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British Airways launches flights from Glasgow to Palma – with 160 tier points

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We have covered a few new BA route launches recently – to San Sebastian from City, to Portland in Oregon and to a range of new short-haul places from Heathrow.

British Airways is also launching a new summer-only service from Glasgow to Palma next year.  From the end of May there will be a weekly flight on Saturdays departing from Glasgow at 2.45pm, with the return from Palma at 7.50pm.

This is a ‘160 tier point’ route (80 tier points each way) according to BA’s tier point calculator.  If any good value Club Europe fares turn up then it would be a way of working towards, or renewing, British Airways Executive Club status.

If you want to know about other Avios redemption ideas from Glasgow, this HFP article looks at Avios flights from UK regional airports.

There will also be an extra weekly flight from Stansted to Florence starting on 3rd May.

Both of these services will use an Embraer 190, usually used at London City during the week, with 2 x 2 seating in both Euro Traveller and Club Europe.  Cash and Avios tickets are available now at ba.com.

Win in the BTN Christmas quiz

If you get a quiet 30 minutes over Christmas, you might want to take a look at the Christmas quiz over at Business Travel News.  You need to identify 40 aircraft or airlines, often by just their tail fins.

Malcolm, who runs Business Travel News, has put together a decent list of prizes including easyJet flights, Gatwick shopping vouchers, Heathrow Express tickets and Plaza Premium lounge passes.  It is very possible that no-one scores maximum points so don’t feel bad about entering if you can’t get them all, or even close.

The quiz is over at Business Travel News here. Entries close 4th January.

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.

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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

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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.

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (71)

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

  • Ant says:
    22 Dec22 December 11:49

    OT: Has anyone flown West jet PE to Vancouver? It is about £500 cheaper for our dates but I have no idea if it is any good.

  • Alex M says:
    22 Dec22 December 12:37

    OT: Putney area proved to be a gold mine for shop small -many corner shops accept amex for oyster top up and all chain stores are on amex ss map: 3 Sainsbury’s, tesco, boots, Superdrug etc. Purchases there didn’t trigger email so will have to chase amex, but can’t see why they won’t honour their map.

    • Lumma says:
      22 Dec22 December 14:38

      Are you sure that you’ve used the correct map? Googling “shop small map” the 3rd link down (I think) is just the standard AMEX map which shows everywhere that accepts. I made the same mistake on one of the first days of the offer. Went in a pub (which seemed more like a chain pub to me) that was on that map and didn’t get the email. Didn’t think much of it then when I checked the map again I realised that McDonald’s and Costa were both on it too.

      • Shoestring says:
        22 Dec22 December 14:58

        no SS for me this year! didn’t fancy fish ‘n chips (too greasy)

        buggerall else apart from a couple of pubs & I was on stop-ember/ ober since September (self-imposed stop-ember ended with No1 yesterday, gotta have something to look forward to in life

        apparently I have agreed to get a stripey kitten (no 2 cat) & so wife & kids not too unhappy with that slightly drunk guy in the lounge

      • Alex M says:
        22 Dec22 December 17:01

        Damm it, I think you are all right. Should be more attentive next year…

        • Liz says:
          22 Dec22 December 19:19

          I completed my 70 transactions over my 7 cards. So far 61 have credited. 4 I didn’t receive emails and they haven’t credited yet so might need to chase but will give it more time.

        • Lady London says:
          23 Dec23 December 17:41

          Wow @Liz. Bet that took some organization. It’s lucky that supps get their own set of offers isn’t it?

  • Tanya says:
    22 Dec22 December 12:38

    OT- I have a platinum Amex business card. If I cancel this is if a 6 month or 2 year wait to qualify for the introduction bonus?

    I’ve been following this website for 1 year now and my husband and I have done Mexico return in business , are due I go to Hong Kong in business in March and Mauritius in November 2020 using 2-4-1. Many thanks up you all for the tips and advice to help us achieve this!

    • Rob says:
      22 Dec22 December 12:56

      6 months for another Bus Plat. No impact on Personal Plat which ignores Bus cards.

    • Jill (Kinkell) says:
      22 Dec22 December 13:58

      Mauritius was our very first 241 redemption about 12 years ago and it was a 747 and We got seats on the upper deck. Totally hooked on this flying lark !

  • JAD says:
    22 Dec22 December 12:56

    O/T Following up a few posts I made yesterday and some very helpful responses from many regulars re a duty of care issue due to a BA flight booking change next year. Just received an email in response to a complaint made yesterday following discussion with BA CSAs which basically says ‘as advised by BA CSAs they (under EU legislation) do not accept they have a liability to reimburse for overnight accommodation’ due to them changing their schedule and me now requiring an overnight stay at LHR which was not required before their schedule change. I don’t accept this response as I believe they have a duty of care to pay for this additional nights accommodation (and all responses to my posts yesterday agreed) and wanted to ask how best to respond the email. Is there some specific text that’s worth quoting back to them in this kind of situation? Thanks.

