Air Belgium to operate Toronto flights for British Airways

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As British Airways continues to struggle with the reliability of Boeing 787 fleet, Air Belgium has been called up to take on additional routes.

At present Air Belgium is operating certain Dubai services for BA. In April and May it will operate one of the Newark services. From 9th June to 17th August, Air Belgium will operate one of BA’s two daily flights to Toronto.

Flights BA92 and BA93 will be operated by Air Belgium’s ex-Finnair A340. There are differences of opinion about this aircraft in Business Class – some people complain that it is worn out, but others like the ex-Finnair seating which is seen as preferable to Club World, as the photo below shows.

First Class passengers will be downgraded, although they will retain Concorde Room access and receive First Class Avios and tier points. No compensation is due except for any fare difference. Alternatively you can switch to the 2nd daily service.

The same goes for Premium Economy / World Traveller Plus passengers who will be downgraded to Economy / World Traveller or can switch aircraft.

How to earn Avios points from UK credit cards

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 BA Amex American Express card

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 BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

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.)

Category

British Airways and Avios

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Georg says:

15 Mar15 March 07:54

O/T – Can anyone recommend a good seat on a Boeing 747 in First Class?
- roberto says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 08:07
  
  1A or 1K is nice in the nose but you need status to snag it and buddy dining is tight at the front. 2A and 2K are the second choice especially for a couple.
  
  To be honest its not the best plane to experience First but there are no bad seats in this iconic old bird.
  - BJ says:
    
    15 Mar15 March 08:21
    
    Agreed, used to love 1A/K when I flew ANZ 747 regularly to LAX for work. So much so that I did connecting flights whenever I could to avoid UA 777s direct to SFO. I rate ANZ Business First 747 second only to ancient Thai First on a 747 as my favourite flying experience. Unless I choose a route just to facilitate it then I doubt I will get to fly a 747 again, I think the last time was way back in 2008/9 🙁
  - Matt B says:
    
    15 Mar15 March 09:13
    
    We’re flying in F on the 747 next month, no status so had to make do with 2a and 2k which seems to be the best other than row 1
    - Grant says:
      
      15 Mar15 March 09:26
      
      I assume, like me, you’ll be checking at T-72 to see if Row 1 is available?!
  - Alex says:
    
    15 Mar15 March 09:47
    
    1A and 1K are reserved for Gold status
    - Rob says:
      
      15 Mar15 March 10:17
      
      And that means all passengers are Gold – you can’t take 1A/1K if you are Gold but your partner isn’t.
    - sayling says:
      
      15 Mar15 March 15:12
      
      But if there are no Gold status F passengers interested, you can still grab row 1…
      
      I got 1A as a lowly silver last year – apparently Paul McCartney’s seat but he wasn’t flying that day 😂
    - john says:
      
      15 Mar15 March 15:13
      
      ..until 72-hours before flight. Not sure if they bump you if you book them when not Gold and then a Gold member shows up and wants them..?
  - xcalx says:
    
    15 Mar15 March 17:25
    
    My second award booking back in 2008 was on this flight and also managed to snag 1A and 1K with no status that was back in the BMI days first ever award booking was JFK-FRA on SQ
- Georg says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 21:53
  
  Thanks! I’ll check back on that row one then. First time first for me so should be good anyway
Shoestring says:

15 Mar15 March 08:08

Iberia is discounting giftcards https://www.iberia.com/tarjeta-regalo/

eg a EUR500 giftcard costs EUR375
- meta says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 08:31
  
  Can you use the gift card to pay for taxes on redemptions with Iberia? That would be useful.
  - Shoestring says:
    
    15 Mar15 March 09:31
    
    sure, with the caveat:
    Gift cards cannot be combined with other special offers or promotions, and neither can they be used to buy tickets for Air Shuttle flights, tickets with Avios or where a discount in Avios applies, or tickets with a discount for residents or large families.
- Andrew says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 09:16
  
  Is there potential for them to be used to buy UK domestic flights?
  
