Three new Avios redemptions are now bookable from Newcastle

Iberia Express has launched three new routes to Spain from Newcastle. There’s only one catch – they are only operating for eight days over the New Year!

Madrid, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria will all be running over this period, presumably to attract those looking for a bit of winter sun.

The flights don’t seem to be targetted at those returning home for Christmas, as the start on Boxing Day and finish before Epiphany, when the Spanish traditionally open their gifts!

This is the ENTIRE schedule:

26th December

I2 3990 departs Madrid at 8:30am and arrives in Newcastle at 10:10am

I2 3997 departs Newcastle at 10:50am and arrives in Lanzarote at 15:25

27th December

I2 3990 departs Madrid at 8:30am and arrives in Newcastle at 10:10am

I2 3999 departs Newcastle at 10:50am and arrives in Gran Canaria at 15:35

2nd January

I2 3991 departs Newcastle at 17:35 and arrives in Madrid at 21:15

I2 3994 departs Lanzarote at 12:30 and arrives in Newcastle at 16:55

3rd January

I2 3991 departs Newcastle at 18:10 and arrives in Madrid at 21:50

I2 3998 departs Gran Canaria at 12:55 and arrives in Newcastle at 17:30

From Newcastle, that means you can fly direct to Gran Canaria for a week long stay for 27th December – 3rd January or Lanzarote for 26th December – 2nd January.

You could also fly to Madrid on the 2nd or 3rd January, although you would have to fly another airline back!

Iberia Express runs an all Airbus A320 fleet. You can see Rob’s review of business class on Iberia Express here.

What do Avios redemptions cost?

As these flights are operated by Iberia Express the Iberia redemption chart applies:

In theory you can also book these via ba.com, although I couldn’t find the same redemption availability as on Iberia Plus.

Both flights are just under 2,000 miles which mean they SHOULD fall into Zone 3. Somewhat cheekily, however, Iberia has decided that 1,993 miles is actually 2,000+ and put Gran Canaria in Zone 4.

All the flights fall on peak dates, which means you are looking at 22,000 Avios each way in business or 16,500 in economy. Gran Canaria, being in Zone 4, is 18,750 in economy and 31,250 in business.

To book, you need to move your Avios from British Airways Executive Club to Iberia Plus using the method we outline here. You MUST have an active Iberia Plus account which is over 90 days old to do this – ie one which has earned 1 Avios in the last three years (and so is ‘active’) and it over 90 days old. Your transfer will be rejected otherwise.

If you don’t have an Iberia Plus account, make it your mission to open and activate one ASAP so you don’t miss out on future Iberia redemption opportunities. You can activate it by moving 1,000 American Express Membership Rewards points into Iberia Plus, crediting a BA or oneworld flight, crediting a car rental, transferring some hotel points etc. It is then perfectly fine to move the points across to BA via ‘Combine My Avios’.

Get 30% off Iberia Express redemptions

In reality, a redemption on these flights should be cheaper than the numbers in the table above. This is because Iberia is currently offering 30% off Iberia Express redemptions as you can see here.

There are some blackout dates, including 3rd January, but a dummy booking for Lanzarote shows it is automatically applied.

The return trip is 23,100 Avios and £46.36 whilst the equivalent cash price (with a comparable luggage allowance) is €360. That means you are getting around 1.18p of value per Avios, which isn’t bad.

Conclusion

With just eight flights in total, these are, clearly, niche opportunities!

Nonetheless, if you’re eyeing up a break during the Christmas school holidays and live in the North East you may find these Iberia Express flights play to your advantage.

It’s probably best to book sooner rather than later as availability is already missing in some cabins on some flights – you can do so on the Iberia website here.

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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:

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. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

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.

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.

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