    • Shoestring says:
      22 Dec22 December 13:25

      Just ignore it & go ahead with the hotel etc – then submit your claim, take it from there.

      Hard not to worry a bit as you might prefer a cheaper hotel if you were paying with your own money or would find another solution – but I assure you, duty of care applies = £200 hotel + £25 food (not booze)

      • Shoestring says:
        22 Dec22 December 13:43

        schedule change by more than 2hrs = duty of care

        sounds like it’s a cancellation & replacement with alternative flight, doesn’t really matter if they try and call it schedule change, your contract with BA is for the original timing & that’s what EC261 law protects

        but now you are starting to see why 95% of people won’t get compo when they are legally entitled to it – BA have an excellent full-on BS operation where EC261 is concerned & perhaps you should actually be very happy about the BS answers – the BS means the other 95% of potential claimants walk away, leaving more compo in the pot for you

        • Lady London says:
          22 Dec22 December 18:47

          I wonder how big would a fine for ‘procedurally structured systematic denial of passengers rights under EU61’ have to be to make British Airways stop doing this to innocent passengers.

          • Shoestring says:
            22 Dec22 December 19:07

            it might sound bloody selfish but I am only concerned about getting compo for me & my family

            the people who give up at the first, second or third hurdle? they can go whistle for the lunch they’re not going to get

            I am very happy that 95% of people don’t get the compo they are legally entitled to – as otherwise BA would go bust overnight & *I* wouldn’t *win*

            of course, all you have to do is tune in to HFP to be part of my greater/ extended family and get compo tips! 🙂

            signing off, Mr Selfish lol

          • Lady London says:
            23 Dec23 December 03:36

            I think you’ve stated how most people actually feel when it comes down to it, @Shoestring 🙂

      • BJ says:
        22 Dec22 December 13:53

        +1, stay at the Sofitel.

        • JAD says:
          22 Dec22 December 15:03

          Thanks Harry, BJ, was thinking about the Sofitel as stayed there many times before. In the meantime will reply to email, tell them I do not accept their response re duty of care and will claim hotel etc back post trip. No doubt wasting my breath given their attitude – but I see this as a black and white case. The need for an additional nights accommodation at LHR is 100% down to a BA flight time change and the fact they can no longer get me back to LHR in time for the last EDI flight that day.

          • Shoestring says:
            22 Dec22 December 15:07

            I think the Sofitel is the secret hotel for about £90-120 depending on date
            https://headforpoints.com/2018/04/18/book-5-star-sofitel-heathrow-terminal-5/

          • Harry T says:
            22 Dec22 December 16:41

            I’ve booked the Sofitel through Secret Hotels before.

          • Lady London says:
            23 Dec23 December 03:40

            Yes. you’ve now asked them 3 times in the form of 2 requests, of which you’ve presumably kept who you spoke to, date and time (or perhaps a telephone record?) plus their formal rejection of your complaint – which seems completely breathtaking in the circumstances. So personally based on this attitude so far I think you need to keep a record of this and refer to those earlier requests in your claim immediately after you’ve done their replacement flight giving them 14 days to respond and reimburse you.

            They will almost certainly fail to come back to you within 14 days based on previous performance. So just do a moneyclaim online for it mentioning all of the above again in the claim. @Shoestring can you see any reason why any further requests to BA would be needed before doing so?

            Oh, and please keep us informed 🙂

          • Lady London says:
            24 Dec24 December 22:07

            Can I just check the obvious, your weekend away out and back all the way from and to EDI is definitely on one BA ticket isn’t it? Checking because I just can’t understand why BA is being so obdurate – just in case.

      • Lady London says:
        22 Dec22 December 18:31

        Put your claim in immediately you flew the flight they replaced the booked one with.

        Don’t forget you are entitled to claim transport to/from the hotel, dinner and breakfast.

        I will take a bet that if there is any thought or strategy in British Airways’s head on this, as opposed to junior staff having been trained to operate an illegal script, then perhaps they are hoping you might help them out by volunteering to take an earlier flight instead?

        In that case, given how very many people must be being illegally and systematically denied their statutory rights by BA, let them rot and ensure you claim the max.

        • Yuff says:
          22 Dec22 December 19:04

          I’ve emailed them 3 times about my claim and the 3rd email from BA referred me to CEDR, on Friday.
          I replied straight away saying I dud not wish to use their independent adjudicator and wanted to pursue a MCOL and would they please confirm this was their final offer and address fir court documents. Their CEDR email came back within the hour, no response to my MCOL email yet.
          I stayed in the Sofitel and had to get a suite as there was 4 of us, cost was no different to 2 rooms.

