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British Airways launches flights to Antalya

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British Airways has announced a new holiday route for Summer 2020 – Antalya in Turkey.

The route will operate from London Gatwick.  There will be up to six flights per week – frequency increases as we get into the Summer – with the first flight departing on 30th April.  It is scheduled to run until 29th October although there is always the possibility that it will become a year-round route if successful.

British Airways already runs a Summer-only service to Dalaman from Gatwick and, of course, there are daily flights to Istanbul from Heathrow.

Tickets are bookable now, for both cash and Avios.  A standard redemption is 17,000 Avios off-peak / 20,000 peak + £35 in Euro Traveller and 34,000 Avios off-peak / 40,000 peak + £50 in Club Europe.  Under the current variable pricing trial, you can choose to pay as little as £1 in tax by using more Avios, although this option is not available if using a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 voucher.

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.

I don’t know anything about Antalya, although British Airways says:

“Antalya is often described as the gateway to the Turquoise Coast with some of the most stunning landscapes in Turkey.  The beaches and crystal-clear Mediterranean Sea are perfect for sunbathing, swimming and water sports.  As well as the rolling landscapes and beaches, the region has two-thousand years of history with a range of spectacular temples and Greco-Roman ruins close by, as well as a bustling food and cultural scene.”

The hotel scene looks a bit desperate, to be honest.  The best option appears to be the four star Crowne Plaza – website here – which is handy for anyone with IHG Rewards Club status or with IHG points to redeem.

PS.  BA giveth and BA taketh away.  This announcement came in parallel with the dropping of Summer services from Gatwick to Gibraltar and Limoges.  The Heathrow service to Gibraltar will continue.

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

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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

25,000 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 – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a 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, 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.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review

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

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

40,000 points sign-up bonus 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.

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (234)

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

  • Shoestring says:
    10 Oct10 October 06:57

    Eating or drinking on trains and buses should be banned to bring an end to the country’s “mindless” snack culture, England’s Chief Medical Officer has said. In her final report, Dame Sally Davies called for more taxes on unhealthy foods and said chocolate bars and crisps should be in plain wrapping, similar to cigarette packaging. Dame Sally said children were “drowning in a flood of unhealthy food and drink options” that had fuelled a doubling in obesity in 30 years.

    • BJ says:
      10 Oct10 October 07:01

      What are the odds against BA jumping on the bandwagon first?

    • Anna says:
      10 Oct10 October 13:32

      For heaven’s sake, no-one is going to lose weight by not eating on the bus!
      As for BA, it’s a scientific fact that F & B consumed en route to one’s holiday destination has no calories or other harmful effects, otherwise I obviously wouldn’t have champagne and bacon rolls for breakfast 🤣

  • Peter says:
    10 Oct10 October 07:11

    should we infer from the retrograde iPad app “upgrade” which stripped out 90% of the functionality that the app was previously as insecure as their web page which led to a £183 million fine? I think we should be told

  • TripRep says:
    10 Oct10 October 07:13

    Actually thought that the BA android phone app is okay. Certainly better than the VS equivalent

    • Oh! Matron! says:
      10 Oct10 October 08:19

      I don’t know what the VS app experience is like on Android, but it’s Sllllllloooooooowwwwwwww on iOS. I work in Mobility, and struggle to understand what the hell it is Virgin are doing in the background.

      Years ago I attended a session that Virgin ran in London and had a facilitator, customers, people from Virgin and other peeps from the industry. We spent the day coming up with ideas (our team came up with an idea of matching passengers with a common destination after landing, so that they could share a taxi… Yes, I was more naive back then). Anyway, even though this must have been ten years ago, I stressed that they needed to invest in APIs

      If the banking industry can get together and develop the OpenAPI initiative for banks (I can “add” all my accounts to my Tandem app, for example), why, in the love of everything that is holy, can’t the travel industry. “Fraud” you mention? Again, if the BANKING industry can do it…..

