They’re coming soon(-ish) – BA’s A380 fleet

There are a hundred sites out there for people who want to know all about new planes, building planes etc – this is not one of them.  However, it is worth being aware of the major changes that the BA fleet will be experiencing in 2013.

In May, the first Boeing 787 will be delivered. I haven’t flown on one of these yet. There are real benefits – bigger windows, composite material construction, far higher on-board air quality etc – but as they basically look like any old long-haul plane, it is hard to get too excited about them.

In July, though, BA is due to receive its first Airbus A380.

Business Traveller has a suite of pictures of No 1 here from a trip they did to Toulouse recently.

Flightglobal reports here that the first A380 will join the Winter 2013 timetable, launching late October 2013. However, during the Summer of 2013, it will be flying on short-haul routes from London.

This means that you will have a great opportunity to have a weekend away flying the A380, and getting a fully flat Club World bed in business class for those 2-3 hours!

No-one knows yet where the plane will be rostered, and of course with only one to play with at first, you will never be able to guarantee that it will be flying a certain route, even if timetabled. It is definitely something to keep an eye out for, though.

I was lucky enough to fly First Class on an Emirates A380 a couple of years ago. It was, frankly, the most amazing flight experience I have ever had – the full size bathroom, the in-flight shower, the private ‘suites’ that Emirates have in First Class, the onboard bar etc etc.

Unfortunately, BA will not be importing most of these feature into its A380’s, but it will still be a real experience climbing those stairs for the first time.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)