BOOK NOW: New British Airways Johannesburg service launched, wide open for Avios redemptions

British Airways published a list of timetable changes on Tuesday which was not hugely exciting – so unexciting in fact that I was happy to wait until Thursday to publish it.

Something else seems to have slipped through the net, however, which is not listed on the document.

A new Heathrow to Johannesburg service is now available for booking on ba.com even though it has not been announced.  It will operate four days per week.

It is wide open for Avios availability, in Club World and World Traveller, for at least the guaranteed two / four seats.  In reality I can see up to six Club World seats on some dates.  There is also a lot of World Traveller Plus availability.

This means that both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have launched additional Johannesburg services in response to the cancellation of one of the South African Airways daily flights.  The SAA service is very good, however, as Anika’s SAA Business Class review here shows.

The service starts on 28th October at the start of the new timetable.

The outbound leaves Heathrow at 16.50, landing in Johannesburg at 05.50

The return is a day flight.  It leaves Johannesburg at 07.40 and lands at Heathrow at 17.15.

The outbound operates on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  Return flights are on the following day.

This is not just a Winter service.  It is timetabled through into the Spring timetable as well, so you can book as far out as early May 2019.

Avios availability to Johannesburg is generally very hard to get.  It is virtually impossible over Christmas and New Year (and, to be honest, the Club World Christmas week seats seem to have already gone – but, for eg, 19th December has 2 x Club World outbound showing, 23rd December has one).

Remember that if you want to go to Cape Town, you can book a connection on Avios on BA franchise Comair.  This cannot be booked with a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 voucher however.

Pop over to ba.com and see what you can find.

To maximise your miles when paying, your best bet is the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card which earns double Avios (3 per £1) when you book at ba.com or via BA Holidays.  You do not get double Avios if you book with the free British Airways American Express card. 

Another option is American Express Preferred Rewards Gold which offers double points – 2 per £1 – when you book flight tickets directly with an airline.

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.)