Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

British Airways launches codeshare flights with India’s IndiGo

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British Airways has followed Virgin Atlantic in launching a codeshare agreement with IndiGo.

It will operate on the following routes:

  • Amritsar, via Delhi
  • Kochi, via Mumbai
  • Ahmedabad, via Mumbai
  • Goa, via Mumbai (image below)
  • Thiruvananthapuram, via Mumbai
  • Kolkata, via Mumbai
  • Rajkot, via Mumbai
  • Vadodara, via Mumbai

The codeshare will allow passengers to book a single through-ticket from London Heathrow to these eight destinations, with rebooking protection in case of missed connections.

You will earn Avios on the IndiGo leg, as long as you are booked under a British Airways flight number, and you will receive a free snack.

Tickets can be booked now for travel from 12th October.

British Airways IndiGo codeshare to Goa

Hilton gains two Rotterdam hotels

Just a brief note, because they are not yet bookable, that Hilton has gained two hotels in Rotterdam.

Inntel Hotels Rotterdam Centre, by the Erasmus Bridge, will convert to DoubleTree by Hilton Rotterdam Centre.

The adjacent Mainport Rotterdam, which is a 5-star and currently part of Design Hotels, will convert to Mainport Hotel Rotterdam, Curio Collection by Hilton.

Whilst the brand switch will not take place until renovations are complete in 2024, it is implied that both will soon be bookable at hilton.com as ‘Hilton affiliated hotels’. I’m not sure what this means in terms of earning and spending Hilton Honors points and having your elite benefits respected.


How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (September 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 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 card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

10,000 Avios (to 26th September) 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

40,000 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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

10,000 points bonus – plus an extra 500 points for our readers 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

Up to 80,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

Get up to 40,000 points as a sign-up offer 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.

Comments (33)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • SteveJ says:

    Suppose not possible to use an Amex 241 voucher or Barclaycard upgrade voucher on a booking using the the IndiGo codeshare as the whole journey isn’t BA metal? Or can one book LHR to Delhi using the 241/upgrade then add the India code share domestic connection to the booking after? As it’s not BA metal I guess not?

    Same question I suppose for the Virgin codeshare and Virgin CC 241/upgrade vouchers.

    • Rob says:

      You can’t book IndiGo as a redemption full stop, so you’ll need two separate tickets (and so no luggage interlining) irrespective of whether you use a 241 or just a normal Avios ticket.

      • SteveJ says:

        Cheers Rob, so of little use to the redemption traveller as separate bookings mean no protecting connection if first flight late and no luggage interlining or allowance carry through.

        Sticking with One world/ Avios earning, connections via Doha on Qatar are probably better bets than this BA codeshare to most of those Indian destinations.

  • Catalan says:

    Manchester? Isn’t the bankrupt city of Birmingham England’s second?

    • Rob says:

      Only oldies believe that, the pendulum swung a long time ago. I agree, when I was a kid, that’s how it was.

    • Mike says:

      When the BBC did a poll, Manchester won not only England’s second city but England’s third city too. The idea that Birmingham is England’s second city is past its sell by date.

  • JK says:

    Is it possible to book an Indigo code share flight without having an onward BA flight. For example, I already have LHR-BOM booked on BA.

    I’d like to add the codeshare of BOM-BDQ (or AMD), but when searching for flights, I’m not shown the BA codeshares, only the Indigo flight number. The BA app doesn’t even list those routes.

    So how do I book one of those code shares?

  • Sundar says:

    Interesting – Virgin has a code share with Indigo as well, recently used that.
    Beware though of taking Indigo from Delhi or Mumbai – You will possibly have to take luggage out, clear customs, go to another terminal and then check luggage in.

    • SteveJ says:

      Doesn’t that defeat the objective of interlining luggage? Was yours a particularly long connection time?

      • Nick says:

        A lot of countries require physical customs clearance at first port of entry – South Africa, the US, India, plenty others. You still get through handling on the return D-I leg, along with protection in case of delay.

        • SteveJ says:

          I don’t believe this is an ‘India’ thing though. For example book a through itinerary via Delhi on Air India you definitely do not have to collect and recheck bags at Delhi.

          • KP says:

            It is definitely an India thing. First port of entry in India requires immigration and customs, which means you need to collect and re-check your luggage.

            This is coming from an Indian who has travelled to India all his life and done transfers

  • vlcnc says:

    Not sure about this codeshare with effectively a low-cost airline. Lots of complaints from people flying with QR already and ending up on IndiGo.

  • sun7 says:

    I wish the redemption vouchers work on code share flights.

    Looking forward to BA connecting from Bangalore , Hyderabad and madras airports to other destinations of Indigo/Vistara soon.

  • Mohie Das says:

    Whatever airline you are on you always have to clear immigration and collect your bags and go through customs at the first airport your international flight arrives at in India. Depending on which domestic carrier you are connecting to, you may have to change terminals as well. In BOM and DEL particularly.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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