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The Definitive Guide to British Airways’ Direct Routes From the U.S. [Plane Types and Seat Options]

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Seat Options by Aircraft Type

Best points to earn to fly british airways, 1. british airways reconfigured 777-300er first class, 2. british airways 787-10 first class, 3. british airways 787-9 first class, 4. british airways a380 first class, 5. british airways 777-200 (4-class) first class, 1. british airways 787-10 new club suite, 2. british airways a350-1000 new club suite, 3. british airways reconfigured 777-300er new club suite, 4. british airways a380 business class, 5. british airways 787-9 business class, 6. british airways 787-8 business class, 7. british airways 777-200 (4-class) business class, 8. british airways 777-200 (gatwick 3-class) business class, 1. british airways 787-8 premium economy class, british airways 787-10 premium economy class, 2. british airways a380 premium economy class, 3. british airways 787-9 premium economy class, 4. british airways 777-200 (4-class) premium economy class, 5. british airways a350-1000 premium economy class, 6. british airways reconfigured 777-300er premium economy class, 7. british airways 777-200 (gatwick 3-class) premium economy class, 1. british airways a350-1000 economy class, 2. british airways 777-200 (gatwick 3-class) economy class, 3. british airways a380 economy class, 4. british airways 787-10 economy class, 5. british airways 787-9 economy class, 6. british airways 787-8 economy class, 7. british airways 777-200 (4-class) economy class, 8. british airways reconfigured 777-300er economy class, final thoughts.

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British Airways is one of the largest airlines in the world. Great Britain is home to Europe’s financial capital, London, and is frequented by millions of tourists year-round. As the country’s flag carrier, British Airways has a huge fleet and route network to meet global flight demand.

The airline has a storied history in premium flights: British Airways invented the modern lie-flat seat in business class and was once the chief innovator of premium-cabin travel products.

Though the airline has fallen behind in innovation for many years to competitors, including Emirates and Singapore Airlines, British Airways has made huge strides in reasserting itself as a global leader in commercial travel with its new Club Suite (which we’ll get into below).

British Airways operates the most aircraft of any airline by far and performs swaps extremely often — so we have plenty of ground to cover in this guide to your options.

British Airways operates a huge variety of aircraft on its flights between America and London , and continues to expand options. Specifically, the airline recently introduced a new Club Suite business class product.

These seats are the absolute best offering in business class , featuring reverse herringbone seats with direct aisle access and a sliding door.

The new Club Suite is available on all A350-1000 and 787-10 aircraft, as well as some reconfigured 777-300ER and 777-200 planes.

Let’s take a look at BA’s route summary chart for reference:

With a huge supply of business and leisure travelers to serve, British Airways’ route network is deeply embedded in the U.S. Each plane can have a different cabin configuration, which complicates predicting seat options.

Before we do a deep dive into the specifics, let’s talk points.

If you follow British Airways, you probably know about the insane fuel surcharges levied by the airline. These fuel surcharges can exceed $1,100 to $1,800 for round-trip premium cabin award tickets. One of the ways to reduce your fees is by booking 2 one-ways, which will lower your burden by approximately $200.

Otherwise, fuel surcharges for British Airways-operated flights to/from London are a fact of life.

Some of the best miles to earn for British Airways are Japan Airlines Mileage Bank , American Airlines AAdvantage , British Airways Avios , and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles . Here’s how the transfer partners shake out:

• American Express Membership Rewards :  British Airways Avios and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Brex Rewards : Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Capital One Miles :  Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Chase Ultimate Rewards : British Airways Avios
• Citi ThankYou Rewards : Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Marriott Bonvoy : American Airlines AAdvantage, British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and Japan Airlines Mileage Bank

Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and British Airways Avios use a distance-based award chart, so the mileage cost will vary depending on your exact route.

For one-way economy flights, American Airlines charges 22,500 miles off-peak and 30,000 miles otherwise. Business class requires 57,500 miles one-way, while first class costs 85,000 miles.

British Airways First Class Options

British Airways serves affluent travelers to and from London with plenty of first class options . Interestingly, British Airways offers first class on the 787-9, which is rare.

With British Airways’ first class, you can expect open-air reverse herringbone seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, as well as excellent bedding, solid food options, and great inflight Wi-Fi on a large number of flights.

Service is known to be efficient (if a bit robotic), and the amenity kit is always a great souvenir. Importantly, there are tons of scheduling options that will allow you to arrive in London well-rested .

In this guide, we’ve ranked the available first class products in order from “best” to “worst” (in our opinion), starting with our first place winner: the brand-new, reconfigured 777-300ER first class.

Our favorite first class seat is on British Airways’ newly reconfigured 777-300ER aircraft. Although British Airways continues to reconfigure these aircraft, all of British Airways’ 777-300ER aircraft flying to/from the U.S. are the newly reconfigured ones!

What makes this new first class suite special? There are sliding doors to enclose the suite, adding privacy. Also, the first class cabin was reduced from 14 suites to 8, making it feel even more intimate.

Here are the routes on which British Airways currently offers the reconfigured 777-300ER first class product:

• Boston (BOS) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 212 after January 1, 2022
• Chicago (ORD) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 296
• Los Angeles (LAX) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 280
• Miami (MIA) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 206
• New York (JFK) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 112/114/116/172/174/176/178/182

Bottom Line: British Airways’ refurbished 777-300ER boasts an enhanced first class seat with sliding doors, making it the clear winner in our books.

Our second-favorite British Airways first class product is on the 787-10. There are 8 suites across 2 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each first class seat measures 22 inches wide, 73 inches in pitch, and 73 inches long in bed mode.

We love the 787-10 overall because its carbon fiber construction allows for higher humidity, making for a more comfortable experience while flying.

Here are the routes offering the new British Airways 787-10 first class:

• Boston (BOS) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 202 from January 18, 2022, to May 16, 2022
• Chicago (ORD) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 294
• Houston (IAH) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 194/196
• Newark (EWR) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 188
• Seattle (SEA) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 48

Previously known as British Airways’ most modern and high-tech first class product , the 787-9 first class features comfortable seats, good inflight technology, and great climate control.

The British Airways 787-9 first class section contains 8 seats spread out across 2 rows in a 1-2-1 arrangement. Each of the 8 seats is 22 inches wide and 73 inches when fully laid flat.

Airplanes are typically an incredibly dry environment, but the composite material of the 787-9 preserves moisture and creates a comfortable atmosphere for travelers.

The intimate cabin size and comfortable experience make the 787-9 one of British Airways’ best first class products.

Here’s what the seat map looks like:

As you can see, the lavatories are located on the left side of the aircraft, while the galleys are on the right. The most private seat is 2K , which is furthest from those facilities. Couples traveling together might like 2E and 2F for easy conversation.

You can find the 787-9 on the following long-haul flights between the U.S. and Great Britain:

• Atlanta (ATL) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 226
• Boston (BOS) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 202 until January 18, 2022, and sometimes on BA 214 and BA 238
• Seattle (SEA) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 52
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 292

On the A380, BA’s first class cabin contains 14 fully lie-flat seats with direct aisle access in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seats are 22 inches wide and 78 inches in bed length.

The 787-9 ranks higher than the A380 due to the enhanced technology of the 787-9 and less dense first class cabin.

Still, the A380 is the quietest aircraft out there, which will make your inflight experience quite nice. British Airways’ A380 first class cabin arrangement looks like this:

Seats 3A and 3K are the top picks for solo travelers , while 3E and 3F are best for traveling companions . The lavatories are located at the front of the aircraft, and the galley is right behind row 4, making row 3 an excellent compromise between the 2.

Here’s where to find these seats:

• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 192
• Los Angeles (LAX) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 268
• Miami (MIA) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 208

Our last BA first class product to review is the 777-200 (4-class). There are 14 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, each 22 inches wide and 78 inches in pitch.

The 777-200 is a significantly louder aircraft with less comfortable seating compared to other options, and it has more facilities around the first class area.

The seat map looks like this:

The best seats are in either row 2 or 3, which are a good distance from lavatories and galleys.

You can find this first class configuration on the following nonstop routes to/from the U.S.:

• Boston (BOS) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 214 and 238 mostly
• Newark (EWR) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 184
• Philadelphia (PHL) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 66
• San Diego (SAN) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 272

British Airways Business Class Options

The inventor of the long-haul lie-flat seat, British Airways has many current business class options that can get you to and from the U.S. comfortably. We’ve ranked them from best to worst below.

Keep in mind that the recently-unveiled Club Suite is an enormous upgrade compared to the previously dated business class seat. You’ll always want to book the new Club Suite when given the choice between the old seat and the new Club Suite.

Remember that British Airways offers Club Suites on 787-10, A350-1000, and retrofitted 777-300ER and 777-200 aircraft.

British Airways is slowly rolling out its brand-new Club Suite. These business class seats make the older seats look completely obsolete. Each of these ravishing suites consists of a reverse herringbone seat, direct aisle access, and a sliding door for maximum privacy.

