If you have been saving your Avios to get that dream trip in First or perhaps found a sale bargain to the US, this article will help you get the most out of flying British Airways First class from which seat type your aircraft will have, to understanding how the onboard service works and who to contact.

Contacting BA about your First class flight – You First

If you have a query before flying British Airways First class, or want to perhaps book your seats and are having trouble, you can contact You First, which is exclusively for First class passengers. It can also be useful if something goes wrong such as a cancellation, lost bags or time change if you need to speak to someone.

You can either using this online form or call them on 0800 408 7667. You first helpline is open 24 hours per day, seven days a week. You can call from overseas using +44 (0) 207 949 3055

They can also send you a copy of the onboard menu, but sometimes this is only available a few days before your flight when the menus are due to change at the start of a month. 

The First Wing and First check-in at Gatwick and JFK

If you are flying British Airways first class you can access the First Wing for check-in and security (although it is sometimes closed during the Heathrow T5 security strikes). This is only available at T5 and is at the far end of the terminal.

At T3, there is only a first class desk and then Fast Track security. This is the same at Gatwick too.

In the First Wing, they usually have some cold drinks available, either being handed out or on the table. If you need to rearrange your luggage there is also a small seating area.

Once you have gone through security which is generally very quick, there is a repacking area to get yourself organised.

JFK

Since BA moved to terminal 8, they have a very nice exclusive first and high-status check-in area.

Lounges

You then walk down a corridor to the back entrance of the First Lounge, where you will be greeted by the horse (often known as Susan). You will need to walk through the First Lounge and exit to get to the Concorde Room, which is just across the way. 

You may want to check out the food in the First Lounge in case there is nothing you fancy in the Concorde Room. If you just want a snack, the First lounge has a better selection with a salad bar, cheese selection and sandwiches.

Among the hot food selection there is usually a vegan or vegetarian option, something with rice or pasta and a pie or fishcake. They also have cake and biscuits. 

The Concorde Room

Just before the entrance of the Concorde Room are the showers in case you need to freshen up. Sadly the spa is permanently closed.

The Concorde Room at London Heathrow Terminal 5 is available for customers who are:

• Flying on a scheduled British Airways flight in First
• Over the age of 18 years, or if under 18 years you are accompanied by a responsible adult. (Local laws relating to the consumption of alcohol will apply.)

You can take one guest with you who is flying British Airways that day. 

As you enter the Concorde Room, there is a luggage storage area. Next, you will find a desk where there is usually a BA staff member who can help if you have a flight query or issue. 

There are four main areas in the lounge:

• The Forty Winks nap area in what used to be the Boardroom
• The bar and lounge area which also has a very small work area near the terrace
• The restaurant
• The terrace

If you like a bit of aviation nostalgia, there are cabinets in the lounge full of memorabilia and there is a nose cone from Concorde on the terrace.

Bar and lounge

There is table service throughout the lounge, but you can also approach the bar to order. There are several different menus for food and drink. A cocktail menu, a wine menu, a lounge menu and a restaurant menu. 

If you fancy a nibble with your drink, they have a selection of nibbles, such as nuts and olives. The truffled nuts are particularly good. They do a number of cocktails, including the BA175, which is champagne based and my personal favourite, and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails by mixologist Mr Lyan. There is also a selection of special cocktails for events such as Christmas and the Coronation, so keep a lookout for the special menus or ask the bar staff. They even have some breakfast cocktails, such as a Marmite Martini and a Breakfast Martini, as well as a range of Bloody Marys.

If you enjoy good champagne, be sure to try the Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle. This is the same champagne they serve on board. You can get your money’s worth from your ticket as a bottle of this champagne costs from £130 retail. 

The lounge menu is different from the restaurant menu, but usually, you can order anything for anywhere in the lounge.

Here is a typical lounge menu:

If you want to do some shopping, you can exit the Concorde Room at the “Millionaire’s door” near Forty Winks which brings you out by the exit of South security. 

Terrace

This is probably one of the nicest places to sit and can be a bit cooler than the lounge, and you can see the airport as well. It’s also a good place for a group with the “cabanas” which are the curtained off areas that offer a bit more privacy and have sofas. 

Forty Winks

This is a quiet room where they have rest pods to catch “forty winks”. You can adjust them to several positions such as zero gravity but they do not go completely flat. 

The restaurant

You will be shown to a table in the restaurant. Service can be a bit inconsistent here as they seem to forget things, such as bringing you olive oil and butter but no bread. So don’t be afraid to ask if you want something. There is a separate breakfast menu until 11.30am and then an all-day dining menu for the rest of the day. 

Here is a recent menu:

Here is an example of the salmon mousse and a recent pasta dish:

On the breakfast menu, there is everything from croissants to a full English.

My two favourite dishes are the bacon chop (15-20 minute wait usually) and the avocado (California) toast. The Union brand coffee here is also pretty good. 

Other lounges

There is now only one Concorde room since BA joined AA at JFK’s terminal 8. There are Concorde Bars in Singapore and Dubai. 

The Singapore one offers table service with champagne, drinks and food.

The Dubai lounge is bigger and has a buffet as well as champagne.

JFK Terminal 8 – Chelsea Lounge

JFK now has the very elegant Chelsea Lounge, which features showers, champagne flights and a restaurant.

The Chelsea lounge at New York JFK Terminal 8 is available for customers who are:

• Flying on a scheduled long haul or Transcontinental flight with British Airways or American Airlines in First
• Gold Members with 5000 Tier points (and 3,000 Tier Points each year thereafter), flying on a scheduled long haul, or Transcontinental flight with British Airways or American Airlines
• Over the age of 18 years, or if under 18 years you are accompanied by a responsible adult. (Local laws relating to the consumption of alcohol will apply.)

American Airlines Transcontinental routes include:

New York (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX)
New York (JFK) – San Francisco (SFO)
New York (JFK) – Orange County (SNA)

Customers flying with other oneworld airlines are unable to access the Chelsea lounge.

You can read about it in this article. 

On board

As you board, you will often be shown to your seat, but it doesn’t always happen if you arrive just after someone else in first. You will be offered a welcome drink of champagne (or a soft drink such as water or juice if you’d rather). This is accompanied by nuts. Sadly the warm nuts of pre-covid are gone, and it’s now a packet of the Club Europe nuts, which sometimes they will put in a dish. Unlike Club, you will often be offered a top-up of your welcome drink if there is time. 

Next, you will be presented with an amenity kit, either a men’s or women’s version. You should also be offered pyjamas. Sometimes they will just hand you a set in what they think is the right size, sometimes, they ask what you would like. Slippers are also available but often on request. 

The Ladies kit contains:

• Elemis Frangipani Monoi hand and nail balm
• Elemis Rehydrating Ginseng Facial wipe
• Elemis cleansing micellar wipe
• Elemis lip balm
• Elemis Pro-Collagen facial mist
• Elemis Deodorant
• Elemis Ultra Smart Pro-Collagen Serum
• Elemis Ultra Smart Pro-Collagen eye balm
• Eye mask
• Ear plugs
• Socks
• First branded pen
• Mirror

Finally, you will also be given the menus. Sometimes the crew will take your order while still on the ground, so it is worth looking at as soon as they give it to you. 

You can dine whenever you like, so don’t feel obliged to eat straight away if you don’t want to. However, they will need to take your order at the start along with a rough time to eat so they can keep your choices for you. Here is a sample menu of what you can expect on a longer flight such as US West Coast. On a shorter flight, you will usually get afternoon as the second meal, and the snacks will be things more like popcorn or chocolate.

They do not have enough for everyone to have what they want if they all choose the same, so it is always worth having a back-up in mind. Sadly pre-ordering has not returned (apart from as a trial) since Covid. 

Next, you will be offered a choice of desserts and/or cheese. If you enjoy wine, there is always a dessert wine such as Sauternes which you only get in First Class, so save room for that and some Port with your cheese! 

Finally, if you fancy a coffee, they have a Nespresso machine on board so you can enjoy a proper coffee such as espresso, cappuccino or latte, and it should come with some Lindt chocolates. Ask if they don’t offer them. 

There will also be a second lighter meal served close to arrival if you wish. On the way back, this will be breakfast on night flights.

Good noise-cancelling headphones by Meridian are provided for you to use on board.

When you are ready to sleep, the crew will make up your bed for you with a mattress topper, pillow and duvet. Don’t be afraid to ask them to do this for you. At your seat there will be a pillow, day pillow and large pillow. The rest of the bedding is stored in the locker overhead. 

Types of seats

Each aircraft has a slightly different type of seat, although the layout is the same with a 1-2-1 layout. For couples, if you want to talk you would be best with the middle seats. However, on the older B777s and the A380s you can do “buddy dining” as there is a seat for your travel companion to sit on. The other aircraft and the new first suites do not have this. 

All the seats operate in the same way, and you can’t control individual elements of the seat, which is a shame. You adjust it by using a dial which simply lowers it into the bed position, although you can stop it at any position.

B777 new suite with doors

This seat is only available on new B777-300s, and you can partly tell by the seat map as there will only be 8 seats. However, there are some older B777-200s that also have eight seats which have been partially refurbished but have the old seats. If you look for your flight on Google Maps it will show you if it is an “individual suite” meaning it has the door like these do. There is a useful guide to working out which BA B777 you are on from Aerolopa here. 

Like the B787s, the TV screen is fixed so you can watch it as soon as you get on, rather than having to fold it away for take-off and landing. 

