British Airways launches flights from Southampton – 11 routes bookable

Here’s one you didn’t see coming. British Airways, via its BA CityFlyer subsidiary, is launching 11 routes from Southampton next Summer.

Southampton was, as the picture below shows, a major Flybe base before the airline collapsed earlier this year. The services will be a welcome respite for the airport which lost virtually all of its scheduled services.

The BA flights will use Embraer aircraft which serve London City Airport during the week but have nothing to do when City is closed over the weekend.

(EDIT, May 2021 – the launch date for most of these routes has been pushed back from the dates shown below. Check ba.com for the latest information.)

To accommodate these flights, British Airways is cancelling the scheduled services from Manchester and London Stansted next Summer. This explains why so many HfP readers had reported getting cancellation emails for these services over the last few days.

Interestingly, the BBC reported yesterday that the airport has pulled its planning application for a runway extension. The airport said that it intended to submit ‘additional information’ in a revised application. This could be what they were talking about. A commitment from British Airways is likely to play a part in deciding whether to approve it.

What are the new BA routes from Southampton?

Most routes operate between May and 31st October on weekends only. Some services only operate to late September.

• Berlin – starts 2nd May, Sunday out, Friday back
• Edinburgh – starts 16th May, Sunday out, Friday back
• Bergerac – starts 15th May, weekends plus Tuesday in peak season
• Faro – starts 1st May
• Florence – starts 1st May
• Ibiza – starts 2nd May
• Limoges – starts 15th May
• Malaga – starts 1st May
• Mykonos – starts 16th May
• Nice – starts 15th May
• Palma – starts 1st May

Live in London?

Many Londoners have probably never flown from Southampton. It is, however, surprisingly easy.

You can get a direct train from London Waterloo to Southampton Airport Parkway station. You will be in the small terminal building within a couple of minutes.

Is there a lounge?

Yes. Here is our review of the Spitfire Lounge at Southampton Airport.

Booking

Flights are now available for booking via ba.com.

---

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (November 2022)

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.

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 10,000 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.

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