How to redeem Avios for First Class flights with British Airways

Last weekend we published an article to let you know that a large amount of First Class Avios availability had opened up on most routes to the United States – albeit only for travel in the next 45 days.

This was a relief because, since BA’s new flight pricing software was installed on 1st July, First Class reward seats had vanished.

As we have been discussing First Class redemptions on British Airways in recent days, we thought it was worth a longer article on how they work.

Where does British Airways fly its First Class cabin?

The number of British Airways routes with a First Class cabin has shrunk in recent years.

Most notably, British Airways retired its entire Boeing 747 fleet in 2020 during the pandemic. These aircraft had big 14-seat First Class cabins which meant that it was easy for the airline to offer Avios redemptions. The 747 fleet has been replaced by aircraft with either no First Class seats or just eight, cutting capacity significantly.

Your best chance of getting a First Class redemption is on an A380 route, where you will still find a 14 seat cabin. Time may be running out here too, as the A380 fleet is due to be refurbished next year and the First Class cabin is likely to be shrunk.

British Airways didn’t respond to our email so we asked aviation analytics firm Cirium for the latest First Class routes instead. This is what they told us (some routes are seasonal) BUT it includes some routes where BA does not actually sell the First Class seats on the aircraft:

• Abu Dhabi
• Abuja
• Atlanta
• Bahrain
• Baltimore (from March 2026)
• Bermuda
• Boston
• Bridgetown, Barbados
• Cape Town (October to March only)
• Chicago
• Doha
• Dubai
• Houston
• Jeddah (some flights only)
• Johannesburg
• Kuala Lumpur
• Lagos
• Los Angeles
• Male (Maldives)
• Mexico City
• Miami
• Mumbai
• Nashville
• Nassau, Bahamas
• New Orleans (summer only)
• New York
• Pittsburgh (summer only)
• Portland, Oregon (summer only)
• Riyadh
• San Diego (summer only)
• San Francisco
• Santiago, Chile
• Seattle
• Shanghai (March – October only)
• Singapore
• Sydney
• Tokyo
• Toronto
• Washington DC

How to find British Airways First Class redemptions

Unfortunately, British Airways doesn’t make it easy to redeem Avios for First Class seats.

Unlike in economy, premium economy and Club (business class), British Airways does not guarantee any First Class reward availability on its flights.

This means that you are at the mercy of BA’s pricing algorithm to determine if, when, and where it will release seats in First.

As we mentioned at the top of this article, there hasn’t been a lot on offer since the 1st July flight pricing update.

One of the easiest ways to see where you can get First Class availability is by using a third party tool such as SeatSpy. SeatSpy lets you view Avios availability by route and cabin 355 days in advance, which is when British Airways starts selling tickets. That said, you have historically been more likely to see First Class opening up in the months leading up to departure than 355 days out.

You can also use the ‘Where can I go?’ function on SeatSpy to see all First Class availability across BA’s entire network for particular dates.

A New York example ….

New York has more First Class seats available than any other British Airways route with multiple daily flights. At the moment, this is what you get, with nothing available more than 45 days in advance.

The number of calendar days with at least one First Class seat bookable for Avios between Heathrow and New York JFK:

• 22nd July 2025 onwards: 2 days
• August 2025: 16 days
• September 2025: nothing
• October 2025: nothing
• November 2025: nothing
• December 2025: nothing
• January 2026: nothing
• February 2026: nothing
• March 2026: nothing
• April 2026: nothing
• May 2026: nothing
• June 2026: nothing

British Airways First Class Avios pricing by route

Another oddity in the system is First Class reward pricing.

Whilst British Airways has Reward Flight Saver pricing across all other cabins on short and long haul routes, it is not in place for First Class flights.

That means that taxes and fees can vary and are not fixed, unlike with RFS pricing.

At the time of writing, you should expect to pay £700 to £900 per person RETURN in taxes and charges on top of the Avios listed below.