On the 787-10, there are a total of 48 Club Suites in a 1-2-1 configuration as shown below:

The forward cabin has 26 seats, while the rear has 22. The seats are 21 inches wide, 79 inches in seat pitch, and 79 inches long in bed mode.

Routes offering the Club Suite on the 787-10 are as follows:

• Houston (IAH) – London-Heathrow (LHR)  on BA 194/196

On the A350-1000, the Club Suites are arranged in 2 cabins, the forward with 44 seats and the rear with 12.

The setup is a 1-2-1 layout. Solo travelers should pick 9A, 9K, 10A, or 10K seats, as these have 2 windows instead of 1.

For the most privacy, opt for seats in row 17 at the back of the cabin.

Routes offering the Club Suite on the A350-1000 include:

• Austin (AUS) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 190
• Denver (DEN) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 218
• Las Vegas (LAS) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 274
• Orlando (MCO) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 204
• Phoenix (PHX) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 288

British Airways’ new Club Suite on reconfigured 777-300ER aircraft is identical to those in the A350-1000 or the 787-10. The main difference is that the front mini-cabin has 3 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration, while the rear cabin has 9 rows in a 1-2-1 arrangement.

In general, the 787-10 and A350-1000 are more fuel-efficient and comfortable to ride on compared to the 777-300ER, but comparing them is splitting hairs.

Nonetheless, the reconfigured 777-300ER is flown on these routes:

• New York (JFK) – London-Heathrow (LHR)  on BA 112/114/116/172/174/176/178/182

Hot Tip: Savvy travelers will do their absolute best to fly on a new 777-300ER, 787-10, or A350-1000 aboard British Airways’ new Club Suite product. The enhanced product is just too good to pass up!

The A380 from British Airways carries a whopping 97 business class seats, each measuring 20 inches wide and 72 inches in pitch. Interestingly, the upper deck contains a 2-3-2 arrangement, while the lower deck has a 2-4-2 arrangement.

Here’s what the lower and upper deck seat maps look like:

The best seats are in row 59 , at the back of the upper deck section. These seats are furthest away from lavatories and will have the least foot traffic nearby.

You can find British Airways’ A380 on the following nonstop routes between London and the U.S.:

British Airways’ 787-9 features business class seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. There are 7 rows for a total of 42 lie-flat seats, each with direct aisle access. The seats are 20 inches wide and 72 inches in pitch/bed length. The seat map looks as follows:

The best seats are 6A and 6K for solo travelers and 6A/6B or 6J/K for couples . These seats are far from the lavatories and located at the front of the business class section.

You can find the British Airways 787-9 on the following nonstop routes to/from the U.S.:

British Airways also operates the older 787-8, which features the same 2-3-2 arrangement and has 35 seats in business class as shown here:

The 787-8 is less comfortable and less technologically advanced than the 787-9. The 787-9 is significantly newer, which is why we rank the 787-8 below the 787-9.

You’ll be able to find the British Airways 787-8 on these routes:

• Baltimore (BWI) – London-Heathrow (LHR)  on BA 228
• Boston (BOS) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 212 until January 1, 2022, and BA 202 after May 16, 2022
• Nashville (BNA) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 222
• New Orleans (MSY) – London-Heathrow (LHR)  on BA 224

We’re lumping the 777-200 (4-class) and the 777-200 (modified 4-class) together since they share the same business class product and layout.

There are 48 business class seats spread out across 6 rows as shown here:

The best seats are window seats in row 15 , which have slightly more legroom and are far from the lavatories. You can find the 4-class 777-200 on these nonstop routes between the U.S. and London:

British Airways operates a special aircraft for its London-Gatwick flights from the U.S. Situated aboard the 777-200, this plane is an especially premium-light aircraft. Here’s the seat map:

There are a total of 32 seats spread out across 4 rows in a 2-4-2 configuration. As you can see, this smaller cabin configuration is still very dense. For most preferential seats, row 3 should be optimal, as it is far away from lavatories, but not too close to the rear galleys.

• Orlando (MCO) – London-Gatwick (LGW)  on BA 2036
• Tampa (TPA) – London-Gatwick (LGW) on BA 2166
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – London-Heathrow (LHR) on BA 216

Hot Tip: British Airways business class on the new 777-300ER, A350-1000, and 787-10 simply outclass its older peers on the A380, 787-9, 787-8, and most 777-200s! All 777s should be retrofitted with the newest Club Suite by the end of 2022.

British Airways Premium Economy Class Options

For those who don’t need a lie-flat seat, British Airways has some solid premium economy options. All of these seats are identical in size: 18.5 inches wide with a 38 inches pitch.

Our ranking focuses on the number of seats, configuration, and the number of preferential seat options.

Our top choice is the 787-8, which contains 25 premium economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. The seat map looks like this:

There are relatively few seats and the seating configuration is favorable, with the best seats in row 10 . You’ll find this premium economy arrangement on these routes:

The cabin totals 35 seats spread out across 5 rows in a 2-3-2 configuration. Extra legroom seats are in row 20, while the lavatories are in the rear of the cabin.

Here are the routes and flights on which BA operates the 787-10:

Our runner-up for premium economy is the A380 — it’s the quietest aircraft out there, and this not-so-dense premium economy section keeps it near the top of the pack.

There are a total of 55 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, as shown here:

The best seats are located at the front of the premium economy section . These seats have tons of extra legroom, as there’s nothing in front of them.

You’ll find the British Airways A380 on the following nonstop routes to/from the U.S.:

Our next best option is the 787-9 — what it loses in cabin size, it wins in the overall design of the aircraft. There are 39 premium economy seats, with each row configured in a 2-3-2 arrangement. The seat map looks like this:

The best seats are in row 16 due to the extra legroom at the front. You can find the 787-9 flown on the following U.S. routes:

The next spot goes to the 40-seat premium economy section on the 777-200 (4-class). The arrangement is 2-4-2, with the lavatories located at the back of the section.

The seats to aim for are in row 21 , while the seats to avoid are in row 25, as they are close to the lavatories.

You can find this 777-200 (4-class) premium economy offering on the following routes:

The A350-1000 has a large premium economy cabin with 7 rows of 8 seats each in a 2-4-2 configuration.

Seats in row 20 have the best legroom and are as far as possible from the economy lavatories, which makes this row ideal for travelers looking for a quiet experience.

Here are BA’s A350-1000 routes:

The 777-300 lags behind the other offerings due to a lack of preferential seats. Additionally, the 44 premium economy seats make for a large section, which can diminish your privacy.

Here’s what the 2-4-2 seat map looks like:

The best seats are 22B, 22J, and 21D-G . The main concern with row 21 seats is that they are right behind the business class lavatories.

You can find the 777-300 on the following routes:

Hot Tip: Seats 22A and 22K are highlighted in red aboard the reconfigured 777-300ER because of the protrusion from the exit door. Avoid these as much as possible! 

On British Airways’ routes bound for London-Gatwick, you’ll find a specific 777-200 seating arrangement. In the case of premium economy, you’ll see a 48-seat section.

The seats are configured in a 2-4-2 arrangement within the same section. These seats occupy rows 10 to 15 as shown below:

Because of the dense premium economy cabin, this arrangement is generally not a preferred configuration.

Find the 777-200 on the following routes:

British Airways Economy Class Options

British Airways economy is one of the few ways you can get an affordable flight to Europe on a full-service legacy carrier. These seats are smaller than average, but they are still reasonable for some of the prices you can get.

We’ll rank these products based on the seat size and number/quality of preferential seats, as well as the aircraft itself.

The A350-1000 has an excellent layout and lots of preferential seats, including row 30 seats, 41A/B/C, 41H/J/K, and 31C/D/E/F/H.

These seats have exceptional legroom, allowing you to easily stretch your legs. On average, the 219 seats are 17.6 inches wide and 31 inches in pitch.

Here are all of BA’s current A350-1000 routes to/from the U.S.:

Our next choice is British Airways’ 777-200 exclusively for London-Gatwick routes. There are 252 seats, each 18.1 inches wide and 31 inches in pitch, arranged in a 3-4-3 configuration as shown here:

There are a lot of preferential seats that provide additional comfort. The best seats are in rows 20, 32, and 33. Just be sure to avoid the emergency door protrusion at seats 32A and 32K.

You can find the 777-200 (Gatwick 3-class) on the following routes:

Hot Tip: Choosing economy seats as far away from the lavatories as possible minimizes the amount of foot traffic and the general noise level at your seat.

British Airways’ A380 economy seats are slightly narrower at 17.5 inches wide and 31 inches in pitch. Seats on the lower deck are in a 3-4-3 configuration, while seats on the upper deck are arranged in a 2-4-2 pattern.

If you’re a solo traveler, the best seats are 25D, 70B, 70J, 80B, and 80J . Choose 20B/C and 20H/J if you’re traveling as a couple . There are a lot of preferential seats in this layout, but a cabin size of 303 seats drops the ranking of the A380, which you can find on these routes:

The entire economy section is in a single cabin, spread out in a 3-3-3 arrangement. Each of the 165 seats is 17.5 inches wide and 31 inches in pitch.

