British Airways resumes flights to Tokyo and Hong Kong

Finally …. with covid restrictions now reduced in both countries, British Airways is reinstating flights to Japan and Hong Kong.

The only downside is that these are not technically ‘new’ flights and so there has not been a huge opening up of Avios availability today.

British Airways returns to Japan

The first Tokyo flight since November 2021 will depart for Tokyo Haneda on 13th November.

Flights will operate daily from then on.

…. and Hong Kong

The first Hong Kong flight since December 2021 will depart on 5th December 2022.

There will be four flights per week until 18th December, at which point a daily service will resume.

Before rushing to book, it is important to look at the new covid rules, whilst remembering that things could well change again by the time you fly.

The news on Japan is very positive. It appears, subject to any small print, that anyone who is triple-jabbed will be able to enter the country with no restrictions.

From 11th October, tourists will be able to visit the country without a visa, will not need to go through a travel agency and will not be impacted by a daily cap on arrivals.

The new Hong Kong rules are less clear cut. Whilst mandatory hotel quarantine is being removed from 26th September, visitors will still be subject to multiple rounds of testing during their stay and will be banned from bars and restaurants for the first three days. It certainly isn’t ‘business as usual’ just yet.

Looking for Avios seats?

In terms of Avios availability, there has NOT been a seat dump today. This is because these flights had already been loaded, and then suspended, earlier and the guaranteed 14 Avios seats per flight were taken at that time.

There are seats available on selected dates, of course, but it isn’t ‘all flights, all days’ as it would be if this was a new route announcement.

The situation will improve if additional flights are added, as these will represent ‘new’ services and we will see every flight available for redemption.

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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.