British Airways chops three Southampton routes for Summer 2023 – what’s left?
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Some HfP readers may be surprised to know that British Airways runs a relatively large number of routes out of Southampton Airport.
The launch of these services got caught up in the pandemic (the original announcement was made in December 2020) so they have never had much of a promotional push. The initial route launches were, in many cases, heavily delayed or suspended altogether.
There is a full service planned for Summer 2023, although three routes have just been culled.
Southampton Airport was, as the picture below shows, a major Flybe base before the airline collapsed. The BA services are a welcome respite for the airport which lost virtually all of its scheduled services at that point, although many routes have been picked up by other airlines since.
The BA flights use the Embraer E190 aircraft which serve London City Airport during the week but have nothing to do when City is closed over the weekend.
Which routes were pulled last week?
Three routes from Southampton were cancelled for Summer 2023. The three routes used one aircraft, which will now be stationed elsewhere.
The cancelled routes are:
- Florence
- Ibiza
- Nice
Which BA routes remain at Southampton for Summer 2023?
Here are the routes that remain.
Most routes operate between late April / mid May and late October on weekends only, albeit you can’t yet book to the end of the schedule.
Some of the routes below only have one departure per week. You are locked into a seven night trip unless you fly back to a different British Airways airport or fly back to Southampton on a different airline.
- Alicante
- Bergerac
- Dublin
- Edinburgh
- Faro
- Limoges
- Malaga
- Mykonos
- Palma
What routes does BA fly from Southampton over the Winter?
Not many, but there is some life!
- Chambery
- Edinburgh
- Salzburg
Live in London?
Many Londoners have probably never flown from Southampton. It is, however, surprisingly easy.
You can get a direct train from London Waterloo to Southampton Airport Parkway station. You will be in the small terminal building within a couple of minutes.
Is there a lounge?
Yes. Here is our review of the Spitfire Lounge at Southampton Airport.
Is there Business Class?
Yes, Business Class is available. As these are Embraer aircraft with 2×2 seating, however, there is no ’empty middle seat’ benefit. You would get access to the Spitfire Lounge.
Booking
Flights are bookable as usual via ba.com, for cash or Avios.
There is a special page on ba.com for the Southampton routes here, although it has not been updated in some time and contains multiple closed routes.
The BA page on the Southampton Airport website does seem to be current.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2024)
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
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
25,000 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 £12,000 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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a 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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review
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.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
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.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Gold by 9th April 2024. Remember that the card is FREE for the first year. You receive 40,000 points for spending £6,000 within 90 days and a further 20,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 9th April) and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Huge 60,000 points sign-up bonus (until 9th April) 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.
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