Row 30 seats (except for A and K) are preferred, as they have extra legroom. Keep in mind that these seats are close to the lavatories, so you may experience more foot traffic.

To find this economy cabin on the 787-10, fly on any of these routes:

The next aircraft is the 787-9, which has several preferential seats. The relatively small economy section of 127 is configured in a 3-3-3 manner as shown here:

The best seats are in row 30, except for 30A and 30K (the protrusion of the exit door will infringe on your leg space).

BA’s 787-9 is a solid choice due to the climate control technology on this new aircraft. It’s flown on these routes:

Next, we have the older version of the 787-9: the 787-8. The seating arrangement is similar, only with more seats — the 787-8 has a total of 154 economy seats as shown here:

As you can see, the exit row seats are located by 3 lavatories, which diminishes their quality. However, if you’re fine with the location of the lavatories, enjoy the extra legroom in row 30.

You can find the 787-8 operated on the following British Airways nonstop routes to/from the U.S.:

The 4-class 777-200 has a very small economy section: just 122 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. The seat map looks like this:

In this case, the exit row seats are in row 26, though the proximity of the lavatories decreases the attractiveness of the seats. Still, seats 26B-J are best for extra legroom .

You can find the 777-200 (4-class) on the following BA routes between London and America:

The next product is the 777-300ER, which contains 185 economy seats in a 3-3-3 arrangement as shown here:

The best seats are 29C and 29H because there is a missing seat in front, which increases your legroom.

You can find this seat layout on these routes to/from the U.S.:

British Airways seems to operate a gigantic conglomeration of varying aircraft with no rhyme or reason. Additionally, the aircraft are swapped very frequently, which can affect your inflight experience.

You now have a comprehensive outlook on British Airways’ U.S. routes, operated aircraft, and classes of service, which can help you make decisions when booking. Hopefully, you can snag one of those lovely new Club Suites if you’re flying in business class!

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best way to book british airways first class.

One of the best ways to book British Airways first class is to use 85,000 AA miles for one-way flights in first class between the U.S. and London.

For more information, check out the best ways to book British Airways first class .

What's the best way to book British Airways business class?

One of the best ways to book BA business class is to use 57,500 AA miles one-way between the U.S. and London.

Check out our guide on the best ways to book British Airways business class .

What are the best ways to book British Airways premium economy class?

You can use anywhere from 35,000 to 50,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for one-way premium economy on BA, depending on what your departure city is.

You can also use anywhere from 26,000 to 32,500 BA Avios for one-way premium economy. The exact price varies because British Airways uses a distance-based award chart.

What's the best way to book British Airways economy class?

Get the best deal on BA economy using British Airways Avios. You’ll pay 13,000 to 16,250 Avios plus ~$200 in fuel surcharges. While it’s the best deal, you’ll still have to pay a lot in fuel surcharges.

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British Airways unveils new a website and app as part of its £7bn transformation plan

British Airways, has announced an array of new initiatives to transform the airline, unveiling a £7bn transformation plan at its first ‘In the Skies’ showcase event in London. Chairman and CEO Sean Doyle outlined his modernisation plan, committing to delivering a world class customer experience, modernising IT, growing pride among colleagues and focusing on sustainability, as well as driving on-time performance.

“We’re on a journey to a better BA for our people and for our customers, underpinned by a transformation programme that will see us invest £7bn over the next two years to revolutionise our business,” Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said. “We’re going to take delivery of new aircraft, introduce new cabins, elevate our customer care, focus on operational performance and address our environmental impact by reducing our emissions and creating a culture of sustainability. We’re also heavily investing in the development of a new ba.com website and app and are laser-focused on transforming our business and fixing any pain points for our customers.”

Ba.com and app 

As part of its investment programme, British Airways has confirmed plans to overhaul its digital user experience with a new website and mobile app offering deeper personalisation. The new ba.com browser is already in BETA testing with platforms designed to offer a range of new services, including empowering customers to self-serve if they wish, taking control of and making changes to their journeys online, rather than having to call one of the airline’s customer care centres to alter their plans. Initial changes will start to roll out by the end of the year.

WiFi enhancements for customers 

With more customers looking to remain connected with the world from their seats, from April 3, British Airways Executive Club Members will start to be able to send messages free of charge on a single device using the airline’s WiFi – whatever cabin they’re travelling in. The service will be available on every WiFi-enabled aircraft within two weeks of the rollout date*.

The airline has also become the first to offer a WiFi-enabled inflight customer care solution to solve issues in the moment – even at 35,000ft. Created especially for British Airways by Microsoft, customer care teams on the ground are now able to connect with cabin crew colleagues across more than 300 flights a day. The functionality allows crew to help solve any unexpected issues before a flight lands at one of the airline’s more than 200 destinations.

Operational excellence 

The airline is investing £100m in machine learning, automation and AI across its operation, driving improvements from bookings to baggage handling and helping to revolutionise its operation, speed up departures and respond to disruption. Innovative new tools are helping to predict delays (prompting pre-emptive action to reduce disruption) and analyse real-time weather, aircraft capacity and customer connections data to help teams make better decisions. Since the introduction of the systems, alongside a number of new processes and ways of working, the airline has seen improvement to its on-time departures.   British Airways is also creating around 350 new roles at Heathrow to improve customer experience at its home and hub airport, and is investing in new equipment, such as baggage tugs and towing vehicles.

The airline is also investing £750m in its IT infrastructure to move 700 systems and thousands of servers to the cloud by early next year.

New lounge design concept 

The airline is proud to announce that it is set to open another brand-new lounge, this time in Dubai, which is relocating to a new larger space at Dubai Airport later this year. This lounge will be the first to feature British Airways’ new lounge design concept, followed by the opening of its Miami lounge in 2025. The new Dubai lounge will replace the existing lounge facility at the airport, offering more space and more features for customers. The airline has also announced lounge refreshes in Lagos and Seattle, these follow recent lounge refurbishments at Heathrow Terminals 5 and 3, as well as Edinburgh.

New cabins and seats 

New short-haul seats and cabin interiors will feature on the next generation of British Airways’ Airbus A320neo and A321neos, with eight aircraft set to arrive from May this year. The airline is working with the best of British suppliers from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the new short-haul Euro Traveller and Club Europe seats reflecting a modern yet classic British interior. The re-designed cabins will also be fitted with extra-large bins for overhead luggage.

Investment in First  

As the only European carrier to offer First Class between the UK and US, British Airways is to introduce a brand-new and exclusive First suite. The airline expects the new seat to make its debut at the end of 2025 into early 2026 as part of its A380 aircraft refurbishment.

New Routes 

British Airways’ flights from London to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur are set to return. The services will re-start in October and November respectively, further demonstrating British Airways’ commitment to expanding its network to Asia post pandemic.

The airline will operate daily flights between the Malaysian capital city and London Heathrow on a 787-9 aircraft, as well as three flights a week between the Thai capital and London Gatwick on a 777-200ER.

British Airways is also returning to Abu Dhabi on April 20, as well as welcoming Agadir in Morocco on March 31 and adding Izmir in Turkey to its network on May 18.

Sustainability 

Taking significant and urgent action to address aviation’s impacts is critical to make the industry much more sustainable in the long term. Through the BA Better World programme and its commitment to People, Planet, and Responsible Business, British Airways continues to innovate to drive continual improvement in its environmental, social, and governance business performance and meet its net zero target by 2050 or sooner.

Last week the airline’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG) announced its largest SAF purchase agreement to date with e-SAF (power-to-liquid) producer ‘Twelve’, which will supply advanced e-SAF made from carbon dioxide, water and renewable energy to support IAG’s five European airlines, including British Airways. The next-generation fuel will reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% versus conventional jet fuel. IAG is the first European airline group to announce an e-SAF deal, and the agreement will enable it to continue increasing its SAF use towards the goal of 10% by 2030.

Free messaging

The free messaging pass will allow British Airways Executive Club members to use messaging-type online applications, such as WhatsApp, iMessage, Facebook Messenger and Teams Chat – without images, videos or attachments, text only.

*WiFi is available on all of the airline’s Gatwick fleet and more than 80 per cent of British Airways’ Heathrow fleet, rolling out to 100 per cent by the end of 2025.

Free messaging will be available on all BA connected aircraft for the full duration of the flight on a single device. Executive Club Members will access by logging into their account. Non-members can sign up on board or before they travel, in order to use the free Messaging service.

New short-haul seats

Club Europe seats will see the return of the bespoke leather tray that sits between the aisle and window seat. All Club Europe seats will also be fitted with USB-A & USB-C power (60W) backrest-mounted charging ports, while the Euro Traveller seats will be fitted with USB-A & USB-C (15W) backrest-mounted charging ports.

Flights from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur (LHR-KUL) are scheduled to operate daily from November 10 on a 4-cabin aircraft with the following configuration: 8 First, 42 Club, 39 World Traveller Plus, and 127 World Traveller.

Return flights from London Heathrow (LHR) to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) per person start at:

• First £4,000
• Club World £3,200
• World Traveller Plus £1,338
• World Traveller £620

Flights from London Gatwick to Bangkok (LGW-BKK) are scheduled to operate three times per week from October 28 on a 3-cabin aircraft with the following configuration: 32 Club, 48 World Traveller Plus, and 252 World Traveller.

