British Airways launches new routes from City, inc Florence

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British Airways has announced some new routes from London City Airport for the Summer 2014 timetable. We should expect similar announcements on a regular basis at the moment, as there are three new aircraft going into City soon to expand the BA operation.

From a leisure perspective, the most interesting option is Florence. BA will be flying this route four times a week. They have cunningly positioned the weekend flight to maximise the weekend break market, with an 11.05 departure on Friday and a 19.55 return on Sunday.

Oddly, Vueling – the low-cost carrier now owned by BA’s parent company – currently flies to Florence from Heathrow. You can book this with Avios, but only if you transfer them to Iberia Plus first! I get a sneaky feeling that this route will now be dropped and the flight slots taken over by BA for something more profitable.

The second new route is Rotterdam. This is a substantially more aggressive launch, with up to five flights per day. I lived in Rotterdam for four months whilst I was a student … its tourist appeal is limited compared to Amsterdam or The Hague, unless you are keen on architecture (see above, for example).

Tickets should be available for Avios and cash bookings at ba.com or avios.com.

How to earn Avios points from UK credit cards

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 BA Amex American Express card

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 BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

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: