Orlando: British Airways cancelling Heathrow service, adding extra Gatwick flights

British Airways has announced a shake-up of its services to Orlando in Florida.

The Heathrow service is being scrapped from December until April 2023 with extra Gatwick services launched instead. The two will overlap for a few weeks.

These changes were not reflected at ba.com last night but may be there this morning. It isn’t clear if we will see the usual 14 Avios seats per flight opened up on the additional Gatwick services but it seems likely.

What is happening with British Airways flights to Orlando?

British Airways has decided to terminate the Heathrow to Orlando service from 2nd December for the rest of the Winter season.

Flights from 2nd December onwards are still bookable on ba.com at the time of writing, but by the time you read this they may have been pulled. It is due to return in April.

Additional Gatwick to Orlando services will operate for the Winter season.

The extra services starts on 30th October at six flights per week, with Tuesday flights added from 15th November.

There will be a crossover period during November when both the Heathrow and Gatwick services are operating on the same days. From 2nd December, Orlando will only be served from Gatwick.

What are the flight times?

The existing Heathrow service departs at 12.05, arriving in Florida at 16.55. The return flight leaves at 18.55, landing in Heathrow at 08.00.

The extra Gatwick flights will depart earlier at 11.25, arriving at 16.15. The return flight leaves at 18.15, arriving into Gatwick at 07.20.

The only exception is Tuesday, when it will depart at 13.00 and arrive at 17.50 from 29th November. The return will leave at 20.05, landing at 09.10.

Will passengers be moved automatically from Heathrow to Gatwick flights?

It is very likely, yes, if you are booked for travel from 2nd December. You may be allowed some flexibility to change your dates which could be helpful if your original dates were not exactly what you wanted.

Will Avios seats open up on the extra Gatwick flights?

By the time you read this the answer might be clear, but I would suspect that they will.

This is NOT a straight swap of a flight from Heathrow to Gatwick, and as a new service British Airways would be obliged to open up 14 Avios seats per flight.

The fact that the flight numbers are different (BA205/BA204 become BA2037/BA2036) and, for a few weeks in November, both services operate simultaneously, are good reasons to argue that this is a ‘new’ service and not a transfer between airports.

If you keen to redeem your Avios for an Orlando trip this Winter then you may find Avios seats wide open today, even for Christmas, New Year and February half term.

Remember that British Airways guarantees to release 4 x Club World business class, 2 x World Traveller Plus and 8 x World Traveller seats per flight. You won’t get the new Club Suite seat in Business Class as this is not available from London Gatwick.

Note that, if the additional Gatwick flights are not bookable by the time you read this, I would expect them to open up during Wednesday.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 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:

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

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