Return fares from London Gatwick (LGW) to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) per person start at:

• Club World: £3,257
• World Traveller Plus: £1,297
• World Traveller: £699

British Airways Holidays extends double Tier Points offer

British Airways Holidays has today extended its double Tier Points offer, (whereby Executive Club Members can earn double Tier Points on flights taken as part of a package holiday). This offer is now available for travel until 30 June 2025. The offer will also be applied in retrospect for any applicable customers who have already booked to travel in the extended period.

British Airways’ Speedbird Pilot Academy cadet programme opens for new applications

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic CEOs to speak at Sustainable Skies World Summit…

British Airways overhauls airport equipment at Heathrow with multi-million-pound…

British Airways launches new TV advert as part of its unique “A British Original”…

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Why you should book your trip with British Airways Holidays

With holiday season fast approaching, it’s time to start planning that much-deserved trip abroad. after two years of uncertainty during the pandemic, it’s natural to be a little nervous, but by booking with british airways holidays, you can be safe in the knowledge your trip is being looked after by travel experts. here are three reasons to book with british airways holidays., article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

1.      Secure flights, hotels and car hire in one booking

Whether you’re hoping to find paradise on one of Thailand’s limestone islands, take a fly-drive holiday to Cape Town, enjoy the nightlife of Las Vegas or absorb the famous Baroque architecture of Rome – you can secure your getaway with British Airways Holidays from just £60 per person up front. The remaining balance can be paid in instalments or in one go, whenever is convenient to you*.

Regardless of where you choose, there are hundreds of flight and hotel options to suit every budget. With flight, accommodation and car hire options available to book in one place, you can plan a stress-free trip that is as individual as you are.

All-inclusive  packages enable you to do as much or as little as you want, with the peace of mind that your flights, accommodation, meals, drinks and activities are covered for the duration of your stay. Meanwhile,  families  travelling with British Airways Holidays can be made more comfortable by using carefully selected hotels with child-friendly facilities and special offers.

A wide range of European city breaks offer everything from romantic getaways to culture-filled experiences – perfect for  couples , families and solo explorers alike.

2. Find peace of mind every step of the way

Thanks to the extensive British Airways route network, fully flexible holidays with flights in and out of different airports are available, at times to suit you. All bookings include a 23kg luggage allowance per person.

For absolute reassurance, every British Airways Holiday is ATOL-protected – meaning your money is safe and you will never be left stranded abroad. There’s also a dedicated 24-hour helpline available for any issues whilst you’re away – and if the unexpected happens, British Airways Holidays will prioritise getting you home as soon as possible.

Most importantly, every holiday package comes with extra security. If British Airways Holidays cannot fulfil your holiday, they’ll ensure you receive a full refund within 14 days. According to Reevoo verified reviews, British Airways Holidays customers rated the company 9/10 for the speed in which they processed their refund.

3. Enjoy an even easier journey by upgrading

For those looking for a super-luxurious experience, British Airways Club Europe and Club World cabins offer that extra bit of glitz and glamour to the trip.

Upgrades include access to the private lounges, dedicated check-in desks, priority boarding and increased baggage allowance – and that’s before you even get on the plane. On board, you’ll have the choice of the Club Europe and Club World food and drink menu. While those flying further afield will benefit from Club World’s restful seat to bed conversion.

With flexibility, safety and comfort as top priorities, it’s no wonder 92 per cent of customers say they would consider booking again with British Airways Holidays. They are ATOL-protected, with low deposits and a 24-hour holiday helpline. So, whether you’ll be basking on a beach, discovering a vibrant city or enjoying precious time with your family, let British Airways Holidays’  travel guides  help you decide. Visit  ba.com/holidays  to book your trip.

*T&Cs apply: Deposit balance due seven weeks in advance for long haul journeys and 28 days in advance for short haul breaks. Travel restrictions may apply.

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Table of Contents

British Airways baggage fees

British airways change fees, ba seat selection, how to avoid british airways fees.

If you’re not careful, airline fees can really add up. If you’re planning on traveling British Airways anytime soon, know before you book what the fees are for checked bags, ticket changes, redepositing miles and selecting seats. Here is your guide to fees when flying on British Airways.

The number and size of bags you can bring on a British Airways flight without incurring a charge depends on the flying class and your status level.

By ticket type

Basic economy: No free checked bag.

Standard economy: One free checked bag.

Premium economy: Two free checked bags.

Business class: Two heavier checked bags up to 70.5 pounds (32 kilograms) each.

First class: Three heavier checked bags up to 70.5 pounds (32 kilograms) each.

Size and weight limits for bags

Here are the size and weight restrictions for your bags when you fly British Airways:

Hand or laptop bags can weigh up to 51 pounds (23 kilograms) and can measure up to 16 inches by 12 inches by 6 inches (40 centimeters x 30 centimeters x 15 centimeters).

Cabin bags (carry-on luggage) can weigh up to 51 pounds (23 kilograms) and measure up to 22 inches by 18 inches by 10 inches (56 centimeters x 45 centimeters x 25 centimeters).

Checked luggage can be up to 51 pounds (23 kilograms) and measure 35 inches by 30 inches by 17 inches (90 centimeters x 75 centimeters x 43 centimeters).

Baggage above the weight limit could be subject to a charge of $100. Bags over 70.5 pounds (32 kilograms) cannot be checked.

» Learn more: The guide to earning British Airways Avios

Elites get more bags free

British Airways’ frequent flyer program, Executive Club , offers four different levels of status: Blue, Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Silver members can check two bags for free, up to 70.5 pounds each (32 kilograms), in economy, excluding basic economy, for every person in your booking.

Gold members get an additional free checked bag when booking any class, except basic economy, for bags up to 70.5 pounds (32 kilograms). This applies to everyone on your booking.

How much you’ll pay for extra bags

If you need to check more luggage than is allowed by your cabin fare class, you can pay a fee online or you can pay at the airport, which costs more.

Online, you’ll pay $90 for a second checked bag and $170 each for your third and fourth bags. At the airport, you’ll pay $100 for your second bag and $200 for your third and fourth bags.

If you need to travel with extra bags, check fares for the next-higher cabin of service. It’s possible that you could move up and use that bag allowance for less than you would pay in extra bag fees.

Traveling with strollers, medical equipment and other items

If you are flying with children, you can check two of the following items:

Fully collapsible stroller.

Car seat or booster seat.

Travel cot.

Baby back carrier.

British Airways doesn’t have weight requirements or charge fees for heavy medical equipment that is above standard allowances. This includes wheelchairs and equipment to help mobility. But bring a letter from your doctor if you need to travel with medical supplies like heavy equipment, liquids or syringes.

If you’ve already booked your flight but need to change your itinerary, the fees you’ll pay depend on whether you bought your ticket using cash or Avios, the currency of British Airways’ frequent flyer program.

Change and booking fees for flights booked with Avios

If you want to redeem Avios for a flight over the phone instead of online, you’ll pay a $25 service fee. If you need to change your award flight or cancel and have your Avios redeposited into your account, the fee is $55 plus a $25 service fee. These fees apply to flights originating in the U.S.

If you have Gold status or higher with British Airways, you won’t have to pay a fee to change award flights.

» Learn more: Your guide to British Airways’ award chart

Change fees for cash tickets

If you need to make a change to your booking, cancel your flight or buy new tickets then you may have to pay a service fee. Service fees vary by cabin class, fare price and/or local laws and can range significantly.

Unless you booked a basic economy, you can choose your seat for free when you check in for your flight. If you want to select your seats sooner, you’ll have to pay a fee that varies by ticket type and your travel class.

Basic economy holders normally have their seat assigned by the airline at check-in, but they can pay either at time of booking or at check-in to select a seat, with fees varying by itinerary.

» Learn more: Award sweet spots using British Airways Avios

Each airline has its own fees for checked bags and ticket changes. Knowing these fees before you book can help you avoid unexpected costs or budget for expenses you know you'll need to incur.

As always, plan ahead and research the airline's website for specifics related to your flight and situation.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

How to maximize the British Airways distance-based award chart

Looking for business-class flights to Europe from just 50,000 points each way?

British Airways is the largest full-service airline in the United Kingdom and flies to more destinations in the United States than any other European carrier.

The airline's loyalty program is called the Executive Club , and the program's currency is called Avios. With a huge route network and a loyalty currency that is easy to earn and redeem, it is a program that should be on your radar, even if you aren't traveling to the U.K.

Rather than dynamic pricing with 300,000+ point flight redemptions, British Airways retains a distance-based award chart that lets you fly for next to nothing in some of the world's most expensive markets. Knowing how to use it can go a long way toward getting maximum value for your Avios.

In this guide, we'll look closely at how this works so you can redeem British Airways Avios for your next trip.

Earning Avios

There are many ways to earn Avios for your next trip, even if you aren't planning any British Airways (or other Oneworld carrier) flights in the near future.

