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British Airways pilots vote to accept revised pay deal

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The British Airways pilot fleet has voted to accept BA’s revised pay offer.  This removes the threat of further industrial action.  

The vote was reportedly 86.5% in favour, which I found surprising given the hostility towards the deal from a couple of pilots I spoke with.  My understanding is that there is still limited trust in certain commitments given by the airline, although Alex Cruz has agreed to monthly meetings with BALPA.

British Airways pilots accept pay deal

You need to remember that the union had effectively caved in, with the original offer being remarkably similar to the original one which was vehemently rejected at the time. 

The pay rise element of 11.5% has not changed markedly, except for some inflation protection should CPI shoot up.

It is not clear if there will now be adjustments made to the pay deal accepted by cabin crew, since there was an understanding that both groups would receive an equal package.


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.

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.

Comments (115)

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

  • Ben says:

    Hi

    I wonder if someone could help me as I am terrible with working out whether using points are a good deal or not for something. I can either pay £1090 for a Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy class fare return to JNB and collect about 11,000 miles or spend £480 and 25,000 miles and an economy to premium economy upgrade voucher and still fly premium. Is the using of the 25,000 miles and the upgrade voucher worth it based on an upfront saving of just over £600 before you take into account the using of 25,000 miles and their value?

    Thanks

    • Charlieface says:

      Assuming you value 11k Virgins at 1p each, the cash ticket is 1090-110=£980. The points ticket meanwhile is 480+250=£730 giving a benefit because of the upgrade at £250. It’s very dependent on what else you would use it for (and when the expiry is), but I would think it’s fair value, others may differ.
      The maths changes a good bit if you use a points value of 0.75p, which again depends on what you would otherwise use them for, and gives a voucher benefit of £340.

  • Riccatti says:

    By end-week, VA sale fares can be gone for interesting bits.

    Already see thin 1-2 places availability for the cheapest PE.

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

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