Other than the door, they are pretty much the same as the B787 seats. You can read my full review here.

B777 old seats

There are sometimes 8 seats on the aircraft that have been updated and 14 seats on those that have not. 

Along with the A380, these have dark window frames with blinds that come down to cover both windows completely, which I think looks very elegant. 

There is a personal wardrobe, but it is pretty small, so you will not get much more than a small handbag and coat in there. 

The TV screens swivel out, so you can’t watch it until after take-off. The screens are much smaller than the other aircraft types. This is my least favourite seat type for first.

I would usually pick row 2 for the B777s with 14 seats as this is generally quieter, but you get served a bit quicker than being in row 3. 

B787 First Suite

This is the second newest design from 2015 and very similar to the new suite with doors. Again there are only 8 seats in the cabin. The seats are the same on the B787-9 and 10. 

• 8 suites convert to fully flat beds, 79″ long, 22″ width (between armrests)
•  23″ HD touch screen display that does not need to be folded away
• Personal locker
• Vanity unit and mirror
• USB and universal socket

In terms of seat choice, there is not really a better seat as the front row is by the galley on the B787-10, and the second row has a bassinet, there is a chance you may get a baby. On the B787-9, I would probably go for the front row since there is no galley at the front. 

You can read my full review here.

A380

After the newest suites, this is probably my next favourite as I love the huge wardrobe that means you do not have to lift your bag into the overhead locker as it will fit most wheelie cabin bags.

These suites are bigger than the other aircraft types with  30% more personal space and 60% more storage space than the old Boeing 777 suites.

There are 14 seats in the cabin.

Although row 1 is very private, I would avoid 1K on a night flight as the crew’s cupboard is by this seat, and you will most likely get disturbed during the night as they retrieve handbags from the storage area. I would avoid row 4 due to the proximity to the galley and bassinet position. 

You can read my full review here.

Concorde Breakfast room and Arrivals lounge Heathrow

On the way back, if you don’t want to eat on the plane, you will have access to the BA Arrivals lounge and Concorde dining area. 

If you would like to have some breakfast, head to the Concorde dining area where they have breakfast to order. There is usually full English with eggs to order, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, eggs benedict and kippers.

The rest of the menu is mainly what is already on the buffet in the main area. 

They now also have champagne and sparkling wine, including Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle.

You can read a full review of the Concorde Breakfast room experience here. 

You can also have a shower or get your own cabana with an infinity bath. You check in with shower reception, and if there is a wait, they will give you a buzzer. Towels and Elemis Toiletries are provided.

One handy service is the pressing service. Whilst in the shower room, you can open a special two-way door to hang your clothes and they will come back pressed in around 10 minutes.

The shower rooms have a built-in sound system, with pre-set news and music channels. 

You may prefer to have a bath, in which case you should see if there is a cabana available. Priority for these is given to First passengers. The cabanas are larger than the shower rooms. They have a dressing area, a large bath, and a chair.

What are your top tips or questions for flying BA First? Let us know in the comments below

Like our review of Flying British Airways First Class? You can read more flight reviews here. 

The post Flying British Airways First Class – complete guide from seats and lounges to champagne appeared first on Turning left for less.

British Airways launch Avios only flights

British Airways has launched its first Avios-Only flights, on which 100% of the seats are exclusively available to Executive Club Members as Reward Seats. This is not something new as Qantas has done this before, but I am surprised to see BA do it. The routes are slightly odd choices, but I am guessing it is aimed at the ski and winter sun market. 

I think this is a good way to give back to their Executive Club members who often struggle to use their Avios. It is also good that one of the flights covers the busy half-term period. However, I would also like BA to invest in their customer service both in terms of replies to complaints which are talking a long time and in the very variable on-board service. I’d also like them to invest in the Heathrow experience, which is frequently marred by delays, chaotic boarding and waiting for gates or someone to operate them on a regular basis. 

The first Avios-Only flight will be the inaugural flight from London Gatwick to Sharm El Sheikh on 3 November 2023, followed by a selection of flights from London Heathrow to Geneva in February and March 2024. More routes will be announced throughout 2023

Return flights to Sharm El Sheikh will be from £1 + 27,500 Avios per person, but you could reduce this further with a Companion Voucher. Club Europe (business class) fares start from £1 + 48,500 Avios. The Egyptian holiday destination recently became the latest addition to the network of British Airways’ London Gatwick-based subsidiary, BA Euroflyer. Generally I would not recommend using the £1 + Avios option as they are not as good value for money as using the old “standard” rates. 

Following this, the next Avios-Only flights will be the BA728 from London Heathrow to Geneva on the dates below. Flights will be from £1 + 18,500 Avios per person, with options from £1 + 30,000 Avios in Club Europe. The respective BA729 return flights will operate as Avios-Only flights a week later. With most English half terms starting on 12 February, this could be a great option to have a week skiing (or visiting Geneva) on Avios.

The dates of the Geneva flights are:

• 10 February 2024
• 17 February 2024
• 24 February 2024
• 02 March 2024

British Airways guarantees a minimum of 12 and 14 Reward Seats on short and long-haul flights, respectively, and this will be the first flight with every seat available to purchase using Avios. Members booking the Avios-Only flight can do so in any cabin as they normally would through ba.com, with a selection of return options available as Reward Seats.

Ian Romanis said: “We are always looking for new ways to reward our loyal customers and offer value wherever we can, which is why we are excited about this brand-new option for Members. Sharm El Sheikh and Geneva will be the first of several flights as we roll more out in 2024.”

The new Sharm El Sheikh route will be operated by BA Euroflyer three times per week throughout the winter season, with a fourth service on Saturdays until 15 December 2023.

Flights can be booked from today at ba.com

Avios-Only flight costs

London Gatwick To Sharm El Sheikh (Off-Peak)

Euro Traveller (economy) return:

• £1 + 27,500 Avios
• £9 + 26,000 Avios
• £25 + 23,500 Avios
• £35 + 18,500 Avios
• £91 + 12,500 Avios
• £121 + 8,500 Avios

Club Europe (business class) return:

• £1 + 48,500 Avios
• £9 + 47,000 Avios
• £35 + 38,500 Avios
• £50 _35,500 Avios
• £95 + 26,500 Avios
• £141 + 19,500 Avios

London Heathrow To Geneva (Off-Peak)

Euro Traveller (economy) return:

• £1 + 18,500 Avios
• £9 + 17,000 Avios
• £18 + 14,500 Avios
• £35 + 9,500 Avios
• £65 + 7,400 Avios
• £85 + 5,900 Avios

Club Europe (business class) return:

• £1 + 30,000 Avios
• £9 + 28,500 Avios
• £25 + 23,500 Avios
• £50 + 17,000 Avios
• £85 + 13,000 Avios
• £125 + 10,500 Avios

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After the demise of Comair, a BA franchise, it left a bit of a gap for those wishing to travel between airports in South Africa and beyond using Oneworld. 

British Airways has today announced a codeshare partnership with Airlink, improving connectivity between the UK, Europe, North America and more than 15 destinations in Southern Africa.

With bases in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in South Africa, Airlink is a premium regional airline with a wide-reaching network of cities in 14 countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.

The agreement means British Airways’ customers travelling from or transiting through London will be able to connect to their final destination via Cape Town or Johannesburg on a single ticket. This will offer more choice and flexibility for those travelling on to one of 18 towns and cities, such as Windhoek in Namibia and Durban in South Africa. Namibia is well worth a visit, and now with this link, it is even easier to make it a two-centre holiday with Cape Town, for example. Namibia is a sophisticated country in Southern Africa with great wildlife and stunning scenery. It makes a cheaper alternative for safaris than many popular places in Africa.

British Airways currently flies twice daily between London Heathrow and Johannesburg with A380 aircraft, twice daily between London Heathrow and Cape Town with B777 and A350 aircraft and three times per week between London Gatwick and Cape Town with B777 aircraft.

You can earn Avios when flying on Airlink flights on a British Airways’ codeshare journey. You should also be able to earn tier points on a codeshare ticket too, but that has not been specified in the press release. 

Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Director of Network and Alliances, said: “Our flights to Cape Town and Johannesburg continue to be as popular as ever with our customers, so we’re pleased to be able to open up more options in the Southern African region. Our partnership with Airlink means that customers will be able to book a full journey on one ticket, allowing seamless travel all the way from London to their final destination.”

Airlink’s CEO and Managing Director, Rodger Foster, said: “This is an important next step in our partnership with British Airways, which has a phenomenal global reach into the most important markets for our region. The marriage of our two networks will benefit both British Airways’ and Airlink’s customers, giving them even more choice with a wide range of itinerary options and connectivity possibilities.”

In total, 18 destinations are available as codeshare options when travelling from Heathrow via Johannesburg and Cape Town. Examples include:
• London Heathrow to Durban via Johannesburg
• London Heathrow to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, via Cape Town or Johannesburg
• London Heathrow to Skukuza, South Africa via Cape Town or Johannesburg
• London Heathrow to Windhoek, Namibia via Cape Town or Johannesburg
• London Heathrow to Walvis Bay, Namibia via Cape Town or Johannesburg

Codeshare tickets are now available to book on www.ba.com, for travel from 15 February 2023 onwards.

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One of the easiest ways to get enough Avios for a business class flight is to use a voucher. There are three main ways to get a voucher. The first two are by owning a particular credit card, and the 3rd is by earning 2500 tier points as a member of the BA executive club.