Credit cards

The easiest way to earn a meaningful number of Avios for everyday spending is by applying for the British Airways Visa Signature Card .

This card — issued by Chase and, therefore, subject to the 5/24 rule — is currently offering new applicants 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. TPG values Avios at 1.5 cents each , making the full bonus worth $1,125.

The British Airways Visa Signature has a $95 annual fee and earns 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level. Plus, you can earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. All other purchases earn 1 Avios per $1 spent.

Transferable rewards cards

Savvy TPG readers know that we usually recommend sticking with cards that earn transferable points because of the added flexibility they offer. This strategy still applies if you're trying to accrue Avios. British Airways is a transfer partner of Capital One , Chase Ultimate Rewards , American Express Membership Rewards , Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy , making Avios one of the easiest currencies to earn .

Points transfer from Capital One, Chase, Bilt and Amex at a 1:1 ratio (in addition to occasional transfer bonuses of up to 40%), while Marriott points transfer to Avios at a 3:1 ratio. Plus, you'll get a 5,000-Avios bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred.

The following cards all currently offer strong welcome bonuses that you could easily convert to Avios:

• American Express® Gold Card : Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Terms apply.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express : Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Check to see if you're targeted for a 125,000-point welcome offer through CardMatch (offer subject to change at any time). Terms apply.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees ): Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees ): Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card : Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve : Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card : Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

You can also purchase Avios, which are often on sale .

As noted above, British Airways uses a distance-based formula for calculating how many Avios you need for a given flight. To maximize value with this chart type, you need to take a different approach than you would with zone-based charts or dynamic pricing .

British Airways Avios are typically most valuable on short, nonstop routes where cash fares are expensive. You can use a resource like Great Circle Mapper to calculate the distance of each flight segment to determine the zone it would fall into.

British Airways' sweet spots are different compared to other programs. Instead of focusing on specific countries or even entire continents, distance-based sweet spots tend to be individual city pairs that are close enough to avoid bumping into the next pricing tier — especially if paid tickets are usually pricey on those routes.

Related: Sweet Spot Sunday: US to Ireland from 13,000 Avios each way

Award charts

With this in mind, let's dive into specific award charts. We'll start with the one used for flights on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus, though significant fuel surcharges often complicate these redemptions. Each price is in Avios and applies to one-way flights.

Note that there are different prices for peak and off-peak dates. Generally speaking, you'll find peak dates during the summer and school holidays. Off-peak pricing usually applies during the fall and winter months.

You will also be given the option to redeem more Avios towards fees, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges thanks to the Reward Flight Saver offer .

Next, look at the award chart for flights operated by a single partner airline (other than Aer Lingus and Iberia, who use the chart above). This used to be the same as the above chart (with only peak pricing applied). But in 2019, British Airways implemented a new chart with slightly higher rates . Rates vary a bit by airline now, but here's what the single partner award chart generally looks like now:

** Zone 1 award flights to, from or within North America cost 7,500 Avios.

For both of the above award charts, pricing applies to each flight in an itinerary. The distance isn't cumulative across the entire trip. British Airways prices every segment individually, so you'll want to stick to nonstop routings whenever possible.

Related: 4 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Iberia and British Airways

For example, say you wanted to fly from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). This flight covers 992 miles and would require 9,000 Avios per the chart above. However, suppose you could only find award availability on a connecting flight through Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). In that case, you'd fly 89 more miles but pay over 65% more Avios for your trip.

Here's how the pricing works:

• Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte: Covers 632 miles (7,500 Avios)
• Charlotte to Philadelphia: Covers 449 miles (7,500 Avios)
• Total cost: 15,000 Avios

As such, the best value tends to come from nonstop flights.

Redeeming inside the US

As mentioned above, British Airways prices flights in North America slightly differently than in the rest of the world. Zone 1 flights — those that cover 650 miles or less — typically require 4,750 to 5,250 Avios for economy on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus or 6,000 Avios on most other partners.

However, British Airways prices nonstop economy Zone 1 flights within North America at 7,500 Avios. Then, Zone 2 flights and higher use the same pricing as other partner airlines. Despite this restriction, you can still get solid value if you can find saver-level award space with American Airlines.

Short flights

With Zone 1 economy flights in the U.S. pricing at 7,500 Avios and Zone 2 pricing at 9,000 Avios, you should be able to fly out of virtually any American Airlines hub to dozens of destinations.

This opens up some cool options, including any New York airport to Miami International Airport (MIA) or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport for only 9,000 Avios in economy class.

This also applies to short-haul international flights. For example, TPG's Nick Ewen frequently uses just 7,500 Avios for American Airlines flights to the Caribbean. In the past few years, he's booked award flights from Miami to the following destinations:

• Providenciales International Aiport (PLS) in the Turks and Caicos
• Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) in St. Croix
• Cozumel Airport (CZM) in Mexico

Read more: Why Avios are my favorite type of rewards as a South Florida resident

Domestic lie-flat business class

In 2016, AA made a minor change to its fare classes that had practically no effect on the AAdvantage program but was great news for British Airways fans.

Specifically, the airline changed how its domestic first-class seats are coded, from F (first class) to J (business class). Add in the fact that American routinely flies internationally-configured, wide-body jets on domestic routes and some interesting options start to appear.

For instance, some daily frequencies between New York and Miami are often operated by a 777-200. This plane features one of American's best international business-class products . You can book that flight in business class for only 16,500 Avios (yes, you read that correctly).

West Coast to Hawaii

Just because we're talking about flights within the U.S., that doesn't mean you can't have a tropical vacation. Hawaii is close to several West Coast cities (less than 3,000 miles) and you can book economy awards for only 13,000 Avios each way .

American Airlines serves several Hawaiian destinations from its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Phoenix Sky Harbour (PHX) hubs. In addition to Los Angeles, Alaska Airlines also flies nonstop to multiple Hawaiian airports from San Diego International Airport (SAN), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Portland International Airport (PDX) — among others.

Redeeming outside the US

British Airways' international partners span the globe, so some of the best British Airways redemptions are bound to come from international travel.

4,500-Avios awards

These low-priced awards are especially useful in pricey markets, such as travel within Europe or Asia. Generally, you want to look for a Oneworld hub airport like Iberia's home in Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) or Japan Airlines' hubs in Tokyo.

Air Lingus sweet spots

The British Airways award chart has peak and off-peak pricing, which also applies to flights on Iberia and Aer Lingus. As a result, nonstop flights between the East Coast and Chicago to Ireland have become incredibly attractive , with transatlantic economy awards starting at just 13,000 Avios each way on off-peak dates.

Booking a round-trip, nonstop flight from multiple U.S. cities to Ireland starting at 26,000 Avios is phenomenal. Just note that you must call to redeem British Airways Avios on Aer Lingus-operated flights.

Multi-city trips

As highlighted above, British Airways charges separately for every segment. More stops require more Avios, even if your origin and final destination are the same. However, this pricing approach allows you to book unlimited stopovers or open jaws on your award tickets .

Multicarrier awards exception

It's important to note that British Airways has yet another award chart that only applies to award tickets with two or more Oneworld airlines. Unlike the standard award prices above, these multicarrier reward flights use cumulative distance to determine how many Avios you need.

While this typically offers a poor value proposition , there are times when you should use it — like if you're booking a round-the-world ticket . Check out TPG's full guide to the British Airways multicarrier award chart for more information.

Bottom line

When people think of British Airways' loyalty program, many assume you'd want to use Avios for transatlantic trips to Europe. But that's not necessarily the best way to use them.

Long-haul flights cost increasingly more under the distance-based Avios chart. Plus, British Airways tacks on large surcharges to those transatlantic flights.

By employing the above tips, you can maximize your Avios and the British Airways chart without spending a lot of cash.

Additional reporting by Ben Smithson

Find cheap British Airways flights

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Good to know

Faqs about flying with british airways, what is british airways' carry-on size allowance.

On board British Airways flights, cabin baggage should not exceed 22x17x9in. If your hand luggage is bigger, the British Airways assistance team will most likely ask you to pay extra for checked luggage.

Where does British Airways fly to?

British Airways offers direct flights to 180 cities in 76 different countries. London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow are the most popular cities covered by British Airways.

What is British Airways’ primary hub?

British Airways concentrates most of its flight operations in London.

How does KAYAK find such low prices on British Airways flights?

KAYAK is a travel search engine, meaning that we continuously look across the web to find the best deals for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from all airlines, including British Airways.

When are British Airways plane tickets cheapest?

Flight prices with British Airways will depend on the season and route you are flying. Our data shows that overall, the cheapest month to fly with British Airways is January, while the most expensive is December.

What’s the cheapest route that British Airways flies?

In the last 72 hours, the cheapest route flown by British Airways found on KAYAK was from London to Dublin, with a price of $63 for a round-trip.

What are the most popular airports for British Airways flights to depart from?

With 161 British Airways flights departing each week, London Heathrow airport is the most popular airport for British Airways flights to depart from. The most popular destination from this airport is Shanghai. The next most popular departure airport is London Gatwick airport, with 19 British Airways flights departing from there each week.

Is British Airways part of an airline alliance?

