Fly a British Airways Boeing 787 in First to Amsterdam

If you’ve never flown British Airways Club World (not Club Suite, unfortunately) then now is your cheapest ever opportunity.  You may even be able to try First Class.

British Airways is rostering a Boeing 787 on the Amsterdam route for the next few weeks.

It is currently scheduled to fly:

Outbound

• Tuesday and Friday, 08.20 Heathrow, arr 10.40 Amsterdam

Inbound

• Tuesday and Friday, 12.10 Amsterdam, arr 12.30 Heathrow

The last flight is Friday 31st July.  Remember that British Airways can swap aircraft at will so a Boeing 787 is not guaranteed, but I imagine that these flights are being rostered for cargo purposes and so are likely to remain in the schedule.

This is what I see when I do a dummy booking and select a seat:

As a BA Gold, I am allowed to sit in First Class (row 1 and 2) or Club World with a Business Class ticket.  Not all flights seem to be operated by the 787-9, which has First Class, but some are and it is clear from the seat map before you book.

You do NOT get access to the Concorde Room at Heathrow, as your ticket shows Business Class and not First Class.

For clarity, be aware that there is a chance that – on the day – cabin crew will decide to close First Class and make you sit in Club World.  You have no recompense if that happens.  The service is the same regardless of where you sit.

You are, of course, taking a gamble on the UK inbound quarantine restrictions being lifted by the date you travel.

Irrespective of UK travel guidelines, UK citizens cannot enter the Netherlands until at least 6th July without going into 14 days quarantine.  Technically, of course, this doesn’t stop you doing a day trip or even an overnight trip.

An Avios redemption would be fully cancellable up to 24 hours before travel for a full refund less a £35 fee.  If you booked for cash, you would be able to cancel for free for a British Airways ‘Book With Confidence’ travel voucher, valid until April 2022.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2023)

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Successfully apply for either of the Barclaycard Avios credit cards by 2nd April 2023 and you will be entered into a free draw to win ONE MILLION AVIOS! Full details are on the application forms here (free) and here (paid). This competition is exclusive to Head for Points readers. T&C apply.

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.

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.

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.

Until 30th March 2023, the sign up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. The bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. T&C apply, see the application forms for details.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.