BA launches its latest Club Europe, Club World & First sale

British Airways has launched its latest Club Europe, Club World and First flights and holidays sale.

• Book by: 23:59 (GMT) 9 June 2015
• For travel up to: 10 April 2016 (Heathrow departures) / 10 May 2016 (Gatwick departures)

As always, the easiest way to find the best deals is to use the BA low fare finder or the holiday finder tool.

There are no really outstanding offers, but if you were planning to book anyway, at least you will save some money!

Example return Club World flight prices:

• Tel Aviv £1032
• Nassau £1086
• Abu Dhabi £1383
• Mumbai £1647
• Orlando £1698
• Chennai £1721
• Las Vegas £1999
• Boston £2116
• Bangkok £2958
• Sydney £4210

Example return First flight prices:

• Abu Dhabi £2683
• Atlanta £2765
• Washington DC £2782
• Barbados £2795
• Rio de Janeiro £2937
• Shanghai £3741
• Kuala Lumpur £3917
• Sydney £5860

Full details, along with terms and conditions, can be found here.

Note:

• Selected travel periods apply, with some routes available until 10 May 2016
• Minimum stay periods apply, with most routes requiring a Saturday night stay
• The maximum length of stay is 355 days from the date of outbound travel
• Promotional travel is subject to availability and capacity control
• Minimum booking periods apply and vary by route (excluding Club Europe)
• Promotional travel must be booked, ticketed, started and finished in the UK
• Promotion does not apply group bookings (10 or more passengers)
• Stop-overs are not permitted
• This promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, promotion, or deal

BA launches May sale for World Traveller and World Traveller Plus

***This promotion has now ended***

British Airways has launched a May sale for World Traveller (economy) and World Traveller Plus (premium economy) flights and holidays.

Promotion ends: 23:59 GMT 19 May 2015

The easiest way to find the best deals is to use the BA low fare finder or the holiday finder tool.

Example return World Traveller flight prices:

• Boston £448
• Rio de Janeiro £461
• Mumbai £474
• Bangkok £486
• Las Vegas £507
• San Francisco £517

Example return World Traveller Plus flight prices:

• Dubai £646
• Chennai £681
• Philadelphia £772
• Washington DC £822
• Cancun £865
• Tokyo £896

Full details, along with terms and conditions, can be found here.

It may be possible to upgrade these tickets using Avios, provided redemption seats are available on your chosen flight.

Note:

• Selected travel periods apply, with some routes available until 29 February 2016
• Minimum stay periods apply, with most routes requiring a Saturday night stay
• The maximum length of stay is 355 days from the date of outbound travel
• Promotional travel is subject to availability and capacity control
• Minimum booking periods apply and vary by route from 7 to 21 days
• All promotional flights are non-refundable, but are changeable for a £100 fee (plus any additional fare)
• Promotional travel must be booked, ticketed, started and finished in the UK
• Promotion does not apply group bookings (10 or more passengers)
• A supplement may apply for weekend departures
• This promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, promotion, or deal

BA to offer ‘enhanced’ meals in World Traveller – for an extra charge

British Airways is to begin offering ‘enhanced’ meals to World Traveller (long-haul economy) passengers from 12 May 2015 – but only if you are prepared to pay an extra £15 to £18.

Similar to the way it introduced meal pre-ordering for passengers in First, Club World and World Traveller Plus, these new enhanced meals will initially be offered only on select routes, before being rolled out more widely. This allows BA to test the logistics of the new service on a smaller scale and iron out any problems. The first routes to receive the new offering will be those from London Heathrow to: Seattle, Miami, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Phoenix, San Diego, Atlanta and Mexico City. On offer will be five choices, each of three courses:

Gourmet dining

Taste of Britain

Great British breakfast

Healthy choice

Vegetarian kitchen

Passengers need to pre-book their meal, via ‘Manage My Booking’ at BA.com, between 30 days and 24 hours prior to travel. The standard meal service will still be available at no extra cost. It will be interesting to see how many people will be prepared to pay extra for the new enhanced meal. Some may also be wondering how long it will be before everyone is paying a supplement for their meal… Photographs courtesy of Business Traveller magazine.

BA to fly A380 to Singapore daily from December

Business Traveller reports that British Airways is to begin operating a daily A380 service to Singapore later this year.

Flying twice-daily on the route, BA currently uses an A380 three times per week, with the remainder of the service operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft.

Starting 14 December 2015, one daily service (BA11 / BA12) will instead be operated exclusively by an A380.

Outbound service (BA11):

• Departs London Heathrow 7.10pm
• Arrives Singapore Changi 3.55pm (next day)

Return service (BA12):

• Departs Singapore Changi 11.20pm
• Arrives London Heathrow 5.10am (next day)

The other daily service (BA15 / BA16) will continue to use a B777.

BA also plans to refurbish its lounge at Changi Terminal 1 this summer. No further details on this are available at present.