Getting vouchers

British Airways American Express cards offer the best reduction in Avios. There are two of these, one free and the Premium Plus version, which costs £250 per year. If you want the companion voucher, you may be better off with the Premium Plus version as the spend to trigger the voucher is £10,000 per year versus £12,000 on the free card. Even  £10,000 may sound like a lot, but if you get a companion card and channel two people’s spending through it for a year, it is achievable for many people. I put absolutely everything on my credit cards, even a small amount like £1 for parking, for example.

The other credit card to get a voucher is the Barclaycard Avios Mastercard. The upgrade voucher can be used for a one category upgrade except for Club to First which is excluded. See below for more details. 

Finally, if you earn 2500 Tier points with British Airways you get an upgrade voucher for two people. This can be used on cash or Avios bookings and is not subject to Avios availability. At 3500, you get two vouchers for one person. These can be booked online or by phone.

BA American Express Companion Voucher

You can see your voucher on BA.com by going to your Executive Club account page. So how do you book with a voucher? When you go to book a flight with BA you will notice that there is a check box for BA Amex voucher to select at the top of the booking form. It should show if you have one available.

The key rules to know are:

• Expiry date depends on which card you got the voucher from. The free card voucher has an expiry for one year, and the Premium Plus version has two years. This means that the voucher has to be booked and the outbound leg flown within that period.
• Cancelling the booking more than 24 hours before the flight means you can get the voucher back into your BA account and the Avios refunded. Once you have started your journey you can’t cancel the booking, only change it for £35. 
• Cabin class British Airways American Express® Credit Card Companion Vouchers can be redeemed in economy cabins, while British Airways American Express® Premium Plus Card Companion Vouchers can be redeemed across all cabins. This can make the American Express® Premium Plus Card worth the premium fee!
• Mixed class bookings are allowed, but both people must fly in the same class. These can be booked on ba.com.
• Domestic connections before a long-haul flight do not require any additional Avios. You should include them on the same ticket if you need them.
• The cardholder must travel.
• Open jaw. If you can’t find a return flight for a destination, consider an ‘open-jaw flight’. This is when you fly to one airport and return from a different one. This is allowed with the companion voucher but can only be done by calling BAEC. The open jaw must have the distance between your arriving and departing airport as shorter than either of the flights to or from London. For example, LFR-SFO, LAX-LHR would be acceptable as the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco is clearly shorter than the two transatlantic flights.
• You must use an Amex card to pay the taxes and charges on your booking. These will be payable for both tickets including the companion one.
• You can book the outbound leg at 355 days before when they are released and then book the inbound separately when that becomes available. BA should combine the tickets or add the return leg and not charge you a change fee if the inbound was not available when you first booked. 

All the rules can be found here.

New versus old BA American Express Companion vouchers

There have been several changes for vouchers issued since September 2021.  You can usually tell new vouchers apart as they are called “BA American Express Premium Plus Companion Voucher”.

Differences with the new style vouchers

• These new vouchers also have access to more business class seats as when you book, you will shown I class seats as well as the normal Avios seats available.
• You can also use the new vouchers to get Reward Flight Saver pricing which means less cash and more Avios or stick with the old rates of Avios. 
• Finally, if you want to travel solo, new vouchers can be used for 50% off the Avios element of the ticket instead of taking a companion. 
• Vouchers issued since September 2021 can be used for departures starting outside the UK, unlike older vouchers.

Drawbacks of BA Credit Card Vouchers 

• High Fees, Taxes and Surcharges: British Airways Companion Vouchers can have high fees, making them expensive to use. If two people are booked onto a flight with your companion voucher, you must pay fees for both people. Sometimes it can be almost as cheap to get a low price ex EU fare, and then you earn more Avios and tier points as well.
• You will no longer save as much money starting your trip outside the UK with BA, and they have changed the taxes and charges to be in line with the UK.
• Vouchers from the old system (Pre September 2021) and the new system can’t be redeemed on the same booking: This can cause issues if you’ve accumulated more than one companion voucher over time.
• Old vouchers can only be used with RFS on long haul, which means you now need substantially more Avios to use them although you will pay less cash. 

Using Your Companion Voucher with Aer Lingus and Iberia

If you’ve earnt a new style companion voucher with American Express, you can now also use your BA Companion voucher to book Aer Lingus and Iberia Reward flights. This applies to all card members who’ve earnt a companion voucher since September 2021.

Both airlines require fewer Avios on many routes as well as much cheaper taxes. For example, Iberia normally only charges 68,000 Avios and £425 to New York in business class return versus British Airways’ standard 110,000 Avios plus £853.01. 

You book them in exactly the same way as BA flights. Select the route you want (after ticking box to use companion voucher), and it will show you any Iberia or Awer Linguis flights available on Avios on that route. 

Upgrading flights

Using the BA website you can either upgrade an existing booking or make a new cash booking and upgrade at the same time.  You can upgrade an existing booking with Avios using the ‘manage my booking’ area of the website.

The miles needed to upgrade are the Avios for the cabin you wish to upgrade to minus the Avios for the cabin you make your booking in. Ironically the cost is often better during peak periods as due to the different Avios requirements, the difference between the two classes is less. 

The advantages of upgrading are that you need fewer Avios but still earn miles and tier points on the booking (for the original class, not the upgraded one), which can offset the cost of the Avios. However, the Avios needed to upgrade can be high, and you need to pay the tax difference between the classes. But from Club to First there is no difference normally. Between World Traveller Plus and Club World it is likely to be several hundred pounds more. 

How to save on taxes and charges

Taxes and charges can be pretty high, around £600-£900 per person for a business class long haul ticket. This is partly due to UK APD but also determined by the charges of each airline. 

An End to the Low Tax Avios Loopholes

Prior to December 2022, the amount of cash Vv Avios paid was directly related to BA surcharges, taxes (including air passenger duty) and other fees. If you started your journey in the EU, you could have benefited from other surcharges. Now, the cash element paid does NOT directly correlate to the tax paid by BA. This no longer applies.

Other ways to minimise the cash element

The main way to minimise taxes and charges is to fly with a different airline. The best airlines for this are: Aer Lingus, Alaskan, AA domestic flights Qatar and Iberia.  Sometimes it is cheapest to buy two one-way redemptions, such as with Cathay, due to the tax rules for a particular country. These can all be booked in the same way as a BA flight through ba.com.

Reward Flight Saver

On short-haul when you have earned 1 mile in the last year, you are eligible for reward flight saver redemptions. (if you need to, you can earn 1 mile easily by using the BA eStore shopping portal to buy something small).

Reward Flight Saver means you pay the Avios and a flat fee in cash. This is currently £35 economy and £50 Club Europe return. If you are eligible, it will show the Reward Flight Saver fares. It can also be even cheaper to book two one-way flights, so it is worth looking at both options.

BA recently introduced RFS on long haul. This has some advantages for those that are happy to save up  more Avios in order to pay more cash. However, as part of this BA put up the standard non-RFS taxes and charges on a number of routes. This was the third post-Covid rise in taxes and charges. 

Barclaycard Upgrade Vouchers

Avios Mastercard credit cards are now available with Barclays. If you hold an Avios Mastercard, you can earn flight upgrades and a range of other travel-related perks. With a Barclaycard upgrade voucher, you can pay the Avios requirement of the next lowest class.

For example, if you book a Club World business class Avios seat to Boston, you would pay the World Traveller Plus Avios requirement but the Club World taxes and charges.

Two card types are available:

Barclaycard Avios:

• No Monthly Fee
• New customers get a bonus when spending a set amount in the first three months.
• 1 Avios for every £1 spent.
•  A cabin upgrade voucher each year if you spend at least £20,000 within the card year. Upgrade vouchers last 2 years.
• Barclaycard’s Entertainment perks
• Mastercard World Elite privileges
• 25.9% APR (variable)
• Up to five months of Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+ and Apple Arcade for free

Read More Here >>>

Barclaycard Avios Plus

• £20.00 fee per month
•  1.5 Avios for every £1 spent.
• Access to Mastercard’s Priceless.com with further benefits is also included.
•  A cabin upgrade voucher each year if you spend at least £10,000 within the card year. Upgrade vouchers last two years.
• Barclaycard’s Entertainment perks
• Mastercard World Elite privileges
• Airport Lounge Membership at a discounted rate of £18.50 per lounge pass, per person.
• 75.0% APR (variable)
• Up to five months of Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+ and Apple Arcade for free

Read More Here >>>

If you’re interested in getting one of these cards, they are now available to both existing AND new customers. There’s also the option for solo travellers to upgrade on both legs of the journey. 

Here are the rest of the series of spending Avios guides:

GUIDE TO EARNING AVIOS – PART 1 FLIGHTS AND CREDIT CARDS

GUIDE TO SPENDING AVIOS PART 1 – HOW TO GET THE FLIGHTS YOU WANT

GUIDE TO EARNING AVIOS – PART 2 HOTELS, SHOPPING, CAR HIRE AND MORE

The post Guide to spending Avios part 2 – using Amex companion & Barclaycard upgrade vouchers appeared first on Turning left for less.

So you have a nice pile of Avios burning a hole in your pocket, and you want to spend them. Simple? For anyone who has ever tried to redeem flights and failed you will have realised that earning the Avios was often the easy part. In this article, I will explain how to stand the best chance of getting the flights you want. In part 2,  I will explore how to use vouchers, upgrading, choose airlines for lower taxes and use Avios for rewards other than flights.

