BA news: new Bridgerton-inspired safety video, big aircraft order incoming?

British Airways news in brief:

New Bridgerton-inspired safety video launched

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man British airline in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife new safety video.

British Airways is riding a wave of enthusiasm – despite lukewarm reviews for season three – for Netflix period drama Bridgerton by unveiling its own Regency-inspired safety video.

Originally due in May, the launch was postponed following the Sinagapore Airlines turbulence incident which resulted in the death of a passenger. It was (correctly) felt that an unveiling a jaunty new safety video might not strike the right tone.

The new video ditches the celebrities and features a cast of 40 British Airways staff in period clothing being interrupted by crew. You can watch it below or, if reading on email, here.

The costumes and locations make it feel far more polished than recent British Airways safety videos.

The new video will roll out to the long haul fleet next week.

Will British Airways make another big aircraft order?

An interesting press release dropped into our inbox on Monday. Issued by engine manufacturer GE, it said that British Airways had selected the GEnx engines to power the top-up order of six new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners announced last year.

According to GE, the GEnx engine “provides a 1.4 percent fuel burn savings for the typical 787 mission compared to its competition.”

Whilst we wouldn’t normally comment on engine choices, the order is interesting because the current BA Dreamliner fleet uses Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

Those engines encountered durability issues, requiring more frequent checks and initially grounding a sizeable percentage of the Dreamliner fleet globally – one of the issues that led to the demise of Norwegian which had gambled on all ‘all Dreamliner’ long haul fleet.

Whilst Rolls-Royce has been rolling out fixes for these problems over the last few years, British Airways has clearly had enough.

Yet however unhappy you may be with your engine supplier, does it really make sense to jump ship for an aircraft order of just six new planes? After all, it would require British Airways to keep spares on hand for a tiny subfleet, increasing the cost and complexity of its operation. Simply buying one complete spare engine would cost $20 million at list price.

It would make much more sense if British Airways was on the cusp of ordering another batch of Dreamliners which would also use these GE engines. There is talk in the market of a major British Airways aircraft order, so let’s see what turns up.

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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

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 Card

30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express Credit Card

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 Credit Card

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 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

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 0.8 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 Card

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.

The American Express Business Platinum Card

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

The American Express Business Gold Card

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.