British Airways launches flights out of Cambridge Airport!

There are some phrases you never expect to be writing and that is one of them.  However, confirmation arrived yesterday that British Airways franchisee SUN-AIR of Scandinavia is launching a service to Gothenburg.  From Cambridge.

Services start on March 2nd.  Flights will only depart on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Whilst the British Airways press release says “This is expected to be a popular route amongst business travellers”, what they actually mean is “This is expected to be a popular route for employees of Astra Zeneca”.

Astra Zeneca is underwriting the service.  I am told that it has committed to purchase 20 tickets for every flight.  This is not new.  I believe that some US routes operated by BA are underwritten by Glaxo and other major employers.

According to the airport:

Flight BA8235 will depart Cambridge at 07:00 each morning and arrive 10:00 at Gothenburg’s Landvetter International Airport.  Flight BA8236 from Gothenburg will depart at 18:00 each evening, arriving in Cambridge at 19:00, Monday to Thursday. It will be serviced by fast and comfortable 32-seat Dornier 328 regional jets.

Passengers travelling with SUN-AIR through Cambridge International Airport’s newly refurbished terminal will enjoy a spacious and relaxing hotel-style departure lounge, including a Costa Coffee bar and snacks, complimentary Wi-Fi and short check-in times, as well as the VIP JETability Lounge for applicable British Airways Gold and Silver card or oneworld frequent flyers.   The airport is located only three miles from Cambridge city centre and offers on-airport car parking and good public transport access. It is also close to all major road networks, meaning regional centres such as Peterborough and Ipswich are easily reached within an hour.

Yes, there is a lounge!  It is not available via Priority Pass or Lounge Club though.

The flights are already available for booking via ba.com.  It is included in Reward Flight Saver with a return flight presumably costing 9,000 Avios and £35 in Eurotraveller.  At the time of writing yesterday afternoon, no redemption flights had yet been loaded.  No business class seems to be available.

The airport code for Cambridge is CBG if you are looking up the flights (Gothenburg is GOT).  This is another one to add to my forthcoming comprehensive guide to Avios redemptions from regional airports.

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.)