British Airways has started moving Gatwick flights to Heathrow

British Airways has started the process of moving Gatwick short-haul flights for Summer 2022 to Heathrow.

This follows the decision to close the short-haul operation at London Gatwick following the failure to reach agreement with pilot union BALPA over a new low cost operating structure.

Most flights are moving to Heathrow with the same flight number and the same departure and arrival times. You have no grounds for a free cancellation or for compensation for the cost of getting from Gatwick to Heathrow, since the two airports are treated as one for this purpose.

That said, if you take British Airways to Money Claim Online you may get a positive decision – there is no point going to CEDR arbitration as BA is, technically, acting correctly.

Some flights may be merged with existing Heathrow departures on the few routes which overlap between Gatwick and Heathrow.

Quite a few of the moved flights are showing as Heathrow Terminal 3, so it will be a bit of a novelty for anyone who has only used the BA facilities in Terminal 5 in the past.

Keep an eye on your seat allocation when you receive the email about your changed flight, although in most cases you will have retained your existing ones.

If there is no slot waiver given for Summer 2022, it seems highly likely that BA will forfeit some of its landing and take off slots at Gatwick. Aer Lingus, Vueling and LEVEL do not have enough slack to take them all up, which will require British Airways to sell them or see them taken away.

It is only four years since BA paid a chunky but undisclosed sum to buy Monarch’s 155 weekly take-off and landing slots at London Gatwick. In retrospect this seems like an odd decision if the Gatwick operation really had been losing money for many years, as British Airways management has claimed.

For clarity, the British Airways long-haul operation at Gatwick is not affected by this decision. Based on previous years, up to 11 Boeing 777 aircraft could be based there during the Summer 2022 season.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

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 Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 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

30,000 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large 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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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

50,000 points when you sign-up 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.