Yes, British Airways is part of the oneworld airline alliance.

How many destinations does British Airways fly to?

In total, British Airways flies to 183 destinations.

Top tips for flying with British Airways

• If you’re looking for the cheapest British Airways tickets, then try to fly from Copenhagen, where flights have been cheapest lately. The cheapest route from here available recently is to London Heathrow Airport, and cost $109.
• The cheapest month for flights with British Airways is January, while the most expensive is generally December.

British Airways customer reviews

• Our flight attendant was awesome. (in 816 reviews)
• Information easily available staff friendly. (in 1072 reviews)
• "Crew was friendly, food was good." (in 461 reviews)
• I badly needed more leg room. (in 109 reviews)
• Seats in premium economy not comfortable. (in 125 reviews)
• The flight crew seemed overworked. (in 1276 reviews)

Traveler rating:

British airways flight status, british airways route map - which destinations does british airways fly to, all british airways flight routes, top british airways flight routes.

• Edinburgh to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Edinburgh
• London Heathrow Airport to Glasgow Intl Airport
• Glasgow Intl Airport to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Barcelona-El Prat Airport
• Barcelona-El Prat Airport to London Heathrow Airport
• Amsterdam to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam
• Rome Fiumicino Airport to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Rome Fiumicino Airport
• Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Nice
• Nice to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Aberdeen
• Aberdeen to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Belfast City Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Manchester
• Berlin to London Heathrow Airport
• Dublin to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Dublin
• Belfast City Airport to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Geneva
• Geneva to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Berlin
• Manchester to London Heathrow Airport
• Copenhagen to London Heathrow Airport
• London Heathrow Airport to Copenhagen
• London Heathrow Airport to Newcastle upon Tyne
• Newcastle upon Tyne to London Heathrow Airport
• British Airways flights to London
• British Airways flights to Athens
• British Airways flights to Barcelona-El Prat Airport
• British Airways flights to Madrid
• British Airways flights to Lisbon
• British Airways flights to Istanbul Airport
• British Airways flights to Accra
• British Airways flights to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Intl Airport
• British Airways flights to Tirana
• British Airways flights to Cairo
• British Airways flights to Edinburgh
• British Airways flights to Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport
• British Airways flights to Glasgow Intl Airport
• British Airways flights to Budapest
• British Airways flights to Venice Marco Polo Airport
• British Airways flights to Prague
• British Airways flights to Manchester
• British Airways flights to Lagos
• British Airways flights to Nice
• British Airways flights to Amman
• British Airways flights to Málaga
• British Airways flights to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport
• British Airways flights to Thera
• British Airways flights to Inverness
• British Airways flights to Pisa
• British Airways flights to Palma de Mallorca
• British Airways flights to Cape Town
• British Airways flights to Bologna
• British Airways flights to Abuja
• British Airways flights to Corfu

Top airports served by British Airways

• London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
• London Gatwick Airport (LGW)
• Edinburgh Turnhouse Airport (EDI)
• New York John F Kennedy Intl Airport (JFK)
• Glasgow Intl Airport (GLA)
• Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN)
• Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS)
• Geneva Geneve-Cointrin Airport (GVA)
• Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO)
• Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
• Manchester Airport (MAN)
• Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE)
• Aberdeen Dyce Airport (ABZ)
• Belfast City Airport (BHD)
• Dublin Airport (DUB)

British Airways contact information

• BA IATA Code
• +1 800 247 9297 Call
• britishairways.com Visit

Overview of British Airways

When you are flying British Airways with a small child, your little one will be provided with a free Skyflyers activity pack that includes items such as an activity book and crayons. Additionally, amenities such as child seats and carry cots can be provided on all flights for no extra cost. Children’s meals and baby food are also available and will be provided before adult meals.

British Airways offers four different classes in order to ensure that all of your travel needs and preferences can be met. Economy is convenient for anyone that wants to travel as affordably as possible, while Premium Economy is a more private option that is in a spacious cabin. Business will give you access to flat beds, free drinks and meals, and lounge access, whereas First will provide you with your own personal suite.

This airline is known for having close partnerships with many different airlines both within Europe and across the Atlantic, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Loganair. The company also codeshares with other additional airlines, with some examples being Cathay Pacific, Vueling, and Japan Airlines.

Known for using over 15 different types of aircrafts, British Airways operates a large fleet that is composed of upwards of 275 planes. The Airbus A320-200 is the most commonly used aircraft as it can fit around 177 passengers and is a convenient choice for middle-range trips, while the Airbus A380-800 is the plane that fits the most passengers, with the maximum being just over 460, making it ideal for long haul international flights.

British Airways information

Other popular airlines in the united states.

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• British Airways

British Airways’ New Trip Booking Tool – Customise Your Trip

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British Airways has added a new feature to its website that allows users to tailor their trips to a greater degree than before and, more importantly, far more seamlessly than before. The new feature on britishairways.com  is called “Customise Your Trip” and has been added to the existing search facility on the site.

What Is Customise Your Trip?

This is what the airline has to say about its new website feature:

The new ‘Customise Your Trip’ service available online at BA.com allows customers to create a multi-destination holiday of their choice with total flexibility to combine flights in and out of different airports, book multiple hotels and select car hire for any part of their holiday. Thanks to the new British Airways Holidays ‘customise my trip’ service, travellers can now build a more detailed itinerary, including British Airways’ partner airlines.

Put simply, the feature is an expansion of the multi-city flight tool and has been designed to allow users to build up a reasonably complex trip itinerary including multiple flights, one or more hotel reservations and one or more car reservations as well.

Once you’ve entered all your destinations, hotel requirements and car rental needs the feature offers up 3 suggestions:

• Recommended
• Lowest Price

For each of the three categories British Airways will suggest flights, hotels and car hire and provide a price for the whole trip. Users can then view other flight, hotels and car hire options, see how changing to those options affects the overall price and, in that way, customise their trip to a pretty detailed degree.

It seems like a very good idea.

What’s Customise Your Trip Like?

Well, I’ve tried Customise Your Trip (CYT) and, while I really like a lot of what it can do, there are still some glaring holes that need to be fixed. For example:

The British Airways’ description of the feature clearly mentions “partner airlines” as being included but I’m not sure just how may flights from partner airlines the feature can handle.

To see what the functionality was like I decided to try out a reasonably simple round the world itinerary along the lines of London – New York – Los Angeles – Hong Kong – London but CYT didn’t like that very much.  More specifically it didn’t like the idea of a flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong:

It didn’t like the Hong Kong airport code and it didn’t like it when I typed in “Hong Kong” and, basically, it refused to cooperate.

I know for a fact that both American Airlines and Cathy Pacific (BA’s oneworld partners) fly the Los Angeles – Hong Kong route so I’m not sure what the issue is but, whatever it is, it needs to be addressed.

For completeness I tested out a few more city pairs (originating in the US) where an international flight on a partner airline was required and, on each occasion, I got an error message. Not a great start

Nevertheless I wasn’t about to give up.

I decided to pick a set of destinations where I know British Airways flys to/from and I also threw in an internal flight just to see if CYT could handle a domestic partner flight in the US.

The Trip in Brief:

• All flights in World Traveller (Economy Class)
• Fly from London to New York
• Stay in New York for 3 nights
• Fly New York – San Francisco
• Stay in San Francisco for 4 nights
• Rent a car on last day in San Francisco to drive down the Pacific Coast
• Stay in Carmel (Pacific Coast) for 2 nights
• Stay in Los Angeles for 4 nights
• Stay in San Diego for 4 nights
• Return rental car to San Diego airport
• Fly from San Diego to London

The way you input all your requirement is nice and straightforward and you just follow the instructions.

The first set of selections defines what else you’re offered….

…and, from there, you select how many people are traveling…..

….and you go on to input all your requirements:

Adding hotels is simple….

…as is adding a car rental:

The interface is easy to use and it’s pretty obvious what you have to do next or what you have to do if you need to go back and change something.

This doesn’t happen often but I’ll give British Airways’ web team a pat on the back for ease of use…..how well the whole thing works is another matter.

Once all the details have been added the website crunches all the information and then gives you your itinerary and options:

I’m going to ignore the astronomical cost that CYT “recommends” and focus on what exactly it offers.

Everything on the itinerary is in date order but I’m going to focus on flights, hotels and car hire individually.

The same flights were offered, by default, for all three categories of trip (recommended, lowest price, luxury)

When I checked what other options CYT could offer (in case I didn’t like those flights) I could see flights with Aer Lingus, American and Iberia as well as more BA options…so CYT can handle international flights on partner airlines when it wants to.

As you can see from the screenshots above, it can also handle domestic (US) flights on partner airlines.

These were the suggestions that CYT came up with for the “recommended” trip:

An OK selection except for the hotel CYT suggests for Los Angeles.

The Hyatt Regency Huntingdon Beach is a truly a terrible suggestion as…..and this is important….it’s nowhere near Los Angeles!

