British Airways launches a flash flight sale in Economy from London Gatwick

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British Airways has launched a flash sale on short-haul economy seats from London Gatwick.

Over 200,000 seats have been reduced to £30 or less, for travel until 29th March 2020.

The lowest fare in the system is just £24 for a one-way trip to Nice or Verona. This really is very low and puts BA firmly into ‘low cost carrier’ territory in terms of price.

Other routes which BA highlighted as offering the cheapest fares were Venice, Amsterdam, Geneva, Turin, Cologne, Faro, Dubrovnik, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Jersey.

You need to book by Tuesday 5th November.

The lower flight fares have also driven lower prices at BA Holidays, and it worth comparing ‘flight and hotel’ packages via this page – the price can often be genuinely cheaper than booking each element separately.

PS. Remember that the brand new Club Aspire lounge is now open in the South Terminal at London Gatwick, which is the one used by British Airways. This is accessible with a Priority Pass (free with Amex Platinum or buy one here) or Lounge Club (two FREE passes with Amex Gold) cards. Our review of the new Club Aspire lounge at Gatwick South is here.

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.

Zoe says:

2 Nov2 November 06:05

We left booking our half term flights a bit late this year and ended up with an overnight layover in Madrid. I can recommend the Melia Barajas, although we only slept there, the free shuttle from the airport was very efficient and we got upgraded to a massive premium room. Might be useful for others connecting to a low taxes Iberia redemption.
Just wish we had considered the timing vs the Rugby, we will be onboard for most of it!
- Zoe says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 11:12
  
  So got on our Iberia flight our exit seats were out of use so got a row to ourselves. Then told there would be a slight delay due to Heathrow weather. About 10 mins after we were due to take off about 60 more passengers boarded – I get the feeling Iberia were not being entirely truthfully about why we were delayed.
  Then just short of Heathrow the pilot pulled out of the landing – so now we are sitting on the plane in Manchester. Hopefully heading back to Heathrow in the next hour. Glad we weren’t in a hurry.
pablo says:

2 Nov2 November 06:46

OT: 25% bonus on avios payouts from the site that shall not be named between 1 Nov and 15 Dec
- BJ says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 07:07
  
  Awesome thanks, thanks around an extra 6000 avios for me if my confirmed go payable in time 🙂
  - pablo says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 07:50
    
    15000 for me if confirmed go to payable 🙂
    - Jane says:
      
      2 Nov2 November 08:37
      
      wow ! you guys have a lot in there… I’ll get a whole 330 additional avios at the moment !
      - Shoestring says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 08:48
        
        unfortunately I converted £140 to Avios 2 days ago 🙂
        
        in the nicest possible way, you need to pay more attention, Jane
        
        too late for the easy insurances (—> Avios) as they changed the rules on payout (BACS only now) – but old T&Cs stlll being honoured – got last one coming up confirmed so maybe an extra 2500 Avios
        
        latest tips to keep an eye out for repeats: Quoteline was £55 for cheap contentsinsurance, Post Office was £15 for a £50 prepaid Money Card on highest guarantee – both gone for now but will be back. W Hill £40 always reliable but most of us have done that. [There’s also £50 BACS for a WorldRemit transfer but you need a bank a/c abroad.]
      - pablo says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 10:16
        
        @shoestring from my past experience you will still get the enhanced bonus as long as avios land in BAEC from 1 Nov onwards
      - Shoestring says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 10:25
        
        @pablo – cheers! – you’re right, got the 2500-odd bonus Avios, they are landing in BAEC 1 day later so I was OK
      - Shoestring says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 11:40
        
        *2 days later
      - BJ says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 11:51
        
        Broadband, boiler service, hotels, energy and recommendations all coming through at the moment
  - BJ says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 21:10
    
    As it happened, no such luck, I am down 9000 + 2250 bonus avios because BT broadband can only pay out via bacs.
- Tom says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 07:38
  
  Niiiice!
- TripRep says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 08:19
  
  Surely Rob has to run this “Terrific Conversion Bonus” offer? 😉
  - BJ says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 08:24
    
    No comments from Harry yet, maybe he received a bung to keep his mouth shut…
    - Shoestring says:
      
      2 Nov2 November 08:39
      
      I highlighted the 25% bonus last night…
      - BJ says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 08:55
        
        Missed it, maybe after my last look. Sorry you missed out. Normally I would too as soon as I get anything at this place. However took a chance on leaving £55earlier this week thinking Black Friday may bring a bonus. Have £130 something confirmed but it would not surprise me if that does not go payable before the offer ends.
      - Shoestring says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 09:03
        
