British Airways relaunches Portland and Pittsburgh, with San Jose coming

British Airways has – after a pandemic-induced hiatus – finally launched flights to Portland in Oregon.

The service launched yesterday, using a three class Boeing 787-8 aircraft. There will be five flights per week.

One key reason to launch Portland is to link with oneworld partner Alaska Airlines, which allows BA passengers to book through-tickets via Portland to 15 Alaska Airlines destinations.

Flights from Heathrow to Pittsburgh also relaunched yesterday with four flights per week. This is the only UK service to the city.

Other US route enhancements this month include a new daily flight from Newark to Heathrow. This is a day flight, leaving Newark at 7.55am, and is a good option for leisure travellers who are flexible with their time and want to avoid a potentially painful overnight flight.

Flights to San Jose in California are also due to relaunch next week, on 13th June.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (May 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.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th May, the sign-up bonus on the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard is doubled to a crazy 50,000 Avios! Apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th May, the sign-up bonus on the free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard is doubled to 10,000 Avios. Apply here.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 13th June, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card is doubled to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – and you get £200 to spend at Amex Travel too! Apply here.

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.

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