The basics

There are three ways to use Avios for flights:

• Avios Part Payment – reduce the cash price for your flight with as little as 1,000 Avios. The more Avios you use, the less cash you’ll need to pay. These tickets are not reward flights, so only offer flexibility for the fare class purchased. They are usually poor value compared to full redemption.

• Reward Flight Saver – pay as little as £1 and 18,500 Avios for your next flight to Europe, or from £100 and 50,000 Avios to destinations further afield. Reward Flight Saver offers a fixed cash cost, inclusive of taxes, fees and carrier charges plus an Avios amount. You will pay more Avios but less cash using these for long haul. You must have earned at least 1 Avios in the past year to qualify. These are available on BA only. 

• Reward Flight – using just Avios, only paying taxes, fees and carrier charges and full flexibility with your ticket. These are available on a wide range of airlines as listed below. 

How to get the flights you want

Timing is key

The easiest time to get the availability is to book the day the flight is released for redemptions. This is 355 days before the flight between 12-1am. British Airways guarantee at least 4 Business class seats on every flight are made available at this point. The same does not apply to First Class which varies from flight to flight. The flights are not always loaded up online immediately so if it is a very popular route you may want to call a BA office that is open at midnight to secure it. There have been reports of some offices refusing to do this in the past but it is worth a try. Ideally you want to call about 5 minutes before to go through security.

However, there is a catch to booking at D-355. If you are booking a return flight that means only the outbound flight would be available on that day. Don’t be tempted to wait as by your return date -355, the outbound flights will have probably gone.

There are ways around this depending on how you are paying for your flights. If it is a simple redemption, you can just book 2 one way tickets. Obviously, if you book the outbound, then there is no guarantee you will get the inbound. However, Avios flights can be cancelled up to 24 hours prior, albeit for a £35 fee. If you are using a BA Amex companion voucher, you should buy the outbound flights at D-355 and then as soon as the inbound flight is available, telephone British Airways for them to add the flight to the booking. There should not be a charge for this if the flights were not available at the time of booking the outbound. 

How to find availability

Consider which airline

The first thing is to be flexible and consider all the airlines that could be used to get to your destination, rather than just sticking to British Airways. This could cost you more Avios at BA off-peak times as other airlines except for Iberia and Aer Lingus are charged as peak prices all year.

You can use Avios on any oneworld airline as well as several others. Remember, you can open an Iberia Plus, or Qatar account if you want to redeem Avios for airlines featured in their schemes by using the combine my Avios feature to move Avios from BA.

British Airways Companion vouchers are now also redeemable on Iberia and Aer Lingus. This applies to all card members who’ve earnt a companion voucher since 2021. However, these can only be used for routes starting outside the UK.  Both airlines require fewer Avios on many routes as well as much cheaper taxes.

Here are the airlines you can redeem Avios on through British Airways:

• Aer Lingus 
• Alaska Airlines.
• American Airlines.
• British Airways.
• Cathay Pacific.
• Finnair.
• Iberia, including Iberia Express and Air Nostrum.
• Japan Airlines.
• Malaysia Airlines.
• Qantas, including QantasLink and Jetconnect.
• Qatar Airways.
• Royal Jordanian.
• Royal Air Maroc.
• SriLankan Airlines.
• SUN-AIR of Scandinavia

Here are the airlines you can redeem Avios on through Qatar Avios: 

• Bangkok Airways,
• JetBlue,
• LATAM,
• MEA
• Oman Air,
• RwandAir,
• S7
• Virgin Australia.

Here are the airlines you can redeem Avios on through Iberia Avios: 

• Avianca
• Iberia including Air Nostrum
• LEVEL,
• LATAM,
• Interjet (only when linked to an Iberia flight to/from Mexico)
• Binter Canarias
• Vueling

There are also special rates for flights with two or more oneworld partners, or British Airways plus two or more oneworld partners. These often work out cheaper for longer flights and round the world. Find out more in this article. 

Use all the tools available

There are a number of tools available that can make it much easier to find availability. I particularly like the British Airways Reward Flight Finder tool where you can search for 3 destinations at once for a whole year ahead. 

Reward Flight Finder and Seatspy are new types of websites, external to BA. With these, you can search for availability to a destination for a whole year and set up alerts for when availability changes.

Another option if you are struggling to find your flights is to sign up with ExpertFlyer. With Expert Flyer Pro you can set up availability alerts. This means you can set an alert so that you’ll be informed when award availability opens up on a particular British Airways flight for up to 30 flights at a time. It costs $9.99 per month, but you can do a 5 day trial for free. You also get lots of other useful benefits with it. 

The British Airways reward flight categories to search for are:

• First Class Award — “Z” class
• Business Class Award — “U” class
• Premium Economy Award — “P” class
• Economy Award — “X” class

You can also use it to find the additional seats available for holders of the new style voucher for Club World – i class.

Using Reward Flight Saver (RFS)

Reward flight saver is best value areas of the British Airways Avios redemption scheme, open to anyone who’s earnt at least 1 Avios in the last 12 months. The reward flights are now available to use on ALL long-haul flights and in Club World (business class) as well as Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus) and economy (World Traveller). Executive club members in the US can now also use this.  Previously, the tool could only be used on short-haul for economy and business class (Club Europe) and economy on some long haul flights.

Avios flights also include baggage. You could get Return Club World RFS flights for as little as £350 plus 160,000 Avios, or return World Traveller Plus RFS flights are available from £280 plus 85,000 Avios.

The tickets are priced much lower than the taxes and charges would normally be. If RFS is used along with a BA companion voucher, fewer Avios are needed. You can also use your upgrade vouchers and travel without a companion for 50% off the total Avios cost.

BA also guarantees that a minimum number of Reward Seats are available to book on every flight to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick. This includes:

• Eight in Euro/World Traveller
• Two in World Traveller Plus
• Four in Club Europe/World

Consider your destination

The easiest way to get flights is to be flexible on destination. I don’t mean go on a completely different holiday but look at whether you could go to a less popular destination nearby and get a connecting flight. This could be available all on one Avios ticket if you are lucky. America is a great place for this, as there are so many options.

If you can’t get all the flights on Avios you can get either a cash ticket to connect and perhaps earn a few miles on AA or try to get another redemption on AA nearer the time. Taxes can be very cheap on these.

Obviously, you need to consider any Covid restrictions still in place.

Examples of the best place to do this where connecting flights are relatively simple are (these include destinations where other oneworld airline fly not just BA:

• For West Coast USA – look at Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, Denver, San Francisco, Phoenix, Oakland, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver and San Jose. Houston and Austin also tend to have better availability than some of the Californian airports, but it is a much longer flight with the connection as Texas is quite far south (3 hours+ longer), so it depends on how determined you are to use your miles.
• For Florida – look at Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Atlanta. New York can be another option, but the flight time is in excess of 3 hours to Florida.
• For East Coast USA & Canada – look at New York JFK and Newark, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Washington, and Philadelphia. Bear in mind if you go to a different country, you will have to go through immigration twice
• For South Africa and Mauritius, look at Johannesburg, Cape Town and Mauritius
• For Northeast Asia – look at Beijing, Shanghai (you don’t need a full visa for a transit from the UK) Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo Narita/Haneda.
• For South East Asia – look at Bangkok, Hong Kong or Singapore
• For the Middle East – look at Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Here are the rest of the series of spending Avios guides:

GUIDE TO EARNING AVIOS – PART 1 FLIGHTS AND CREDIT CARDS

GUIDE TO EARNING AVIOS – PART 2 HOTELS, SHOPPING, CAR HIRE AND MORE

GUIDE TO SPENDING AVIOS PART 2 – USING AMEX COMPANION & BARCLAYCARD UPGRADE VOUCHERS

The post Guide to spending Avios part 1 – how to get the flights you want appeared first on Turning left for less.

Nectar 

You can convert your Nectar points into Avios and vice versa. You can collect Nectar points with everyone from Sainsbury’s and Argos to eBay and Esso, so your points will soon add up. Collect 250 Avios for every 400 Nectar points converted. Nectar has replaced Tesco Clubcard. 

The Wine Flyer

The Wine Flyer offers wines, craft spirits and beers selected exclusively for Executive Club Members. Subscribe to collect 15 Avios per £1 spent or make one-off orders to collect 10 Avios per £1 spent. Offers end 31 January 2022.

Heathrow Rewards

Collect points on virtually everything you do at Heathrow — shopping, eating, drinking, parking and using Heathrow Express — and convert your points to Avios. You can redeem your Heathrow Rewards points for Avios at a ratio of 1:1, with a minimum transfer of 250 points. 

The Bicester Collection^TM

Shop for luxury brands bargains at The Bicester Collection in Europe, nine open-air destinations. There are savings of up to 60% in 1,300 stores of fashion and lifestyle brands. You collect Avios at the same time at a rate of 5 Avios per £4 spent, which includes food and drink outlets, not just the shops. 

High Life Shop

You can earn Avios when you purchase High Life Shop products onboard British Airways flights, or when you shop online and pre-order directly to your seat onboard. You can choose from a wide selection of fragrances, gadgets and accessories on your flight or visit highlifeshop.com to see the full range of products on offer.

You can collect two Avios for every £1 you spend, which is rounded up the nearest pound.

Remember to ask your Cabin Crew member to swipe your Executive Club card when you pay.

