More BA route tweaks: A380 returns to Singapore (no Club Suite), City to Milan and San Sebastian

Yesterday we covered four new short haul routes that British Airways has just launched from London Heathrow for the winter season, starting in late October.

There is a bit more going on which I want to cover today.

The big one (literally) is that British Airways is bringing the A380 back to the Singapore route.

This kicks in from late March 2024, replacing a Boeing 777 on the BA11/BA12 service.

This shouldn’t be a surprise, since this service was operated by an A380 before the pandemic. However, British Airways has been keen to promote the Sydney service as being ‘all Club Suite’ and this won’t be the case for anyone on BA11/BA12.

Whilst BA has committed to putting Club Suite and a new First Class seat on the A380 fleet, the chance of the first one being done by next March must be very slim. The Boeing 787-8 fleet is next up for Club Suite and, with 12 aircraft to complete, this is likely to take a year. The A380 project is far more ambitious, with the need to add the new First Class seat and potentially move the cabins around between the decks.

The upside is that, with a larger aircraft, we may some additional Avios availability opening up at some point.

London City route news

There are two bits of route news from London City Airport which are also worth flagging.

First up is Milan Linate.

There will be a grand total of one flight per week from London City to Milan Linate, starting on Sunday 5th November. The existing Heathrow flights will continue.

The other change is to San Sebastian.

Originally launched as a summer-only route, it will now operate year-round from London City. From the start of the winter season on 29th October it will operate every Thursday and Sunday.

Cash and Avios seats for these flights are available now.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (February 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:

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

Get 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

30,000 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 £15,000 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

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large 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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

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

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus 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.