British Airways launches New York to Gatwick – wide open for Avios redemptions
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It has been seven years since British Airways threw in the towel in its attempt to persuade the business travellers of the South East to head to Gatwick and on to New York.
The decision, announced yesterday, to bring back the service seems a little odd. This is especially true when you consider that, unlike seven years ago, BA will be up against low-cost competition in the form of the Norwegian Gatwick to New York service.
The new service launches on 1st May and will operate daily.
It will depart Gatwick at 4.40pm, landing at 7.30pm. The return flight will leave JFK at 10pm, arriving at 10am.
It will use a three-class Boeing 777 aircraft, so First Class will not be available.
As always with a new route, you should find Avios redemption availability wide open. Two Club World seats are available every day, as well as four economy seats. If you were looking for New York flights for next Summer but had found no availability, now is the day to book. Take a look now at ba.com.
Where are the aircraft coming from?
It is time to check your existing bookings if you have a long-haul flight booked from Gatwick after 1st May 2016.
Las Vegas is cancelled entirely. Vegas will now be flown only from Heathrow.
In addition, according to reports, Antigua is cut by one flight per week. Orlando is also losing one service per week. Kingston and Tobago will be rescheduled to different days of the week – I hope your hotel booking was refundable ….
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.)
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