British Airways launches new Seattle lounge, confirms Heathrow rebuild for 2026

British Airways has unveiled its refurbished lounge in Seattle, which is now open.

It follows Singapore, Washington, Lagos and London Gatwick in getting a new look, on top of Edinburgh, Heathrow Terminal 5B and Heathrow Terminal 3 in 2023.

These are, in general, low cost ‘soft’ refreshes – essentially new sofas and artwork – but Seattle does look like more has been done.

To quote:

The lounge now features a completely redesigned food servery area offering a comprehensive range of hot and cold items, a dedicated à la carte dining experience for First customers and work-friendly focus pods. A brand-new full-service bar has also been installed acting as an elegant centrepiece to the lounge and walls are adorned with textile artwork by local artists such as Hannah Mason.

More to come ….

The next change will be the new lounge at Dubai International. Whilst the existing lounge is relatively new, it cannot easily handle the regular A380 services on this route.

Dubai will be the first lounge to feature the new ‘lounge design concept’. This will include ‘Concorde Dining’ for First Class passengers, a ‘significantly elevated’ food offering for everyone else and showers.

Miami will be the next up, with the lounge moving to a new location above the departure gates.

Boston and Glasgow will also receive light refreshes.

The press release confirms that the full ‘redevelopment’ of the Heathrow lounges in both Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 is scheduled to commence in 2026 although it is likely to take a number of years to complete.

More details are promised for later this year. It will be interesting to see if British Airways intends to shrink Galleries First in Terminal 5, or merge it with the Concorde Room, following the decimation of the Gold card ranks on 1st May 2026.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 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

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 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

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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

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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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

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American Express Business Gold

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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.