Marriott Bonvoy^® points

You can convert your Marriott Bonvoy points into Avios at the following rates:

• 9,000 Marriott Bonvoy points into 3,000 Avios
• 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points into 10,000 Avios
• 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points into 20,000 Avios
• 90,000 Marriott Bonvoy points into 30,000 Avios
• 120,000 Marriott Bonvoy points into 40,000 Avios

You can also get 5,000 bonus Avios when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® points to Avios in one transaction.

You can either exchange online or contact customer support.

Convert your Marriott Bonvoy points to Avios

IHG One Rewards points

Convert your IHG One Rewards points into Avios and collect bonus Avios.

You will need to have collected at least 10,000 IHG One Rewards points before you can exchange them for Avios.

10,000 IHG One Rewards points convert to 2,000 Avios.

Convert IHG One Rewards points for Avios

World of Hyatt points

Convert your World of Hyatt points into Avios, 5,000 World of Hyatt points are initially required for each exchange into Avios.

You’ll get 1 Avios for 2.5 World of Hyatt points converted.

5,000 World of Hyatt points for 2,000 Avios, and thereafter increments of 2,000 points can be converted into Avios within the same transaction.

Additionally, when you choose to convert 50,000 World of Hyatt points you will receive a 5,000 Avios bonus.

To convert points into Avios, sign in to your World of Hyatt account, select ‘Earning Options’ then ‘Convert points to Miles’ and choose ‘British Airways’ under Travel Partner.

Alternatively, call your nearest Hyatt Worldwide Reservation Centre, or if based in the UK you can call 0845 888 1234.

Convert your World of Hyatt points into Avios

Radisson Rewards points

With Radisson Rewards you can choose to convert your Radisson Rewards Points automatically in increments of 10,000 Radisson Rewards points which entitles you to 1,000 Avios.

You can also exchange points yourself in the following increments:

• 2,000 Radisson Rewards points into 200 Avios
• 50,000 Radisson Rewards points into 5,000 Avios
• 100,000 Radisson Rewards points into 10,000 Avios

You can exchange your Radisson Rewards points into Avios online with Radisson Rewards, or by contacting the Radisson Rewards customer service centre. In the UK call +44 20 3196 0494.

For Americas : Convert your Radisson Rewards Americas points to Avios

For EMEA & APAC : Covert your Radisson Reward points to Avios

Hilton Honors points

You can convert Hilton Honors points into Avios using the Honors Reward Exchange.

You can exchange in increments of 10,000 Honors points which convert to 1,000 Avios.

Convert your Hilton Honors points into Avios

ALL Rewards points

Exchange your ALL Rewards points into Avios when you have a minimum balance of 4,000 ALL Rewards points which will provide you with an equivalent of 2,000 Avios.

To convert your points, simply log into your ALL account, select ‘Manage my ALL Rewards points’ and choose the ‘Convert my points into airline miles’ option. After you have submitted your request, your Avios will be credited to your British Airways Executive Club account within approximately 6 weeks.

Convert your ALL Rewards points to Avios

MeliáRewards points

You can convert MeliáRewards points into Avios when you have a minimum balance of 100 MeliáRewards points which will give you 30 Avios. MeliáRewards points can be converted in multiples of 100.

To convert points into Avios automatically, log into your MeliáRewards online account and select Executive Club as your “preferred partner” in your profile before the hotel stay. You can also transfer MeliáRewards points to Avios whenever you wish by selecting “transfer points between programmes” in your MeliáRewards online account.

Convert your MeliáRewards points into Avios

Avis

Collect 5 Avios per £1 spent and enjoy other benefits when you choose Avis for your car rental

Avis has thousands of rental locations worldwide and offers discounts for BA Executive Club members with higher discounts for higher-status holders. You can find the page here. 

• Collect 5 Avios per £1 spent.
• Get a free additional driver with every rental.

Budget

• Collect 2 Avios per £1 spent when you rent with Budget.
• With over 3,150 locations globally in more than 120 countries, it has never been easier to rent with Budget.
• Offering a simple car hire experience for value-conscious travellers.
• Enjoy a wide range of additional products and services, from GPS rental to child seats.
• Our fleets are constantly renewed, so you’ll be driving some of the very latest models, all at great value prices.

Find out more about Budget

Terms and Conditions apply

Fly drive for even more Avios

Book your Avis or Budget car rental with flights as part of a British Airways holiday package and you’ll save money on the price and earn 1 Avios for every £1 you spend on holidays — that’s on top of the regular Avios you’ll earn for the flights, car rental, hotel and tours elements of the package. You also get double tier points when you book five days car hire as part of a BA Holiday until 31 December 2023. 

Find out more about flight + car holidays

Zipcar

Zipcar is the world’s largest car sharing club, providing members with access to cars and vans near their home or work. To rent a car members just search, book and unlock via the Zipcar app.

There’s two ways to drive: pick up and drop off a Roundtrip car or van from its own dedicated bay. Or, take a one-way Zipcar Flex: cars that you can pick up and drop off in most of London, as well as Heathrow T5.

• Collect 1,000 Avios when you join Zipcar and collect 50 Avios on every booking.
• A convenient and affordable alternative to the costs and hassles of owning or hiring a car or van – as a member, you have access to thousands of vehicles near you.
• Travel one-way to or from Heathrow T5.
• Reserve a car for a minute, hour or day, only pay for the time you need.
• Fuel, insurance, and Congestion Charge are all included in the reservation cost.

Join Zipcar now

Terms and Conditions apply

Travel extras 

Lounge Pass

Purchase a Lounge pass and enjoy access to non-British Airways airport lounges across the globe, no matter what airline you are flying with or cabin you are travelling in.

• Choose from 600 non-British Airways lounges, at over 350 airports worldwide, including more than 45 in the UK
• Collect 5 Avios per £1 spent, when you book on the British Airways Lounge Pass website
• Pre-booking is available up to 15 months in advance*, for access to an airport VIP lounge from £13.50 per person

*Due to Covid-19, a number of lounges in affected areas are temporarily closed, and when booking you will be informed that it is ‘temporarily unavailable’.

Airport Parking by ParkVia

Collect 5 Avios per £1 spent when you book parking with one of our great-value airport car parks.

• Park near the airport with quick transfers.
• Parking available at airports.
• Secure and convenient.

Cruise118

Planning a Cruise? You can now collect Avios on all major cruise lines with our partnership with Cruise118, the award-winning and ABTA /ATOL protected travel agent. Offering access to the best deals and discounts on a wide range of cruises, Cruise118 can tailor any package to meet your needs and offer specialist knowledge from their team of Cruise Concierge.

To book, visit the dedicated Cruise118 in partnership with British Airways Executive Club website or call their dedicated Cruise Concierge team.

Collect 3 Avios per £1 spent on all major cruise line by providing your booking agent with your British Airways Executive Club membership number.

Terms and Conditions

Heathrow Express rail transfers

Heathrow Express is the smarter way to travel between Heathrow and central London – departing Heathrow and Paddington every 15 minutes, taking just 15 minutes.

• Travel in comfort and style, whilst avoiding London’s traffic congestion and the ticking taxi meter.
• Collect 5 Avios for every £1 spent on tickets.
• Just enter your membership number when you purchase tickets in advance using the dedicated Heathrow Express website for Executive Club Members. (You cannot collect Avios on tickets purchased on the train, at the airport or via any other website.)
• To be eligible to collect Avios, the name on the ticket must match that of the British Airways Executive Club account holder.
• Avios will be awarded 21 days after the booked travel date; Avios will not be awarded for tickets cancelled. Avios are not awarded for credit card bookings, delivery or amendment fees.

Valet parking at London Heathrow

Collect 5 Avios per £1 spent when you pre-book valet parking at London Heathrow airport:

• Drive to the terminal and a driver will park your car for you.
• Your car will be waiting at the terminal on your return.
• Available at London Heathrow Terminal 3 and Terminal 5.

We’ve made it even easier for you to collect Avios with British Airways by partnering with leading lifestyle and finance brands. Earn Avios by signing up for a subscription to The Economist or The Spectator, discovering a new way to invest with Nutmeg, collecting Avios with American Express and much more.

Uber

From taking rides to booking trips by coach or train, Uber helps you get around on the ground. Now however you choose to ride in the UK, you’ll collect 1 Avios for every £1 you spend. Simply link your British Airways Executive Club and Uber account in the Uber app, to start making your little trips add up to bigger ones.

The British Airways Prepaid Mastercard^®

The British Airways Prepaid Mastercard is a simple way to collect Avios when spending abroad or for those that do not want a credit card. 

The card has no foreign exchange fees*, 1 Avios for every £2, €2 or $2 spent, a welcome bonus treat, safe and secure payments with Apple Pay and Google Pay.

*Terms and Conditions apply.

BPme Rewards

Fuel your future adventures as we partner with bp to give you a boost on your Avios. You can now convert your BPme Rewards points into Avios, collect 25 Avios for every 40 BPme points converted. You’re already buying fuel and more with bp. Now let it help you go even further.

Here are the rest of the series of spending Avios guides:

GUIDE TO EARNING AVIOS – PART 1 FLIGHTS AND CREDIT CARDS

GUIDE TO SPENDING AVIOS PART 1 – HOW TO GET THE FLIGHTS YOU WANT

GUIDE TO SPENDING AVIOS PART 2 – USING AMEX COMPANION & BARCLAYCARD UPGRADE VOUCHERS

The post Guide to earning Avios – part 2 hotels, shopping, car hire and more appeared first on Turning left for less.

