Fly a British Airways Boeing 787 in First to Amsterdam

If you’ve never flown British Airways Club World (not Club Suite, unfortunately) then now is your cheapest ever opportunity.  You may even be able to try First Class.

British Airways is rostering a Boeing 787 on the Amsterdam route for the next few weeks.

It is currently scheduled to fly:

Outbound

• Tuesday and Friday, 08.20 Heathrow, arr 10.40 Amsterdam

Inbound

• Tuesday and Friday, 12.10 Amsterdam, arr 12.30 Heathrow

The last flight is Friday 31st July.  Remember that British Airways can swap aircraft at will so a Boeing 787 is not guaranteed, but I imagine that these flights are being rostered for cargo purposes and so are likely to remain in the schedule.

This is what I see when I do a dummy booking and select a seat:

As a BA Gold, I am allowed to sit in First Class (row 1 and 2) or Club World with a Business Class ticket.  Not all flights seem to be operated by the 787-9, which has First Class, but some are and it is clear from the seat map before you book.

You do NOT get access to the Concorde Room at Heathrow, as your ticket shows Business Class and not First Class.

For clarity, be aware that there is a chance that – on the day – cabin crew will decide to close First Class and make you sit in Club World.  You have no recompense if that happens.  The service is the same regardless of where you sit.

You are, of course, taking a gamble on the UK inbound quarantine restrictions being lifted by the date you travel.

Irrespective of UK travel guidelines, UK citizens cannot enter the Netherlands until at least 6th July without going into 14 days quarantine.  Technically, of course, this doesn’t stop you doing a day trip or even an overnight trip.  You can find out more here.

An Avios redemption would be fully cancellable up to 24 hours before travel for a full refund less a £35 fee.  If you booked for cash, you would be able to cancel for free for a British Airways ‘Book With Confidence’ travel voucher, valid until April 2022.

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.)