It’s nearly 38 miles to Downtown LA and it’s over 40 miles if you want to get to place like Hollywood, Beverly Hills etc…

On the basis that this feature is far more likely to be used by tourists rather than regular flyers this isn’t particularly impressive and could result in a lot of upset customers if they decide to rely on BA’s “recommended” suggestions.

As the flights were the same for all the trip options CYT suggested the difference in price had to be, primarily, the hotel options. And it was.

The “lowest price” option really didn’t come up with too many great ideas unless an AvGeek was booking the trip:

This is an airport hotel and not really anywhere close to New York City….

Another airport hotel and not at all close to San Francisco…

The good thing about CYT is you can choose to reject one or more of its suggestions and choose something you think you’d prefer.  Importantly, you’re shown the impact on the overall cost as you’re going through your options:

The same is true of the rental car options.

Rental Cars

For the “recommended” trip I was offered a tiny box of a car….

…and when I checked the other options it became obvious that I could get something better for only a little bit more:

Unsurprisingly the same car was also offered for the “lowest price trip” but the “luxury” trip had priced up something a bit higher spec (relatively speaking):

Bottom Line

I actually really like this feature…but with a few caveats:

• I need a bit more time to check how this trip would price up if I didn’t use CYT and I sourced flights, hotels and cars separately.
• CYT needs to stop offering up hotels that are 40+ miles away from the center of city selected. Ok, I get that to get the “lowest price” trip CYT will need a bit of leeway (hence the airport hotels) but the “recommended” trip should be free of these kind of suggestions.
• Whatever is stopping me from including flights like LAX – Hong Kong or Dallas – Hong Kong needs to be addressed.

I suspect this feature will be more useful for people unaccustomed to booking complex trips than it will be for frequent travelers but, even for them, it will have its uses….especially when it comes to planing the more complex trips.

If pricing up a trip separately doesn’t come out to being significantly cheaper than using CYT then I can see a lot of people using it for the sake of convenience. I’d probably pay a little more to have all my trip info in one place and just the one portal to pay…but then again I can be very lazy sometimes so following my lead isn’t always the best way to go 🙂

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How to use Alaska miles to fly globally

• July 31, 2019
• Mileage Plan
• Scott Mackenzie
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As a frequent flyer – and a longtime fan of Alaska Airlines – I’ve earned and redeemed more than a million miles with Alaska over the last decade. Along the way, I’ve learned some tips that can make your international travel experience with Mileage Plan a little more rewarding.

Take advantage of free stopovers: Booking award travel on Alaska Global Partners follows different rules than you may be accustomed to with other airline loyalty programs. Each partner has its own award chart, so you can’t combine multiple partners on the same award. What you can do is book different partners in each direction, so a roundtrip itinerary can have two partners, plus additional flights operated by Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air.

Mileage Plan makes up for this with free stopovers that let you visit two or three cities for the price of one. Let’s say you’re booking a trip to Singapore. Consider flying on Japan Airlines to Tokyo: Stop there for a few days, and then continue your journey to Singapore. On the way back, you could visit Hong Kong before continuing home with Cathay Pacific . Singapore Airlines also recently became a Mileage Plan partner.

Always search for award travel one flight at a time. An itinerary with connections will require that every flight has award space. If one flight is missing, you’ll see zero results. The solution is to search for the longest flight first and consider a few alternatives before building out the rest of the itinerary.

Imagine you want to fly from Sacramento to Barcelona. Look for flights to London on British Airways that depart from San Jose, San Francisco or Los Angeles. After you find availability, look for flights from Sacramento to your local international gateway, and for a connecting flight from London to Barcelona. Record the dates of each flight and perform a new multicity search to book the complete trip.

Call on agents for assistance. When searching for award availability on alaskaair.com , be aware that award-travel options on some carriers can be more difficult to find. Call an Alaska reservations agent for assistance with partner airlines not found on the website. They may be able to suggest more options.

Earn miles while flying internationally. You can also earn Mileage Plan miles with Alaska Global Partners, including Aer Lingus, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Icelandair, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and more. To earn miles with Mileage Plan, make sure to provide your account number when you book your ticket, or ask the agent to add or change your account number when you check in. Earning rates vary by partner.

Remember to check Alaska Airlines first for flights to Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica. If you’re flying internationally within North and Central America, check your options on alaskaair.com first to take advantage of the fact that when flying on any Alaska or Horizon flight, a mile flown equals a mile earned . You’ll also be able to take advantage of your Mileage Plan elite benefits , such as complimentary upgrades based on availability.

As a bonus: If you have the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card , remember that it comes with Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ offer. The companion fare can be used on any one-way or roundtrip flight operated by Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air, as long as there are still two seats for sale in the Main Cabin or Premium Class. The primary passenger pays the usual price, while the companion pays just $99 plus taxes and fees (from $22 roundtrip) – making it a great value for more-expensive trips such as that vacation to Mexico or Costa Rica. Even better, the companion is still eligible for complimentary elite upgrades and will continue to earn miles for the trip just as they would with any other fare. In my opinion, it is the single most important card benefit and one reason I’ve held onto the card for several years.

Scott Mackenzie founded Travel Codex, a blog devoted to maximizing travel loyalty–program value.

More Mileage Plan tips

4 ways to become an Alaska Airlines MVP

Tips from a Mileage Plan Rockstar

A mile flown is a mile earned

How to maximize your Mileage Plan elite status

The Alaska credit card program is issued and administered by Bank of America, N.A. Visa and Visa Signature are registered trademarks of Visa International Service Association and are used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

Why mention Singapore Airlines (SQ) in the third paragraph, where you’re detailing how one can redeem Mileage Plan miles for international award travel using free stopovers? Despite SQ having become a Mileage Plan partner in September, 2017 we still cannot redeem our Mileage Plan miles for SQ flights. (Meanwhile SQ’s KrisFlyer customers have been able to redeem their miles for AS flights since December, 2017.) A little research on your part would have illuminated this inequity.

Thanks so much for your question. Alaska Global Partners managers say that Alaska has faced technical challenges on integrating programs with Singapore Airlines, but progress is being made and we hope to have updates on the program in the near future.

Do you earn miles when you fly on award tickets?

Thanks for your question, Kelly. Unfortunately, we don’t earn miles when flying on award tickets. For all the ways we can earn miles, refer to this page: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/how-to-earn-miles?lid=nav:mileage-earn&int=AS_NAV_MP_EarnMiles_-prodID:MileagePlan

When will Singapore Airlines flights be available using miles?

Thanks for your great question, Paul. Alaska’s Global Partner program managers say that enabling redemption with Singapore Airlines is in progress, though we do not have a confirmed date yet.

This was very helpful ! I hadn’t thought of using different carriers for legs of a trip. Thanks ! I just wish Icelandair wasn’t ‘ off the table ‘ right now !

Thanks, Kay! Our program managers report that they don’t have a date when Icelandair will be available again. We’re glad you found Scott Mackenzie’s article helpful for planning future trips!

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Simple Flying

British airways makes big changes to us airbus a380 flights this winter.

Here's a look at the latest plan.

• British Airways has pulled the Airbus A380 from Dallas/Fort Worth in November and December.
• Double daily Miami flights are coming aboard its largest aircraft, similar to previous years, but it was not scheduled until now.
• While subject to change, the carrier plans seven A380 routes this coming winter.

Based on the schedule update over the weekend, British Airways has changed its A380 plan. It will not use the double-decker quadjet to Dallas/Fort Worth in November or December, and Miami will grow to twice daily A380. While the latter has existed in previous years, it had not been scheduled or confirmed for this coming winter until now.

BA to Dallas/Fort Worth

The one world carrier has deployed the A380 to Dallas/Fort Worth , the busiest hub of transatlantic joint venture partner American, since July 2022. Until now, it has operated year-round, with the Texas airport seeing it every month.

While this was the plan in 2024, the latest information shows that the last A380 service will be on October 25, two days before northern airlines, including BA, switch to winter schedules. The Boeing 787-10 will operate until December 31, 2024, providing 213 fewer seats per departure. It will, at least, help with higher loads and better winter yields. The capacity difference is as follows:

• Six fewer first seats
• 49 fewer business seats
• 20 fewer premium economy seats
• 138 fewer economy seats

BA's daily service supplements American's four daily 777-300ER/777-200ER Dallas-Heathrow offering.

It would be easy to say that the freed-up aircraft would be used to Miami, as discussed below, but this seems to have been planned anyway. It is, therefore, unclear if anything else is to materialize.

When the A380 returns to Texas on January 1, 2025, BA193 will leave London Heathrow at 10:40 – I often see it climbing away while in my office – and arrive at 15:05 local. Returning, BA192 will depart at 18:50 and arrive home at 09:45+1.

Want to fly? Get tickets here!

Revealed: The World’s 10 Largest Long-Haul Airlines In April

Ba to miami.

During the northern summer season, BA has a daily A380 service to Miami , alongside American's double daily 777-200ER/777-300ER operation. However, as in previous years, BA has confirmed the quadjet will operate twice daily to the Florida hub from October 27, the day the carrier switches to winter schedules based on IATA slot seasons.