Even if you think you know everything about Avios collecting and spending, you may find this series of articles teach you a few things. There have been huge changes over the last couple of years, so it is worth refreshing yourself where you may be missing out on getting Avios or all the spending opportunities.

We will be running the whole series of earning and spending Avios over the next few days.

Earning Avios – The basics

Avios (formerly airmiles) is the miles currency used by the British Airways Executive Club but they can be earned and redeemed on a large number of airlines and partners. They are the easiest way to travel in business or first class for the least amount of cash, particularly when combined with vouchers that I will discuss below.

The first step for a beginner is to make sure you join not only the BA Executive Club but also Avios.com via Aer Club, Qatar Privilege Club and Iberia Plus. Each offers something slightly different. In the case of Iberia some of the best offers require you to have been a member of the scheme for at least 90 days so it’s best to just join now.

You can easily move Avios between the schemes but probably will want to credit most of your flying to British Airways in case you earn enough to gain status. For Iberia Plus, you will also need to earn at least 1 Avios before you can partake of some of the offers such as transferring miles to someone else. Moving miles in from American Express does count. 

Make sure every time you fly, you check whether the airline gives Avios. There are also some partners outside the oneworld alliance who give Avios. You must enter your BA Executive number when flying on a non-BA flight/booking. 

The basic rules for earning on a BA Executive Club account are:

• Codeshare flight on any airline booked through British Airways with ba flight number – earn Avios and tier points
• Oneworld member – earn Avios and tier points
• Codeshare booked through Oneworld member but non-oneworld flight – no Avios or tier points (except Emirates booked on Qantas)

Which airlines can I collect Avios on?

Through British Airways Executive Club (BAEC)

Obviously, British Airways is included but did you know that if you book your flight with a hotel or car you can get an extra 1 Avios per £1 spent on top of the regular Avios? You can also use a BA Premium Plus Amex credit card to pay and get 3 Avios per £1 spent instead of the usual 1.5 Avios per £1. You are generally better off crediting Avios to your BA account if flying BA as you get a better rate, particularly if you have status.

Iberia has recently introduced spend based Avios earning on flights, and BA is due to do this in 2023. 

• Aer Lingus (no tier points unless codeshare)
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Emirates when booked on a Qantas codeshare
• Fiji Airways (Oneworld Connect)
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Oman Air (joining 2024)
• Qatar Airways
• Qantas
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• S7 (currently suspended)
• Sri Lankan Airlines
• Vueling (have to collect through Vueling account)

Through Aer Lingus Aer Club

• United Airlines

Through Qatar Privilege Club

• Oman Air
• Rwandair
• Bangkok Airways
• Jet Blue

Ways to maximise your earnings

Many people forget that there are lots of ways to earn Avios, not just flights and credit cards. I will go through all the easiest ways to earn Avios, starting with credit cards today and other ways to earn in part 2.

Credit and charge cards

There are numerous credit cards that can get you Avios, not just the Avios and British Airways branded ones. Many of the American Express cards, such as Marriott, Preferred Rewards Gold and The Platinum charge card, also can give you Avios by converting the points afterwards.

For example, some Amex cards give you Amex Membership Rewards, which can be converted into Avios. The earning rates aren’t always as good, but they do give you the flexibility to move the rewards into other schemes such as Virgin Atlantic and some hotel groups. You can leave the points in the Amex scheme until you need them and then transfer over very quickly to the relevant scheme. This can be a very useful backup stash if you are just shy of being able to afford a redemption.

Credit and charge cards which you can get Avios from include:

• British Airways American Express Card – There are two versions – a free one and a premium one (the Premium Plus) with a fee of £250 per year. The card has the potential to get a companion voucher after spending £10,000 on the premium card and £12,000 on the free version. You also get bonus Avios when you use the Premium Plus Amex to pay on britishairways.com.
• American Express Platinum card – 1 Avios per £1 spent. Lots of other benefits such as travel insurance, status in hotel loyalty schemes and car hire excess insurance. 
• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card – 1 Avios per £1 spent
• Barclaycard Avios and Avios Plus (can earn upgrade vouchers)
• Marriott American Express (can transfer Marriott points into Avios)
• HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard – Earn 2 points (1 Avios) for every £1 of eligible spend you make in sterling and 4 points for every £1 spent in non-sterling currencies. £195 annual fee, card only available to HSBC Premier current account holders. 

For business owners there is also

• Capital on Tap Visa (limited companies only) £99 to join the rewards scheme. 1 Avios per £1. 
• British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

All the cards have different earning rates, and some can include an enhanced earning rate for the first few months. Make sure you look at all the benefits of the card versus the fees charged to work out which is right for you. The two Avios cards I currently own are the BA Premium Amex for the earning rate and the companion voucher and Platinum Amex due to the flexibility to transfer points into different airline schemes. I also have the Marriott one for the Marriott perks rather than for transferring to Avios. 

How to maximise your gain from credit cards

Make sure you keep an eye out for the sign-up bonuses. These vary throughout the year and can be as much as 70,000 Avios for an Amex BA Premium Plus card. If you are aiming for a bonus make sure you read the fine print. Often if you already hold a particular type of card with the credit card company or have held one in the last six months you are not eligible for the sign-up bonus. There will nearly always be a minimum spend required to get the bonus so make sure it is achievable for you.

Does one of your friends or family have the card you want? Often if they refer you, you both get a bonus which can be more than the normal one. Once you have the card, why not get your partner or spouse one and refer them too?

Make sure you check TopCashback for credit card cashback before applying for a card. For example, when I took out the Lloyds Avios card the cashback almost paid for my yearly fee.

Become like the Royal Family and never use cash! Use your credit card like a debit card and use it for everything as well as paying it off in full every month. With contactless payment it is so easy to use a card for even the smallest things.

If you are married or have a partner, you should both take out a card. That way you both get the sign-up bonus. If you will struggle to make the minimum spend for the 2-4-1 voucher, why not get them a supplementary card to both use one account towards the spend?

I will continue the list of way to earn Avios in tomorrow’s article – Beginners’ guide to collecting Avios part 2

Disclaimer: Turning left for less is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Reviews are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points and do not consider interest rates, service levels or any impact on your credit history.

Here are the rest of the series of spending Avios guides:

GUIDE TO SPENDING AVIOS PART 1 – HOW TO GET THE FLIGHTS YOU WANT

GUIDE TO EARNING AVIOS – PART 2 HOTELS, SHOPPING, CAR HIRE AND MORE

GUIDE TO SPENDING AVIOS PART 2 – USING AMEX COMPANION & BARCLAYCARD UPGRADE VOUCHERS

The post Guide to earning Avios – Part 1 Flights and credit cards appeared first on Turning left for less.

This is the outbound journey of this review, where I did not go into much detail about the seat as the seats were identical. If you want to read about the unique first class lounge experience at Barbados, it is worth a read!

This was a flight I had booked on Avios using a Gold upgrade voucher. I paid 125,000 Avios to Barbados (for business class) + £750, or with RFS, you could use 180,000 + £450, all off-peak. 

Check-in

First class passengers at Heathrow can use the BA First Wing. This is a separate area with its own security lanes and a passageway directly into the First Lounge. In good times it can take less than 10 minutes from entering the airport to sitting with a glass of fizz in your hand in the lounge. This was not one of those times. 

I was checked in by another lovely First wing agent – they always seem a cut above elsewhere and very friendly. I could see there was a big queue for security coming back past the entrance. She said that it could take 20 minutes or more due to an issue with one of the scanners being closed. It was around 7.15am and usually, both would be open by this time. She recommended going through fast track instead, so I thought I would give it a try.

The queue for Fast Track was bad, also going almost back to the entrance where you scan your boarding pass. After about 10 minutes, I finally got to the front and then discovered why. I have no idea if it was the security agents themselves or the equipment, but on one side of the two lanes they were pulling over about 50% of people’s bags. Surprise, surprise, I got my bag pulled for a random test.

I waited around another 15 minutes for them to get to me as I counted nine people in front of me! On the other side, one person was waiting. I’d normally expect a maximum of two or three people to be waiting. This is not random. Something was going very wrong on my side.

Eventually, the sole agent got around to me, and I made it into the Concorde Room in a foul mood. Heathrow really needs to sort their act out as I think I have never been targeted so much for secondary searches as in the last 3 months, and none of them related to anything that I have done/forgotten etc. Other than the First Wing, I have a 100% rate of secondary searches or testing, which is getting very tedious now. 

Concorde Room Lounge

First class passengers can use the Concorde Room along with GGL card holders. The Concorde room is a big step up from the First lounge, which gold cardholders can use. Sadly the private cabanas have gone, and there is no more spa either, but it is still a haven of peace compared to the other lounges. They lost the boardroom area to Forty Winks, the nap pods where you can rest on loungers. There is a small work area by the terrace if you need it. 

The Concorde Room has a restaurant area, but you can eat anywhere. If you want to be sociable, the high communal tables are the place to hang out or the bar. 

I was feeling somewhat anti-social after my early morning start and security experience, so I chose to sit in the restaurant. 

I went with my usual breakfast order of the maple glazed bacon chop with an egg. Be warned this does take a while to cook – up to 20 minutes, although they will tell you that when you order. I passed this time with a rather average fruit salad and a bucks fizz. The Concorde room serves Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle champagne. I also had a cappuccino which came with the speedbird logo in cocoa on top. As usual, the bacon chop was delicious, with the sweet maple glaze counteracting the saltiness perfectly. For me, it is one of the best dishes in the CCR. 