Stephen Humphreys, BA’s Head of UK and Ireland Sales, said: “Scheduling the A380 on the Singapore route on a daily basis signals our commitment to the route and the region.”

For further information on BA’s A380 you can check out the fact file here.

Qatar Airways to operate second A380 service to Heathrow

Qatar Airways has announced that it is to increase capacity on its London Heathrow – Doha route.

The A330 that currently serves the 9.30pm flight from Heathrow and 12.35pm flight from Doha is to be replaced by an A380, starting from 1 July. This was originally planned for 16 July, but due to demand the aircraft swap has been brought forward.

Their A380 has a total of 517 seats, laid out as:

• 8 seats in first class
• 48 in business class
• 461 in economy

Richard Oliver, the Qatar Airways’ UK and Ireland country manager, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer a second A380 service from London Heathrow to Doha in response to an increase in demand from our passengers. Offering two convenient departure times from London Heathrow on the A380 will increase both choice and convenience.”

A380 first class cabin of Qatar Airways

This May will see Qatar Airways launch a daily service from Edinburgh to Doha, whilst it already offers a twice-daily service from Manchester.

Avios collectors may be aware that Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld alliance, so you can book redemption flights with them. If you live near Edinburgh or Manchester and want to avoid the hassle of connecting via Heathrow, Qatar Airways flights may well offer a convenient option. For those preferring Heathrow, the extra capacity will hopefully offer more redemption opportunities. It’s always another option to consider.

Watch out also for Qatar Airways’ sales, which can feature excellent value prices. Remember, you will earn Avios and tier points if you add your British Airways membership number to your booking!

Full details of all their services can be found here.

Aer Lingus opens its new lounge at New York’s JFK

Aer Lingus has opened its new lounge at New York’s JFK Airport, located in Terminal 5, across from Gate 26.

The opening is a major part of its strategy of enhancing its transatlantic product and follows on from the introduction of a refurbished business class cabin, which is in the process of being rolled out across its fleet of long-haul Airbus A330s, and is due for completion by this summer.

From the natural stone walls and oak floors to the rain drop shaped light fixtures descending from the ceiling, customers will find a range of enhancements to their airport experience including:

• Pre-dine facilities for Business Class customers
• Relax in chaise longue-style seating
• Get some work done in the business centre
• Indulge in your choice of soups, sandwiches, beverages, wine and spirits
• Refresh prior to your journey in the shower facilities
• Stay connected with complimentary Wi-Fi
• Take in the view of the airfield and the historic TWA Flight Center

Full details of Aer Lingus and their transatlantic routes can be found here.

One-way free upgrade to First for BA Club World passengers returns

British Airways is once again offering Club World (Business Class) passengers a free upgrade to First on selected flights, when they purchase a fully or semi-flexible return fare.

• Book until: 23:59 GMT on 26 June 2015
• For travel: Outbound on or before 30 August 2015 and return on or before 6 September 2015

The offer will enable customers travelling in a British Airways’ Club World cabin to upgrade on one leg of their journey, free of charge, and make use of all the First facilities, including:

• A dedicated check-in area
• Up to three 32kg checked-in bags
• Fast Track security
• The Concorde Room lounges at Heathrow Terminal 5 and New York JFK Terminal 7
• The Elemis Spa
• A Concierge service
• A cabin of between 14 and 17 fully flat seats
• A 15-inch entertainment screen with the latest noise-cancelling headsets and a leather-topped writing desk
• A choice from a range of high quality wines and Champagnes
• An a la carte menu and fully bespoke service – allowing you to work, sleep and dine at a time that suits you.
• Access to arrivals lounges

Stephen Humphreys, British Airways’ Head of UK&I Sales and Marketing said: “Flying in First is a phenomenal experience. By enabling Club customers to get free upgrades we are rewarding their loyalty and custom with a taste of the high life.”

Further details of the offer can be found here. Full terms and conditions can also be found here.

Note:

• The Promotion is open only to residents of the United Kingdom or Ireland, aged 18 years or over.
• A qualifying flight is a published fully / semi-flexible return fare in Club World on selected BA mainline services departing from the UK. The flight must consist of: one sector in J (fully flexible) class, C, D or R (semi-flexible) classes, and another sector in A class, and only on certain fare basis codes.
• Flights on BA’s franchisees or oneworld alliance members are excluded, with the exception of certain American Airlines operated flights.
• The upgrade must be requested at the time of booking and is subject to redemption capacity in the First cabin on the chosen flight.
• The promotion does not apply to bookings on certain routes – see full terms & conditions
• A customer may book as many free upgrades as they like on eligible flights.
• All qualifying flights must be purchased and ticketed in the UK / Ireland, and all journeys must be started and finished in the UK / Ireland.
• This offer cannot be used for bookings on ba.com. Instead, bookings must be made with a travel agent or by contacting BA on 0844 493 0787 (or 1890 626747 if booking from Ireland).