Air Belgium to operate one of the British Airways Newark flights as BA struggles for aircraft

Air Belgium, which has been operating some Dubai and Abu Dhabi flights for British Airways in recent months, has got a more high profile contract.

From 1st April to 8th June, BA184/185 from London Heathrow to Newark will be operated by Air Belgium.  

This is two class plane.  First Class passengers who accept a downgrade to Business Class will get back the fare difference but retain access to The Concorde Room at Heathrow and receive First Class Avios and tier points.

World Traveller Plus passengers can either have an upgrade to Business Class (free) or accept a downgrade to Economy, receive the fare difference and be guaranteed World Traveller Plus Avios and tier points.

All passengers, even Economy, can request to switch to the 2nd daily Newark service which remains BA-operated.

The Air Belgium aircraft is an ex-Finnair plane, see above, and arguably has a better seat than British Airways Club World although it is reportedly a little worn.

This is another knock-on from BA’s Boeing 787-9 engine issues which have taken a number of long-haul aircraft out of service.

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.)