The server was friendly and generally efficient, and I started to feel more relaxed than when I had entered. Sadly this did not last….

Boarding

I had been given a B gate, as is normal for a long haul departure. But when I got near the gate and saw that it was downstairs as it confirmed my suspicion that it was a bus gate. I detest bus gates and particularly when you are travelling in first. Nothing says first class like being rammed into a bus with 50 other people coughing over you and being flung around halfway across the airport having on for dear life before you have to lug your heavy bag (because you can’t trust your luggage won’t be lost) up a big flight of steps!

Prior to Covid, it was very rare to have steps to an aircraft for long haul, but now it seems to be happening all the time. If you are going to do it BA, at least, try to make the bus journey a bit more pleasant with separate buses for business/first like Qatar and others do. 

So by the time I got to my seat, I was really not in the best frame of mind, but the cabin crew member serving me immediately made me forget about that. I always say you can nearly always tell it is going to be a good flight in the first few minutes, and that was the case here. I did mention to her about how unpleasant the bus journey and steps were (I have a knee issue which is really exacerbated by steps), and she really took note as you will see later. 

I was offered a glass of champagne (always helps a bad mood!) and a wash bag plus pyjamas. 

The washbag by Alice Temperley contained the usual Elemis amenities, which I really like. I think you get a lot inside the bag, and they are high-quality products. I also like the pajamas. 

The kit contains:

• Elemis Frangipani Monoi hand and nail balm
• Elemis Rehydrating Ginseng Facial wipe
• Elemis cleansing micellar wipe
• Elemis lip balm
• Elemis Pro-Collagen facial mist
• Elemis Deodorant
• Elemis Ultra Smart Pro-Collagen Serum
• Elemis Ultra Smart Pro-Collagen eye balm
• Eye mask
• Ear plugs
• Socks
• First branded pen
• Mirror

I had a glass of the Grand Siecle champagne and then was presented nuts in a bowl. Hurray, I thought! The old first class nuts are back. Until I started to eat them and realised they were the Club Europe ones that I am not keen on, but they had decanted them into a bowl! (full marks for the initiative to the crew). 

The IFM also appeared very on the ball and came to welcome me and had a chat later as well. I always think that they are a lot of how a crew perform on the day, and this lady was obviously leading the way. 

The cabin and seat

This aircraft had the old configuration of 14 seats in first class and was pretty much full. I usually for 2 or 3K in this configuration as I like a window seat, they are not right by the galley/toilet and I am right handed so prefer to have my drink on the right side of me on the side table.

The B777 is probably my least favourite out of the BA Firsts, but that is not to say that it is bad. Just other types have better storage or are more modern. The main storage is in the rather small wardrobe. It’s pretty shallow apart from the area for shoes at the bottom so you can’t get a lot in there. That’s pretty much the only storage for take-off and landing which is not really adequate. Once you have taken off there is plenty of room on the side but not anywhere else to store things out of sight. 

The seat controls are simple mainly as there is not much you can control. You turn the dial to recline the seat into a bed or to put it back upright again. There is not separate leg rest control which always irritates me as reaching the footstool without reclining quite a bit is impossible if you are my height (5ft 6) or shorter. 

The seat and surrounding appeared in good condition and clean. 

However, for lounging and sleeping, I find the seat very comfortable and not too hard. I do also like the individual lamps that you can control and the window blinds which always look classy to me.

At the seat, you get given both a large plump pillow and a small day cushion, and I like having both so you can arrange a comfortable position in various ways. 

You also get a mattress cover that has some decent padding and a duvet as well as a day blanket. As it was a day flight, I only had a short sleep, but I did use the duvet as it was very cold onboard. The first seats are definitely much more comfortable for sleeping than Club Suites due to the amount of space to toss and turn if you need to. 

Food and drink

You couldn’t pre-order for my flight, but you can request the menu in advance from YouFirst, but usually only within a few weeks of departure.

Here is the food menu:

I was quite torn what to have as a few friends had given me a run down on various dishes and both the beef starter and main courses looked good. But I’m afraid double beef was a step too far after the bacon chop so I went for the prawn cocktail even though I was very perplexed by the mushrooms. What chef in their right mind goes, I know what would make a classic prawn cocktail even better, mushrooms?!

The meals service started with the offer of a drink and canapes:

I really enjoyed these with my glass of champagne and they looked beautiful too. Here is the drinks list:

Next, my table was laid, and I was offered a break basket selection. I really like having the olive oil option, as some of the Mediterranean breads don’t seem right with butter. 

Apart from the very random addition of the mushroom slices, the prawn cocktail was excellent with large juicy prawns and plenty of tasty sauce hidden under the lettuce. I also enjoyed the Pouilly Fume with it. 

Next came the rib of beef, and this was really something. A huge, almost prehistoric-looking rib of beef, cooked until it was falling apart with some tender roasted shallots and a great sauce. This is how beef needs to be served on a plane. Anything else is sacrilege unless you like your beef very well done. The side dishes were also good, particularly the dauphinoise potatoes. I paired it with the Cellar Selection Grand Cru which turned out to be this:

Pauillac is one of my favourite Bordeaux wines, but I often find the BA first wines a little underwhelming. However, this was fantastic and had that complexity, smoothness and refinement that I often find lacking in the first wines. Probably one of the best wines I have had on BA first for a while. 

I was pretty full, but I did like the sound of the espresso cake, which as I suspected, was very similar to tiramisu. 

I was delighted to see that they had cognac on the menu as it has been MIA for ages on and off. However, when I requested it, it turned out there was none on board. Sigh, #brandygate lives on!

Second meal

Despite what felt like a huge meal I decided to take one for the team and try some afternoon tea before landing for the review. I only had the scones and sandwiches as I was still full from lunch. 

The scones were huge, but the sandwiches tiny. As I generally am not keen on cakes, I would have preferred to have a bigger selection of sandwiches maybe. I also could have done with more cream as although I only had one scone they were so big there was not enough to do both sides. 

Entertainment, Wi-Fi and power 

The seats have a multi-country socket and two USB points, so it is well served for charging your electrical items.

Wi-Fi is free in first, but it never specifies which speed you get. I’m convinced you get the slower speed, as I find the free one pretty useless except for simple messaging. 

I found the selection of films pretty good with plenty of new and interesting films. I watched Blind Ambition which was about four Zimbabwean men that form their country’s first Wine Tasting team. If you think Cool Runnings for wine you are in the right area. I absolutely adored this inspiring film, and if you love wine, then it’s a must-see. Even if you are not that into wine, it’s well worth a watch. 

The definition is pretty good but not as good as the newer First. The screen size, I think, is also perfectly acceptable.

The controls may look old-fashioned, but they work well, and that’s what matters in my book.

Arrival

Barbados has no jetbridges, so I knew to expect stairs on arrival, which BA can’t do anything about. Plus, you walk across the tarmac so much better than a bus. The cabin crew member serving me remembered what I had been saying about my bad knee and carried my bag down the stairs for me. I thought that was really lovely, and that finished a fantastic flight off in a great way. 

Conclusion

The day started badly with Heathrow’s security issues and then a bus gate. Luckily the cabin crew were fantastic onboard and really made up for the shaky start. The food was also pretty faultless, and I would not have complained if I had that in a restaurant (apart from the weird mushrooms!). It was good to see some really impressive tasting wines in First rather than the usual slightly disappointing ones that are all fur coats and no knickers as the saying goes! 

The post British Airways B777 First class London to Barbados – a tale of two halves appeared first on Turning left for less.

British Airways Finally Unveils Its New Uniform – with exclusive photos

British Airways has today unveiled a new uniform for the first time in 20 years. It’s hard to believe the current uniforms are 20 years old, as I think they have stood the test of time well. 

The collection of garments, created by British fashion designer and tailor Ozwald Boateng OBE, will be worn by more than 30,000 of the airline’s colleagues from Spring 2023. The uniform was originally announced during the airline’s centenary celebrations but was delayed by the pandemic. 

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “Our uniform is an iconic representation of our brand, something that will carry us into our future, representing the very best of modern Britain and helping us deliver a great British original service for our customers. From the very start this has been about our people. We wanted to create a uniform collection that our people are proud to wear and with the help of over 1,500 colleagues, we are confident that we have delivered this.”

The collection features a tailored three-piece suit for men with regular and slim fit style trousers and dress, skirt and trouser options for women, as well as a modern jumpsuit – which is an airline first. A tunic and hijab option has also been created.

I hate to point it out, but there is a very good reason why no airlines have jumpsuits… I’m going to be a bit sexist here, but you can tell a man came up with that idea. Any woman who has worn a jumpsuit will immediately understand why wearing one as working crew on an aircraft is not a good idea. You have to get almost completely undressed to go to the loo! Try doing that in a tiny aircraft bathroom multiple times on a long haul flight and then struggling back into it again!

Boateng took inspiration from the airline, its people and the art of flying.  The airwave pattern that features across the entire uniform collection including jackets, t-shirts, buttons and ties was inspired by the movement of air over an aircraft wing. The jacquard fabric across all of the tailored garments features a variation of the airline’s iconic speedmarque. On the aircraft, the In Flight Leads and Managers will have a different colour tie/scarf as they do now with a satin shirt for the women. 

Boateng has been developing the collection since 2018. He shadowed a number of airport roles to understand how the uniform needed to perform for each job and ensure a modern British, stylish look with high quality, resilient fabrics that are easy to care for.