In mid-November, the twice-daily A380 schedule will be as follows, with all times local:

• Heathrow-Miami : BA207, 10:00-14:50; BA209, 14:15-19:05
• Miami-Heathrow : BA206, 17:10-06:30+1; BA208, 21:30-10:55+1

Click here to fly!

Seven winter A380 routes

As of April 4, BA's winter plan with the equipment is as follows. However, it is subject to change, so treat it cautiously.

• Miami : double daily
• Johannesburg : daily
• Los Angeles : daily
• San Francisco : daily
• Dallas/Fort Worth : daily (except October 26-December 31)
• Singapore : daily (terminator service; it does not continue to Sydney)
• Dubai : daily

234 Million Passengers: The Top US Airports For International Traffic In 2023

How it compares to previous winters.

Examining Cirium schedules shows that BA used the A380 to Chicago O'Hare in winter 2023, with daily flights between November 15 and December 12. It marked the end of all A380 flights to O'Hare. BA also had double daily A380 service to Dubai from October 30 to November 14.

The periods mentioned above correspond to when Dallas won't see the double-decker. Will O'Hare welcome the equipment again? Will the ever-popular and hot winter market of Dubai have more capacity again? When writing, there is no evidence for either suggestion.

These US Airports No Longer Have Airbus A380 Flights

In winter 2022, Chicago, Doha, and Washington Dulles had BA's A380s. Doha was a special case, as it supported close partner Qatar Airways during the World Cup.

What do you make of it all? Let us know in the comment section.

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Help! Japan Airlines Downgraded Us From First Class and Skimped on the Refund.

A couple is bumped from ultraluxury to semi-luxury on a trans-Pacific flight and receives what they feel is only a pittance in compensation.

By Seth Kugel

Dear Tripped Up,

Last year, my husband and I splurged on round-trip first-class tickets on Japan Airlines from San Francisco to Tokyo for $13,474 each. We reserved them in February for an October flight through American Express Travel. On the same day, I also bought business class tickets for a couple who was traveling with us at $8,429 apiece. In September, Amex notified me that we had been downgraded to business class for the return flight. JAL’s conditions state that we would receive “the difference between the normal fare amount of original class of service and for the normal fare of lower class of service.” To me that means that since the difference between our first class seats and our friends’ business seats was $5,045 each, we should be refunded about half of that — around $2,522 per person — for the second leg. But we got only $941 each. I contested this with Amex Travel, but they rejected our claim. Can you help? Teri, San Francisco

I’ve been collecting stories from readers about downgrade disappointments recently, so I looked not only into yours but also stories from four other travelers — three of whom believe they were stiffed by British Airways and another by Avianca.

All three airlines I contacted delayed, obfuscated or otherwise dillydallied before getting me answers, but let’s start with your travel agent, American Express.

“We worked with the card member and merchant to the best of our ability to resolve the issue,” wrote Emily Vicker, a spokeswoman for Amex, in an emailed statement. “Card members wishing to pursue additional compensation requests need to do so directly with the airline.”

As you said to me, you did not follow up with Japan Airlines because an online link that Amex sent you led to a form that said it was only for those travelers who had booked with JAL directly; others should deal with their travel agent. Gary Leff, the writer behind the travel site View from the Wing , told me you should have ignored that. “Follow all avenues to advocate on behalf of yourself,” he said.

Could Amex have done more? It’s impossible to tell, and Japan Airlines, responding only to my third email, said that it “has verified that the amount applied was accurate and was based on the difference of the First Class fare originally purchased and the applicable Business Class fare with the same fare conditions as the original ticket for the sector involved.”

But that is just a restatement of the company’s terms and conditions . So I wrote back with a spruced-up version of your argument. Your original first class seats cost $13,474 round trip, so although the two legs may have varied somewhat in price, I simplified and said for each way, each ticket would cost $6,737. JAL refunded you $941 for each ticket, which means they consider the value of the business class seats you ended up in, on the return, to be $5,796.

But your friends’ business class seats were just $4,214 each. And every business class fare I can find for flights from Tokyo to San Francisco on the JAL site in recent days (except for last minute fares) is well under $5,000. Could they explain their calculations?

I did not hear back.

So I turned to Mr. Leff. He noted that simply knowing what another business class seat cost on the same flight does not mean that if you had bought four seats on that day rather than two, the third and fourth seat would have been the same price — airline pricing algorithms are notoriously complex and opaque. And there is no way to know if the leg back from Tokyo (the one you were downgraded for) was actually cheaper than the leg there, as your Amex invoice doesn’t give a breakdown.

But Mr. Leff still took your side, mostly. The $941 refund “strikes me as unreasonable,” he said, “especially given the not ironclad but very persuasive evidence of tickets bought on the same flight on the same day.”

Anyone who finds themselves in such a situation must realize, unfortunately, that it’s impossible to know exactly what their refund should be. “I don’t think there’s an organization beside the airline itself that has the data,” said Anton Radchenko, chief executive of AirAdvisor , a company that assists fliers in receiving compensation from airlines. But he added that in most cases, airlines do offer fair compensation.

Then he told me something I didn’t know — that flights starting in Britain or those operated by British carriers have set rates for downgrades depending on the length of the flight: a 30 percent refund if under 1,500 kilometers (around 932 miles), 50 percent between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers, and 75 percent for longer flights. The European Union and Canada have similar rules.

Alas, such fixed reimbursement rates only work if you can get the airlines to refund you in the first place. All three British Airways customers faced, instead, a wall of customer service nonsense.

A British Airways spokeswoman, Catherine Wilson, apologized for the delays and said the airline aimed “to process refund requests as quickly as possible.” But even after my intervention, only two of the three got refunds — and for less than British regulations seem to demand.

In late 2021, Mark from San Diego and his wife were flying home on British Airways premium economy from Split, Croatia, via London and Dallas, but missed a connection. They were rebooked in economy on Virgin Atlantic and tried for two years to get reimbursed when finally, in December 2023, they were told they had agreed to the downgrade, which he denies. (It shouldn’t matter anyway, both Mr. Leff and Mr. Radchenko said.)

They finally received $746 from British Airways earlier this week. But the full cost of their original round-trip itinerary (two tickets from San Diego to Ljubljana, Slovenia, and back from Croatia) was $5,821, and it is unlikely that their refund could account for 75 percent of a premium economy trans-Atlantic flight. British Airways confirmed they calculated the difference in fare rather than using the parameters laid out by the British government and offered no explanation to me as to why.

A year later, Cynthia and her partner had a very similar situation, missing a British Airways premium economy connection in London on their way home to Los Angeles, ending up in economy. They had booked through a travel agent, who tried unsuccessfully to get a refund. Then Cynthia ran into a brick wall when she tried herself. She has still not received a refund.

In the third British Airways case, David of Carmel, N.Y., and his wife were booked to fly first class from London to New York when their flight was canceled. On their rebooked flight, they were downgraded to the equivalent of business class. Their initial request for a refund was rejected by someone who almost comically misread their complaint, responding that they were not entitled to compensation because their flight had arrived with only “18 minutes delay.” Subsequent calls to customer services led nowhere. And even after I got in touch with the airline, another representative wrote the couple with the coup d’absurdité: They were not entitled to a refund because “based on our research, your final flight was in First Class, hence there is no downgrade refund due for your booking.” (I can attest that their boarding passes say otherwise.)

British Airways did finally send the couple a refund, of $1,036, this past Saturday. But their original fare for first class (plus a short hop from Amsterdam to London on the return) was just under $10,000 for both, which presumably means the return flights from London to New York cost a total of close to $5,000. Again, British Airways said it calculated the difference in fares rather than the appropriate percentage of the original fare. I have advised David to look at Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority’s guidance on rejected claims.

The case with Avianca ended on a more positive note. Alan, of Riverside, Calif., and his wife were booked on a business class flight from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires via Bogotá this past February. But Avianca replaced that direct first leg, to Bogotá, with two legs — Los Angeles to San Salvador, El Salvador, and then on to Bogotá, with a three-hour layover. For these new flights, the couple was placed in economy, with no business-class lounge access, no free meals and no word about compensation.

Rolando Lamas, Avianca’s sales director for North America, Central America and the Caribbean explained in a statement that the airline suspended that direct Los Angeles-to-Bogotá flight in January and had offered most passengers either a full refund or compensation for the downgrade. But it had trouble communicating with a few passengers, including some who had booked through a third party, as was the case with Alan.

The airline has now offered Alan and his wife $580 each, and they have accepted.

Most of the time, airlines do refund fare differences promptly and accurately, but clearly there are holes in the system. If the airlines stymie any future refund requests, I suggest contacting a company like AirAdvisor or registering a complaint with the appropriate federal agency, like U.S. Department of Transportation . This process can be slow but often prods the airlines into action, said Mr. Leff. However, if the airline has done something as specifically absurd as reject your downgrade refund because your flight arrived almost on time, send me a copy so I can add it to my collection.

If you need advice about a best-laid travel plan that went awry, send an email to [email protected] .

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation.

Seth Kugel is the columnist for “ Tripped Up ,” an advice column that helps readers navigate the often confusing world of travel. More about Seth Kugel

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