British Airways launches flights to Kos, wide open for Avios redemptions

British Airways has launched a new route to the Greek island of Kos.

The service will start next Summer and operate from Gatwick.  It joins a wide range of other destinations in Greece: Athens, Santorini, Rhodes, Skiathos, Thessaloniki, Zante, Mykonos, Kefalonia, Kalamata, Crete and Corfu.

The new Kos service will operate as follows:

First flight 15th May 2019

Final flight (for the season) 26th October 2019

Departures on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday

Departing from London Gatwick

The timings are all over the place:

Outbound:

Tuesdays – depart 13.45, land 20.00

Wednesdays – depart 14.05, land 20.20

Saturdays – depart 07.10, land 13.20

Inbound:

Tuesdays – depart 21.10, land 23.10

Wednesdays – depart 21.30, land 23.40

Saturdays – depart 14.10, land 16.20

Flights are already bookable at ba.com for cash or Avios.  The standard four Euro Traveller and two Club Europe seats per flight seem to be available.  However, with under 80 flights each way in total over the season they won’t last long.

With Avios it is a Zone 3 redemption.  It will cost 17,000 Avios off-peak / 20,000 Avios peak in Euro Traveller (economy return) and 34,000 Avios off-peak / 40,000 Avios peak in Club Europe (business return).

For cash, this will be a route earning 160 tier points in Club Europe.  This could make it an attractive tier point run if you are close to Bronze, Silver or Gold status and fancy a short break.  BA’s tier point calculator is here if you want to confirm it.

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.)