More than 1,500 colleagues across the airline took part in 50 workshops to help ensure the garments suitability, from design workshops to prototype feedback and garment trials, helping create an iconic collection that will stand the test of time.

To make sure that each garment is fit for purpose, the airline has been putting the uniform to the test over the last six months in secret trials. Cabin and flight crew uniforms have been put through their paces on cargo flights across Europe while engineers have been secretly wearing the new uniforms while maintaining aircraft out of sight in Manchester and Cotswold Airports. Many of the outdoor garments have also been tested in deluge showers and freezers at -18 degrees Celsius to ensure they’re water resistant, durable and fit for extreme weather conditions, like some of those seen recently.

During the trials, colleagues gave feedback on the practicability of the garments, resulting in amendments ahead of the rollout. For example, engineers requested easy access tool pockets for when they’re working on aircraft, while ground handlers asked for touch-screen technology fabric in their gloves so they can use their devices in cold climates without having to take them off.

Emma Carey, British Airways’ cabin crew, who was one of the colleagues who carried out secret trials of the uniform, said: “It’s been a real honour and responsibility to help test the new uniform and put it through its paces at 35,000ft to make sure it’s fit for purpose, with thousands of my colleagues counting on me. It was great to see that adjustments were made after our feedback. The pockets on the apron, for example, were widened after the trial so we had more room for everything we need during meal services on board.  I can’t wait for our customers to see the new collection.”

Sustainability and quality have been front and centre throughout the uniform design process. More than 90% of the garments are produced using sustainable fabric from blends of recycled polyester. As part of British Airways’ BA Better World commitment to work with sustainable suppliers, the airline is only working with manufacturers that are members of the ‘Better Cotton’ initiative.

The airline’s engineers and ground operations agents will be first to wear the new uniform from Spring 2023. All British Airways’ cabin crew, pilots and check-in agents will have a switch over date from their current uniform to the new one in Summer 2023. As they pick up their new items of uniform, they’ll hand in their Julien MacDonald garments, which will be donated to charity or recycled to create toys, tablet holders and more, with a number of items gifted to the airline’s museum.

While BA has not gone as far as Virgin Atlantic in allowing people to where whichever uniform for their role that they feel comfortable in, they have definitely included some more gender-neutral options. BA have also relaxed some of their other uniform policies. Reference to gender has been removed from the uniform standards guide.  This means that guidance on makeup, hair, nails and jewellery is equally applicable to everyone. For example, a man can now wear earrings, a hair bun or ponytail. Beard limits have also been removed. 

Here are some more images of the various uniforms.

Overall I have to say I’m a bit disappointed after 4 years. I do like the men’s uniforms, but I am not keen on some of the women’s options. I’m also not sure if you saw them in an airport it would scream British Airways. It all feels a little generic. 

Some of the pictures remind me a bit of a school uniform. The all navy ones I don’t mind, but when you pair them with a navy jacket as well, it looks a bit odd. I’m also not sure of the practicality of a long scarf when serving food. When I think of most airlines that have scarves, they are worn quite short, not long enough to dangle in the pasta!

What do you think of the new uniforms? Let us know in the comments below. 

The post Exclusive photos: British Airways Finally Unveils Its New Uniform appeared first on Turning left for less.

On 30 November, British Airways flew its last-ever flight out of JFK’s T7, waving goodbye to the Concorde room in favour of a shared new facility with American Airlines in T8. You can read about the new lounges and check-in areas in T8 in this article. 

This article will be about the final flight leaving T7 and the current Club World meal service, which returned to pre-Covid levels at the end of October 2022. Although this was a press trip, there was only a very small group of us, so other than marking the occasion of the last flight; this was a normal flight. It is worth noting, however, that traditionally food on the JFK route was generally better than others, due to it being BA’s most premium route. 

Concorde Room and T7 JFK history

The day before, British Airways had started removing the branding on T7, leaving a slightly ironic sign as I went past…

BA’s original operation from JFK was with its predecessor BOAC which merged with British European Airways (BEA) to form British Airways in 1974. Together with Air France, BA launched supersonic Concorde services at JFK in November 1977. Concorde flew from JFK for an impressive 26 years.

A dedicated lounge for supersonic passengers was originally created at Gate 1, then moved to Gate 5. Then eventually, it was moved back again to Gate 1 after BA commissioned the creation of a new Concorde Room in December 1998. 

The Terrace Lounges were originally opened in April 2001 and refurbished in 2018. JFK also saw the first-ever BA B747 flight. 

After check-in we headed to the Concorde Room to say goodbye one final time.

Although it was not the most modern lounge, it had a certain elegance, and the food was always better than its Heathrow sister lounge, in my opinion. 

I was lucky enough to have the last ever glass of Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle (I’m not sure if Rhys from Head for Points has forgiven me yet!). 

Then I had the lobster bisque, which was absolutely wonderful with a large claw of lobster meat as decoration (when was the last time we saw lobster in the Heathrow Concorde room?). 

We were some of the last people to leave, and it was with a heavy heart that I had a final look around the almost empty lounge. Sadly although I had flown into JFK in First, I had never flown out in First and only made GGL just as Covid started. So this was only my second ever visit as well as my last.

The staff lined up to say goodbye at the door, which was lovely.

At the gate, there was more of a party atmosphere, with staff waving flags. It reminded me of the emotionally charged flight only just over a year ago when the US reopened its borders, and I was lucky enough to be on one of the first flights. 

Lisa Tremble, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at BA, gave a farewell speech with some information about the history of BA at JFK and T7. As we boarded, we were handed a certificate which was appreciated by most people. I love anything to commemorate something historic in aviation. 

Boarding

Boarding was done in the usual fashion despite all the celebrations, with group 1 first. Once onboard, I was offered a welcome drink and a wash bag. 

The cabin

I won’t talk much about the seat specifically, as I have reviewed the Club Suite seat on the B777 before. Suffice it to say that I am a fan of the Club Suites. I find them very comfortable for sleeping being not too firm. I also love the amount of storage and the high-definition screen.  

However, I thought it worth mentioning this specific layout because it is huge, massive! It has an unbelievable 72 seats spread over three cabins. The photo above is of the back cabin, which is the second smallest. This is probably my pick of all the cabins as you can be in the middle of this one and not be bothered by World Traveller Plus behind or, like the first cabin, which is smaller, be close to the toilets and galley. You also have a separate team serving you in this cabin.

I was in seat 20k. When I first saw it I thought I’d been put in World Traveller Plus. I would definitely choose this area of the aircraft again in this configuration. Service was pretty efficient, and there was no noise from anywhere outside the cabin making it great for sleeping., Being a smaller cabin, there was also less noise and movement from within the cabin itself. 

Food and drink

If I were not doing a review, I would have gone for the quick service, but since we had flown out on American Airlines and I was yet to try the improved Club World meal service, I thought I would go for the full Monty.

Here are the cocktail and wine menus:

I started with a glass of Besserat de Bellefon Rose champagne which I quite enjoyed thanks to its red fruit notes. And the usual nuts, which I do not enjoy thanks to the big bits of corn that I don’t find pleasant. 

The menu offered an Express option with a choice of starter or dessert and a drink. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the menu overall, as there were several options I thought sounded good. Now pasta and planes usually don’t mix that well except when it’s a pasta bake, so I thought I would test BA a little and order that since it described it as “homemade” (pretty sure it was made in the catering facility…). 

For the starter, I went for the prawns. As well as the starter, the tray came with a petit pain, butter and farro salad which I thought was a fairly generous portion. The prawns were plump and large, with plenty of sauce and large chunks of lettuce hiding under the sauce. It was a humungous improvement from the tiny little starters they were serving on the one-tray service. 

Now I have to say I was quite shocked by the pasta! Not only did it have just the right amount of truffle that didn’t taste overpowering or fake, the pasta did indeed taste freshly made. It wasn’t dry, clumpy or claggy. There was plenty of creamy sauce, and acidic but sweet tomatoes broke up the richness of the sauce. 

For me, the only slight miss of the service was the dessert though others I spoke to liked it. I love mango, and I love caramel so I thought I’d try that pudding even though it sounded a slightly weird combination. 

Well in my opinion, it was indeed a weird combination! It didn’t really taste like mango or caramel. However, it was a good consistency, presented well, and the Italian meringue was the perfect consistency. 

Here is the breakfast menu:

I didn’t have room for breakfast, and instead I went to try out the T5 Concorde Breakfast room, which I will be writing about tomorrow as well as what else you expect arriving first class into Heathrow.

I think they should have spelled out what Menemen is on the menu though. I’d regard myself as pretty well-versed on food dishes, and I have never heard of it. I’m pretty sure either very few people ordered it, or lots of people had to ask the crew what it was!

Entertainment

The aircraft had various wifi packages available for purchase, but I just went with the messaging package which worked fine as long as you didn’t try to send pictures (they were very slow to upload). 

The TV screen was large and had good definition. There were even some new films that I had not seen despite all my recent long-haul travel. All I can say is that if you are given the opportunity to see Silent Night – don’t. While it was well-acted and an interesting exploration of how people may tackle a catastrophic event, it was one of the most depressing films I have ever watched. 

Conclusion

This was a massive improvement on the one tray service with plenty of good quality choices and much larger portions of starter and dessert.

It was the first time I have been in this back cabin of the B777, and I would choose this location again due to the service and the quiet of the location. 

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