  I’ve just tried, but there seems to be a problem with the Iberia website and it’s reallocated all London airports to Leeds Bradford.
- marcw says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 09:43
  
  You can only used the card on flights departing Spain and need to be IB Group operated. Reading their T&Cs answers (usually) your questions.
ADMG says:

15 Mar15 March 08:09

O/T – I am closing in on £10,000 spending limit under my BA Amex. Will the 241 voucher be valid from the date it is earned or from my year end date (which is July)? Additionally does any “excess” spending before the end of my year count towards another voucher or not?
- Lev441 says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 08:20
  
  It will start from a few days after you reach the £10k limit…
  and spend over and above that won’t count until your new card year starts
- Matt says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 08:20
  
  From the date earned, and no.
- Gin and Tonic Please says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 08:21
  
  From the date you earned it.
  
  Sadly no
- Darren says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 11:19
  
  Excess spending, no. But if you spend to trigger the voucher and then get a refund on an item the voucher will still be active, you will need to spend £10000 plus the refunded amount on your next voucher.
Dave Barron says:

15 Mar15 March 08:36

I’m booked on those specific Toronto flights but luckily (in my view) I fly during April so assume I will still get the BA Dreamliner both way.
- Dave Barron says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 08:39
  
  Also OT I’ve just upgraded from PRGC to Platinum and expect my new card imminently. What’s the process for getting my Priority Pass card? Will this automatically be issued and received around same time as my Amex card?
  
  In terms of Toronto which is the best lounge to use? Will be travelling as a family with a 3 year old and a 5 year old. Thanks in advance!
  - tom1 says:
    
    15 Mar15 March 08:55
    
    Automatic. In my experience, I got the PP before the Amex card.
    
    Cant help on Toronto, sorry.
  - fivebobbill says:
    
    15 Mar15 March 09:13
    
    Can’t help you with the best lounge, but I can tell you to avoid the Plaza Premium (Domestic) in T3!! I was transiting through T3 last September and nipped into the above lounge for a seat and a quick bite to eat… bleak, dirty, food on the floor, just terrible… easily the worst lounge I’ve ever been in!
    However, depending on your route, there are a host of lounges accessible with Priority Pass, across Intl and Domestic passengers in both T1 & T3.
    Just be sure to avoid the aforementioned
BJ says:

15 Mar15 March 08:42

OT: Anybody waiting for Hilton transactions on avios e store might want to check their accounts. I have had email approvals for 6 of them this morning, all dating back to stays late summer.
- Doug M says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 09:12
  
  Wait until late this year and they’ll probably all reverse without explanation.
  - BJ says:
    
    15 Mar15 March 09:27
    
    Seen those reports but so far at least, not an issue with mine.
Michael says:

15 Mar15 March 09:11

Tried buying Premium bonds last night via Curve Card and Virgin Atlantic credit card. Will report back whats happens and if they try to block it.
- fivebobbill says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 10:01
  
  Please do, very interested in this, am hoping to invest before the end of the month
- Bob says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 10:35
  
  I did it last month. Hit spending target for bonus points. No cash advance fees on statement. Thank you curve.
Tim H says:

15 Mar15 March 09:28

Sorry I am new to Head For Points and I can’t see how I can add comment/question to a previous article so sorry for posting here.

Can anybody tell me whether I will get a choice re where my Avios bonus will be credited if I open BA Premium Plus Amex card. BA exec or Amex account?
- Shoestring says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 09:35
  
  The points sit in your BAPP Amex a/c until once a month they get swept across to your BAEC a/c – you can’t change this or move the points elsewhere from the Amex a/c
- bsuije says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 10:09
  
  Welcome to HfP!
  
  I think comments sections get closed down after a little while, hence why you wouldn’t be able to post comments on most old articles.
  
  Re your question – Shoestring is absolutely right. With co-branded Amex cards, such as BA and SPG, your points get transferred once a month into your Avios / Marriott Bonvoy accounts. If you wanted a card where you have a choice about where your points end up, have a look at the Amex Platinum or Gold cards. With those you earn Amex Membership Reward Points, which can then be transferred into various airlines / hotel programs as and when you choose.
TGLoyalty says:

15 Mar15 March 09:30

Out of interest I would have thought you would both be ambs if not just for the value you can get out of the 2-4-1 paid stays and the 10% rebates.
- Rob says:
  
  15 Mar15 March 10:19
  
  My wife just gets AMB when we need it, which isn’t that often. Last time was 2017 when we were in HK. We don’t do weekend breaks outside the UK because, with the kids in school Fri and Mon, the logistics don’t work any longer unless it is to visit friends. This means we’d only use the AMB voucher if it was part of a longer holiday which is rarely the case.