        BJ/ Anybody – are you going to go for round 2 on the £100 insurances? Worked out nicely so far (6 down) – but it’s BACS only now, remember. I always thought not much difference cash vs points (& cash is a bit more boring!) – but obvs no 25% bonus on cash.
      - Cat says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 11:14
        
        You did Harry, but it was buried in the middle of the tips for travelling with tiddlers, so many people will have scanned past it!
        Thanks for the heads up, I transferred from Voldeportal last night, the extra 2000 Avios are much appreciated!
      - BJ says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 12:00
        
        @Harry, I probably will do early next year but I am running out of cheap insurers. After being unexpectedly hospitalised this year I decided to hold on the 2 small policies I took out for this. See comment above you still got your bonus 🙂
  - TripRep says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 08:26
    
    Not used it in ages when did VS stop it’s affiliation?
    
    Here’s Robs article he’s likely running tomorrow
    https://tinyurl.com/TerrificConversionBonus
    - Rob says:
      
      2 Nov2 November 08:59
      
      We’ll drop it in 🙂
- Jon says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 13:36
  
  Lovely jubbly, extra 1750 avios. Thanks!
Stu N says:

2 Nov2 November 07:25

OT – Edinburgh Aspire Lounge now open at Gate 12, next to No.1 Lounge. Not seen anything mentioned in comments, it must have opened in last couple of weeks as still boarded up with building noise two weeks ago. There’s no obvious Aspire signage until you get to the lounge, I only discovered it was open when I came up to use No.1.

Overview. Lounge is an extended right angle triangular shape with hypotenuse facing into building, long side with small windows overlooking apron (view partially obscured by air bridges) and a short side facing into the building. Very nicely set out space, huge improvement on the old one. Large area with dining/ work tables at the fat end and and a smaller area with a few barstool type stools and high tables, some booths/ low seats and coffee tables at the pointy end.

Food offering basically identical to the existing lounge at Gate 3 but much better presented as there’s more space, there’s an island for food and a full size bar for drinkies. Standard set-up of wines/ beers/ spirits, decent but not premium.

Facilities. Toilets in lounge (decent), no WiFi at the moment as not set up yet. Selection of newspapers for lounge use only.

Access – No problems getting in with PP at 0700 – judging by accents most of my fellow passengers are United or Delta passengers for morning flights.

Overall A very decent addition to the existing lounge offering – the old Aspire is going to struggle for traffic once this new one gets established. Should help with lounge scheme access as greatly increases the lounge capacity at the airport. Choice will largely be driven by self service vs table service for food I think.
- Stu N says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 08:07
  
  Opened on Wednesday of this week (30 Oct), apparently. The WiFi is “coming soon”. Can use free airport WiFi in the meantime and the end nearest No1 gets a signal from there.
- Kev says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 08:08
  
  Next time you go to Edinburgh would you chose this new one over No 1?
  - BJ says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 08:32
    
    I prefer Aspire in the morning for breakfast otherwise I would normally choose No.1. This newcone may or may not change that.
  - Stu N says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 10:10
    
    Not much to choose really. I prefer Aspire breakfast but No1 during day. Either are better than the old Aspire and No.1 offerings.
- Andrew says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 08:11
  
  Sounds good.
  
  Which gate are the US flights departing from though? They seem to vary from the newish gates to the far North gates that are a fare walk.
  - Stu N says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 10:12
    
    Usually go from high numbered gates (12+) now but not guaranteed. It’s 5-7 mins walk from new lounges to gates 1-3 so not disastrous if you end up at wrong end of terminal.
- BJ says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 08:17
  
  Thanks Stu. Noted info on windows; what’s the lighting like? I really don’t like dark depressing spaces with my bacon roll first thing in the morning 🙂
  - Stu N says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 10:14
    
    Aspire is darker furnishings and dark wood tables, I’d call it subdued lighting rather than dingy but YMMV. It was a very grey, overcast morning today so difficult to judge how much natural light there would be.
    - BJ says:
      
      2 Nov2 November 12:03
      
      Cheers, will still stick with Aspire at breakfast since it’s better.
- Lady London says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 12:36
  
  Love your hypotenuse description, @Stu N! Very clear.
  - ankomonkey says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 17:08
    
    +1
    
    That’s a word I haven’t heard for about 45 years!
    - ankomonkey says:
      
