British Airways is the national airline of the United Kingdom and its second largest airline—in terms of passenger numbers—after easyJet. Established in 1974, it merged with the Spanish flag carrier Iberia in 2011 to form the International Airline Group (IAG), the third biggest airline alliance in the world in terms of revenue. BA, as it’s often known, is headquartered in London, England, and currently flies to more than 180 destinations worldwide, including 28 cities across the United States. British Airways has long had a strong reputation for good customer service among frequent flyers, and its business and first class services offer one of the best ways for Americans to fly to Europe and beyond.
October 01, 2022
Based out of their central hub of Heathrow, BA maintains secondary operations at Gatwick and London City Airport, with all flights routed through the capital. It flies to over 200 destinations in 80 countries across all six continents. Thirty of these are in the U.S, with Los Angeles, New York and Chicago among the most popular. British Airways conduct a range of long and short-haul flights with its expansive fleet of 287 aircraft, operating roughly 850 services a day.
The British Airways frequent flyer programme is called The Executive Club and is free to join. Once signed up, BA passengers can earn two types of points, Avios and Tier.
Avios is BA’s name for traditional air miles and passengers acquire them primarily through booking flights. Points can also be earned by staying in selected hotels, making everyday purchases through the BA shopping portal, and using an Avios credit card. Avios can then be spent on various BA-associated products and services. However, the system is weighted strongly in favour of buying airfare, making other redemption options poor value for money.
Tier points, on the other hand, are used solely to move through the rankings of the Executive Club. They can only be earned by flying with BA or their OneWorld airline partners and generally speaking, the more expensive the fare, the more tier points you will earn. There are three tiers to the Executive Club.
Bronze - 300 tier points and 2 eligible flights
Priority check-in and boarding.
Free seat selection 7 days before departure.
25% bonus Avios.
Collect Tier Points.
Save details and preferences.
Member-only offers.
Silver - 600 Tier Points and 4 eligible flights
Priority boarding
Free seat selection at booking
Access to business lounges
Extra baggage allowance
50% bonus Avios
Collect Tier Points
Save details and preferences
Member-only offers
Gold - 1500 tier points and 4 eligible flights
First-class check-in and boarding
Free seat selection at booking
Access to First lounges
Extra baggage allowance
Additional reward flight availability
100% bonus Avios
Collect Tier Points
Save details and preferences
Member-only offers
British Airways offer four types of cabin class:
Economy
One carry on
Free water and snacks
Standard seating
Last to board
Points earned
Within economy, there are three sub-classes which offer different baggage allowances and flexibility.
Basic
Allocated seats
No extra baggage
Plus
Checked-in bag (23kg)
Choose seats 48 hours before the flight
Free flight changes on the day of travel
Plus Flex
Checked-in bag (23kg)
Choose seats
Free flight changes on the day of travel
Cancel the flight for a full refund
All long-haul flights come with free entertainment, food and wine
Premium Plus
One carry-on + one person item
Two checked-in bags (23kg)
Free meals and drinks, including cocktails
Larger seats and more legroom
Priority boarding
Free entertainment
Business / Club World
One carry-on + one person item
Two checked-in bags (32kg)
Free gourmet and drinks, including cocktails
Armchair which converts to lie flat bed
Priority boarding
Access to private lounges
Dedicated check-in
Free entertainment
First Class
One carry-on + one person item
Three checked-in bags (32kg)
A la carte anytime dining
Private booth with lie-flat bed
First to board
Access to private lounges
Concorde Room access at Heathrow and JFK
Dedicated check-in
15-inch entertainment system
Passengers who want to bring bags outside of fare allowances must pay additional fees.
Complimentary baggage allowances
Economy Basic
One carry-on
Economy Plus and Plus Flex
One carry-on
One checked-in bag (23kg)
Premium Economy
One carry-on
Two checked-in bags (23kg)
Business
One carry-on
Two checked-in bags (32kg)
First
One carry-on
Three checked-in bags (32kg)
Additional bag fees
First bag: £30 - £65
Additional bags: £36 - £65
Prices vary dependent on flight length and when the bag is checked-in.
Overweight bags
Passengers with a 23kg checked-bag limit will need to pay £65 if their bag is between 23kg and 32kg. Bags above 32kg are not allowed on flights.
Oversized bags
Bags between their allowance and 190 x 75 x 65cm will result in charges dependent on route. Anything over this size is not allowed.
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