More British Airways changes to Tel Aviv flights

British Airways has announced further changes to its Tel Aviv flights.

The route relaunched last week with two major changes:

• it has been downgraded to a short haul route, meaning that Business Class now gets you a Club Europe seat and not a flat bed (you will still earn long haul tier points until April 2025)

• flights TO Tel Aviv are stopping in Larnaca for a crew change – this is to allow the aircraft to get back to London before the crew go ‘out of hours’ if it has to abort the landing in Tel Aviv

This is what was announced this week:

• the Larnaca stop, which was due to end on 31st May, will now continue until 30th June – this increases scheduled journey times by 80 minutes

• the overnight flight to Tel Aviv will be cancelled between 23rd June and 1st September

BA is obliged, under Israeli law, to offer a refund to anyone impacted by the Larnaca stop. You can also choose to be rebooked on El Al or change your travel date (whilst remaining on BA) by up to 14 days either side.

Virgin Atlantic services to Tel Aviv remain suspended until at least September. In reality they are unlikely to resume until the airline is confident that it can fill a long haul aircraft.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (June 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

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Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card

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British Airways American Express Credit Card

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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 Credit Card

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The Platinum Card from American Express

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Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 on the FREE standard card and 1 Avios per £1 on the Pro card. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

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Capital on Tap Pro Visa

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

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card

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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.

The American Express Business Platinum Card

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The American Express Business Gold Card

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