns you into a time-travelling pilot, from the earliest imaginings of Leonard da Vinci and his ornithopter, to the Wright Brothers’ first successful attempt at Kitty Beach, to British Airways’ predecessor, Air Transport and Travel’s inaugural flight to Paris. Travel on Concorde before jumping to today’s A350 and onwards to a possible vision of the future of aviation.

The VR experience lasts for 8 minutes and must be prebooked here.  When you look at the small print it begins to sound more interesting:

“Ticket holders will be participating in a multi-sensory, interactive virtual reality experience, that you will experience on top of a motion platform.”

“FLY is a fully immersive experience, including visuals, sound, heat, scent and wind.”

“FLY is a single experience so only one person can book into any given 15 minute interval on the main motion platform.”

….. although in truth it isn’t fully clear how it works.

Rhys and I will be at a preview of the exhibition before it opens to the public on 1st August, so hopefully we can take a look and report back.

Visiting information

The Saatchi Gallery is on Kings Road, a short walk from Sloane Square tube station.  The exhibition runs from 1st to 26th August.

You can learn more about the exhibition and VR experience on the Saatchi Gallery website here.

£20 tickets for the VR experience can be booked via ba.com here.

---

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.

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, 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.

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.