          • AD says:
            22 Dec22 December 19:49

            @Yuff – Looks like I may end up in a similar position to you in pursuing a claim – so would be very interested in hearing how you get on!

        • JAD says:
          22 Dec22 December 19:46

          Thanks LL – yes I will claim as soon as possible. My flight is not until early June next year. I’ve already been given the options of cancelling the whole trip, coming back a day earlier and even we’ll fly you back from another airport – which is surely a joke given that this is a 2 night city break and it’s ridiculous to suggest travelling from one Eastern European capital city to another under our own steam to get a flight back to the UK! I’ll be taking the only viable option of overnighting in LHR and pursuing BA for the cost of the accommodation and food etc.

          • Lady London says:
            23 Dec23 December 03:46

            Oh dear! This almost sounds like bullying!
            When if they just looked at your case, of course none of those options are practical.

            Good luck and please keep us informed.

          • Lady London says:
            23 Dec23 December 03:53

            PS if there’s another airline (even non-OneWorld) that you could fly back on that would get you back close enough (noting what’s in EU261 about replacement flights and how early and late they can be) then I have a feeling BA might actually have been prepared to reroute you on that other airline if they could understand that you are correct about EU261 and will be claiming out of pocket overnight expenses and meals. They are supposed to anyway but would normally resist that anyway.

            However being in the regions I guess there are not any alternatives even on such as KLM or AF or LH. From the way you describe it there really is no alternative to the overnight their schedule change is forcing you to spend at Heathrow.

            Just keep an eye out around late March/April – flights that have disappeared have been known to come back again, or be rescheduled back again, in the twice-yearly global change seasons and that’s one of them. So I would definitely not make a nonrefundable hotel reservation.

  • Jack says:
    22 Dec22 December 13:00

    OT – bit of a random one. Flying into JFK next month in a group of 6. All 6 of us coming over from LHR with relatively large, checked baggage. I’ve looked at booking an SUV transfer but the baggage rules seem a bit confusing – most simply say 6 pieces of ‘standard size luggage’. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of booking? Would standard size normally include larger checked bags, or do they generally mean smaller carry on baggage? Thanks in advance

    • Shoestring says:
      22 Dec22 December 13:48

      when we travel as 5 with loads of luggage we get a proper transit van sort of taxi, not JFK though

      I think it was a Mercedes Benz not transit van last night but same principle

      I can’t see 6 of you with plenty of luggage being comfortable or even accommodated in a SUV, the 7 seaters usually have 3 seats in a row fit for toddlers not adults

      • Jack says:
        22 Dec22 December 15:37

        Sure, we usually get a similar Mercedes/Transit-type thing on way to LHR for 4 of us and it’s plenty big enough, so was trying to find a similar thing at JFK but only coming up with their SUVs etc. With hindsight, we’ve had similar Lincoln SUV things in Dubai with Jumeirah before for 4 of us and it can be a squash, so I’ll try and find another alternative – thanks anyway!

  • ali says:
    22 Dec22 December 17:40

    OT – upgrading with 2 for 1 companion booking

    I understand that if you want to change your flight, you can do so until 24 hours departure for a £35 fee

    If you wanted to upgrade the cabin for the return journey after flying the outbound, can you do this and still apply the 2 for 1?

    • memesweeper says:
      22 Dec22 December 20:12

      Not AFAIK. The return becomes unchangable after the outbound has been flown.

      • Stu N says:
        22 Dec22 December 21:57

        Not true, you can upgrade your return after flying outbound. I’ve done it twice.

        You’ll be charged the Avios difference plus any change in taxes, fees and charges (usually not much if CW to F). May or may not be charged the £35 change fee.

        • ali says:
          22 Dec22 December 23:19

          Thanks Stu

          Do you know if you still get charged 1x avios if there are 2 pax travelling on a 2 for 1?

  • Alex Sm says:
    22 Dec22 December 21:14

    So many OTs, let me bring it back to the original topics and say thank you for the link to the quiz. My partner and I will definitely do it over the break and will win something. We already won a trip to Japan, a trip to Austria, a stay at a hotel and 80,000 miles and more through these and other quizzes. And follow my Twitter for more win and fly opportunities! Merry Xmas everyone

  • Roy says:
    22 Dec22 December 22:37

    O/T IHG promotions

    It was all going so well. Had a stay that posted to my Accelerate dashboard, and the 1000 point bonus from the 4x promotion hit along with the base points.

    Then I had another say. No Accelerate targets relevant this time…. but the double base points didn’t show up. I guess IHG IT is borked again….

    Oh well…

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