  • Andy S says:
    10 Oct10 October 07:21

    BA app on Android has a rating of 4.2. presumably the same it department. So this probably says more about iPhone users!

  • Stuart Stebbings says:
    10 Oct10 October 07:32

    The BA for iPhone works fine and has 4.6 stars. It also works on the iPad. Why the iPad specific app is so awful is a mystery. Maybe theyasked the local pre-school group to write it.

    • Oh! Matron! says:
      10 Oct10 October 08:11

      the BA app on the iPhone is one of the better airline apps out there. My baseline, ie the lowest, is a draw between Ukraine Airlines and Lufthansa

    • bsuije says:
      10 Oct10 October 09:58

      I think that maybe many people use an iPad as a replacement for a computer, and therefore expect that an app on the iPad can replace a business’ website? Whereas, the phone app is probably mainly used for check-in and checking your account.

  • Cat says:
    10 Oct10 October 07:36

    The Antalya CP is really quite pleasant actually – I’ve stayed there when I’ve met up with a friend who worked in Iraq, and it made a great base to hike sections of the Lycian way. Plus it was exceedingly good value, esp when you factor in Accelerate bonuses. On the top floor, there’s a very pleasant ladies only hammam (there’s also a mixed one), the gym has a fabulous view of the Mediterranean, and the swimming pools are quite lovely.

  • DaveL says:
    10 Oct10 October 07:53

    OT – RE applying for the Amex business gold. Are there any rules that the spend has to all be strictly ‘business’ spend.? The £3k for sign up bonus would be a challenge from a business spend perspective.
    TIA

    • Roberto says:
      10 Oct10 October 07:58

      Spend it on what ever you want..

      • memesweeper says:
        10 Oct10 October 08:39

        If you are charging any card fees to the business — or linking it to your accounting software — then I think you need to bill only business costs. Your accountant can advise. They might be relaxed about the odd personal expense that is immediately applied to a directors loan account for instance.

        If it’s unlinked to your business then fill your boots. The Amex contract is with you, not your firm, AFAIK.

        • ken says:
          10 Oct10 October 10:36

          No fee for Gold Business in year 1.

          No problem putting all non business spend on & paying balance from your own personal current account. Then never hits company books at all.

  • Mohac says:
    10 Oct10 October 07:59

    Normally Antalya is not the final destination to stay but rather to visit. I fly to Antalya but stay in Belek, Lara or Kemer (up t 1 hour from the airport). They have wonderful hotels there. Check out Maxx Royal for instance…

    • Cat says:
      10 Oct10 October 09:19

      I absolutely loved Cirali beach, but that was half a lifetime ago, so I have no idea what it’s like now.
      Termessos is a stunning day trip from Antalya – the view from the amphitheatre takes my breath away!

      • ankomonkey says:
        10 Oct10 October 12:05

        I’m hoping to visit Cirali next year.

        • Cat says:
          10 Oct10 October 12:58

          Enjoy! It’s a fun area to explore, and dirt cheap. My recommendations may be hopelessly out of date, but Fethiye was lovely too, back in the day. Definitely visit Termessos!

    • Dawn says:
      10 Oct10 October 15:19

      For those who don’t know much about Turkey, I personally would not recommend Antalya unless you like high rise hotels and are booking as a family maybe for all inclusive. Or to go to Belek for golf – it’s perfect for that as it’s the closest airport.
      I’ve been travelling to Turkey since 1987 and have two apartments in Sarigerme (near Dalaman) and suggest this area, Oludeniz (if you want family all inclusive and a resort), Kemer, Kalkan, Kas. This way you will see the real Turkey and have less expensive prices. Don’t forget Cappodocia – it should be up the top of everyone’s bucket list as is a very unknown area by most people. Sarigerme itself is a 200m long village with lovely bars and restaurants and a fabulous sandy beach perfect for children as there’s no ‘drop off’ in the water. My heart, as you can tell, is in Turkey!

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