There is also a very important rule to remember. If you mix a First Class and Club World flight on the same ticket, the Club World ticket loses its Reward Flight Saver status and you must pay the full taxes and charges. Mixed class trips like this should be booked as two separate tickets, although this means that you cannot use a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 Companion Voucher.

We’ve compiled the table below for all routes which we believe currently have First Class. Remember that this is one-way pricing so needs to be doubled for a return flight.

One-way prices	First (off-peak)	First (peak)
Abu Dhabi	68,000	80,000
Abuja	42,500	50,000
Atlanta	85,000	100,000
Bahrain	68,000	80,000
Baltimore	68,000	80,000
Bermuda	68,000	80,000
Boston	68,000	80,000
Bridgetown, Barbados	85,000	100,000
Cape Town	85,000	100,000
Chicago	68,000	80,000
Doha	68,000	80,000
Dubai	68,000	80,000
Houston	85,000	100,000
Jeddah	42,500	50,000
Johannesburg	85,000	100,000
Kuala Lumpur	119,000	147,500
Lagos	68,000	80,000
Los Angeles	85,000	100,000
Male, Maldives	85,000	100,000
Mexico City	85,000	100,000
Miami	85,000	100,000
Mumbai	85,000	100,000
Nashville	85,000	100,000
Nassau, Bahamas	85,000	100,000
New Orleans	85,000	100,000
New York	68,000	80,000
Pittsburgh	68,000	80,000
Portland	85,000	100,000
Riyadh	68,000	80,000
San Diego	85,000	100,000
San Francisco	85,000	100,000
Santiago, Chile	119,000	147,500
Seattle	85,000	100,000
Shanghai	102,000	120,000
Singapore	119,000	147,500
Sydney	170,000	200,000
Tokyo	102,000	120,000
Toronto	68,000	80,000
Washington DC	68,000	80,000

Can I use my American Express 2-4-1 Companion Voucher or Barclays Upgrade Voucher?

You CAN use American Express 2-4-1 Companion Vouchers in First Class.

You CANNOT use your Barclays Upgrade Voucher to book First Class. You can only use a Barclays voucher to fly in Club World / Club Europe or World Traveller Plus.

What can you expect flying British Airways First Class?

Whilst flying British Airways First isn’t as luxurious as on some other airlines, it does offer a number of benefits over what you’d get flying BA Club World (business class).

For a start, you get to use dedicated First check-in and baggage drop counters. In Heathrow Terminal 5, these form part of the First Wing, an exclusive, fast-track check-in and security lane that whisks you straight into the British Airways lounges.

You’ll also have access to BA’s top-tier lounges, including the Concorde Room at Heathrow Terminal 5 and the First Dining Room in Terminal 3. These lounges are reserved for those flying in First or those with BA Gold Guest List status and feature a la carte dining, (fairly) premium champagnes and a calm, relaxing environment.

Onboard, you’ll enjoy a much smaller and more intimate cabin of between 8 and 14 seats (versus 97 Club World seats on its A380!) with dedicated cabin crew.

The British Airways First Class seat is wider and more spacious than Club Suite, and the latest version, introduced in 2020, features a door (review here) – see the photo above. We are expecting an entirely new First Class seat to be installed on the refurbished A380 fleet next year.

You will receive Temperley London pyjamas and amenity kits with skincare products from Elemis.

When it comes to food and drink, you’ll be able to dine on demand at any time. The meal service includes a round of canapés, starters, soup, main course, dessert and cheese and biscuits.

Passengers in First also get free on-board wifi.

Seat selection is free for all passengers in First, although the first row is held back for Gold card holders (and only Gold card holders – your partner on the same booking needs to sit elsewhere!).

Conclusion

Whilst British Airways has down-sized its First Class cabins, snagging a First Class Avios redemption is by no means impossible.

You will, however, need to be flexible on destination and dates. If you read HfP regularly, we often run articles when a large amount of First Class seating suddenly opens up on a particular route.

You can read more about British Airways First in our guide here.

Our ‘price list’ for Avios redemptions in Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class is here.