      2 Nov2 November 17:09
      
      Should have said 25, but never mind!
  - BJ says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 18:32
    
    Cannot figure out what a fat animal from Africa with a huge mouth has got to do with an Edinburgh airport lounge.
Chuck says:

2 Nov2 November 07:29

Bits … anyone know how long Groupon Avios take to post to Iberia + account please ?
Shoestring says:

2 Nov2 November 08:11

Pilot strike planned to hit British Airways for 10 days over Christmas is CALLED OFF after union bosses admit they are unlikely to get a better deal
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7641543/Pilot-strike-planned-hit-British-Airways-10-days-Christmas-CALLED-OFF.html
- BJ says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 08:22
  
  DM spin on BA caving in! Just like the Telegraph and others taking northern folks for fools with the fracking story. All geared up for an even more miserable 6 weeks than usual from the Great British Press.
  - Callum says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 08:57
    
    I’m surprised they haven’t found a way to blame it on immigrants. And I think the question we all want answered is how is this going to affect house prices?
  - Doug M says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 10:51
    
    Don’t understand your remark about BA. BALPA been weak from the off and lack the will for a real strike. No new offer from BA is there?
    - Rob says:
      
      2 Nov2 November 13:27
      
      Sounds fair!
  - Lady London says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 12:41
    
    Is ‘allegedly’ the Daily Mail’s word for ‘we made it up’ ?
    - Polly says:
      
      2 Nov2 November 21:50
      
      Love it!
Roger says:

2 Nov2 November 08:11

OT If I upgrade an Iberia flight during check in process would I get higher tier point and Avios?
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 11:13
  
  Using cash or Avios? Might make a difference
  
  I know it does for ba
  - Roger says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 13:56
    
    Cash
    
    For benefits it does say what additional Benefits apply like lounge access etc. But does not mention about higher tier points or Avios
- Russ says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 11:31
  
  I didn’t.
- Marcw says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 11:53
  
  Nope. Original class.
mark says:

2 Nov2 November 08:32

OT …… Reward flight finder seems to have stopped the Virgin search for flying club redemptions?
Has the website changed or am i doing something wrong?
Thank you
- Shoestring says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 08:33
  
  https://seatspy.com
Roger says:

2 Nov2 November 08:42

An insider question

How do airline pay each other for miles redemption using partner airlines?
Is it fixed cash or number of miles for a sector /route?
- Rob says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 08:55
  
  Honestly no idea.
  - Roger says:
    
    2 Nov2 November 09:46
    
    Let’s say I am using AA miles for trip to Asia using QR flights but the booking is obviously by AA.
    
    I was led to believe AA books using QR miles on QR on behalf of the AA customer.
    Not sure how true this is.
    - Nick says:
      
      2 Nov2 November 10:55
      
      Absolute rubbish. How would AA be able to book using QR miles? Why would they even want to? What use is QR miles to QR?
      
      The airlines pay each other cash for customers making redemptions. The rates are negotiated amongst themselves, with some substantially higher than others. Occasionally (but not always) it’s tiered based on seasonality/peak demand.
      
      With BA/IB there’s an added complication in that there’s an internal third party (AGL) also involved.
      - RussellH says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 11:24
        
        Roger’s description does look a little simplistic to me, but surely there is a clearing system, run by, or at least managed by, Oneworld?
        
        On a simple level, someone’s booking using AA miles on QR will be offset against someone else booking with QR miles on AA.
        But I imagine that there is a single clearing house for the whole of Oneworld, another for StarAlliance and so on.
        After, this must have been what happened in the “good old days” before the invention of Apex tickets and all plane tickets were fully flexible across airlines as well as dates and times.
      - Nick says:
        
        2 Nov2 November 18:01
        
        Payments between airlines are made through the IATA clearing house, that’s true. There’s nothing equivalent at a oneworld/alliance level. Oneworld rules say that carriers have to make redemption inventory available across the alliance, but there’s no central process for managing it. (Incidentally this is why BA will never book onto easyJet/Ryanair in disruption, because the latter two airlines refuse to work to IATA standards and therefore there’s no way of paying them.)
        
        The process for redemption coupons is no different really from a standard interline coupon, it’s just the rates that will vary. And I think you’d be surprised how high they can be…
- Lady London says:
  
  2 Nov2 November 12:47
  
  It would have to be cash – or cash netted off and paid between thé Airlines each Quarter or year – as each airline charges different numbers of miles for same route. It might be based on the interline rates though – which IIRC used to have some connections to an IATA rate per mile.