British Airways giving passengers extra flexibility as Heathrow caps numbers

British Airways has unveiled a number of flexible rebooking options for people travelling over the next few weeks in order to comply with Heathrow’s new daily 100,000 passenger cap.

Fortunately, unlike mass flight cancellations, these changes are optional and could even be beneficial if you are reconsidering upcoming travel or are changing your plans.

Whilst Heathrow has asked all airlines to stop selling seats for flights until mid September, British Airways seems to be intending to hit its quota of passenger reductions via additional flight cancellations and voluntary passenger rebooking. It doesn’t want to miss out on the revenue from last minute ticket sales at full fare.

Do you have a BA Heathrow flight on or before 25th July?

If you have a British Airways flight from Heathrow on or before Monday 25th July that was booked before the 10th July you now have several options available to you:

• You can rebook onto another British Airways flight to the same destination free of charge within 12 months of the original date of travel. You can also choose to depart from another London airport, such as Gatwick, or fly to an alternative airport in the same destination (eg. Newark instead of JFK).

• Alternatively, if you no longer wish to fly, you can request a Future Travel Voucher, valid until 30th September 2023. This freezes the value of your flights and can be used towards a future booking.

The changes apply to all long and short haul bookings from Heathrow until the 25th July, including redemptions, and can be made from Manage My Booking. Flights from other airports are not included.

If you have a connecting flight with one or more non-BA sectors then you may be on the hook for a fare difference from the other airlines on your ticket when rebooking.

If your flight is cancelled by British Airways then you are entitled the standard EU261 rights, including a full refund or rebooking, as per our recent article here.

Flying between 26th July and 30th September?

Anyone with a booking up to the 30th September is eligible to cancel and request a Future Travel Voucher for free. This voucher is valid for travel until the 30th September 2023.

Booked before the 8th June?

If your trip was booked before the 8th June, for travel by 30th September, BA’s ‘Book With Confidence’ policy applies.

BA is adding further flexibility for anyone travelling by the 30th September 2022 who booked on or beforethe 7th June. As per this page on the BA website, you can change your dates, destination or cancel for a future travel voucher for free. All travel must be completed by the 30th September in order to benefit from these changes.

Note that, unlike customers with flights on or before the 25th July you WILL be on the hook for any difference in fare if you choose to rebook. However, British Airways will waive the change fee.

You can also choose to cancel your booking in return for a future travel voucher valid until the 30th September 2023.

For redemption bookings made before 7th June for travel by 30th September you’ll also be able to cancel this for a full refund – the cancellation or change fee will be waived. Any companion or upgrade vouchers will revert to their original expiration date.

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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:

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.

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