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The British Airways virtual reality experience arrives in Gateshead

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The British Airways virtual reality experience, Fly, is opening at PROTO, Gateshead on Wednesday 16th October.

Fly is an ‘interactive, full motion, multisensory experience that traces humankind’s relationship to flying – the first of its kind’.  To quote:

“Through a full-motion, interactive 3D virtual reality pod, visitors will become a time-travelling pilot and navigate their way through aviation history from Leonardo da Vinci’s earliest day-dreams of soaring through the sky as a bird to his ornithopter design, followed by the Wright Brothers’ first successful attempt at flight on Kitty Hawk, to British Airways’ predecessor, AT&T’s, first passenger flight to Paris. Users will also experience travel on Concorde before piloting the brand new A350 and onwards to a vision of the possible vision of the future of aviation. The uplifting experience is a treat for the senses as Fly incorporates heat, motion, wind and scent on the travel through time and the imagined flight of the future.”

We reviewed Fly when it was in London in August as part of the airline’s BA 2119: Flight of the Future project.  Here is Rhys giving it a go:

Trying out the BA2119 Virtual Reality experience

You can book it online at the BA 2119 website here, picking a specific time slot.  It is availble until 17th November.  The price has been halved from the London run, and you will only pay £10 in Gateshead instead of £20.

This is how it looks from the outside:


How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 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

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

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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

Huge 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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

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Capital on Tap Pro Visa

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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

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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.

Comments (61)

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

  • Roger says:

    Will Marriott £50 off £200 offer work on spend beyond 31st December, if it is a prepaid rate and hotel charges for the booking straight away?

    Any feedback is welcome

    • TGLoyalty says:

      Yes as long as it’s charged to card before 31st it’ll work.

    • Rob says:

      Should do, as long as the hotel does actually charge you – sometimes they don’t and need a nudge.

  • Steve says:

    O/T Virgin Atlantic CC upgrade voucher – when upgrading from Economy to Premium Economy are extra taxes due? I think for BA this is the case and hoping its not with VA. Trying to work out the real value of the voucher and if its worth using it or waiting for a VA sale on PE.

    • Ben says:

      Yes, it would be the premium economy taxes due, so around £470 for a LHR-NYC return in taxes and fees

  • SG says:

    Shoestring,could you please remind us how we’re you getting your Now TV passes so low ?I remember you mentioning of some other offer on top of the current Amex one?
    Looking at stocking up on some Sports passes,now quite sure what will be best deal,monthly or daily(to be used for F1)

  • Roger says:

    OT

    I have full day layover at AUH airport after flight in Y
    will have priority pass but looking to see what to do in Abu Dhabi during day time?

  • Shoestring says:

    I was denied food & booze on my flight out yesterday even though I was travellung in Club.

    I do not mind about the food as it is pig’s trough stuff anyway.

    But who the hell are BA to tell me ‘I think you had enough already, Sir’?

    What are my rights under EC261 legislation?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      Denied food?

      Tbh every club meal I’ve had the past year has been great.

    • Lady London says:

      Were you.. . er.. trollied? What exactly did you ask for, that you did not get?
      I would have thought that feeding someone would actually help if there were any worries on the part of the crew.

      Or, has BA come up with this as a way of trying to avoid telling Club Class passengers BA did not load enough meals ?

      I hope you are enjoying your break in the sun, Harry. UK was miserable weather last week.

  • PaulC says:

    O/T – Do foreign hilton hotels booked and paid online charge in foreign currency?
    Basically am I best using my Gold AMEX to gain 2x points or my Curve linked to Lloyds to avoid 2.99% exchange fee?

    • Rob says:

      Curve, unless the spend would impact whether you hit the £15k Gold threshold for 10k bonus points on renewal.

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

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