British Airways will increase Gatwick flights from 2023

1. British Airways will increase Gatwick flights from 2023 BA’s new operation at London Gatwick is taking flight as the airline reclaims its slots at the airport, launches its low-cost subsidiary and ramps its service back up to pre-pandemic levels. It has also just announced a host of new destinations to which you can now book regular seats or British Airways reward flights. The return to Gatwick Gatwick is British Airways’ second largest base after Heathrow and a more attractive one for the airline as last year Heathrow substantially hiked its landing fees and capped passenger numbers as it struggled with staff shortages. BA suspended its Gatwick services during the pandemic, and it looked like it might have to pull out of the Sussex airport altogether as, even before Covid grounded flights, the airline was losing money there. Instead, it has changed to a low-cost model from Gatwick. Last year it unveiled its low-cost subsidiary BA Euroflyer, which will serve short-haul routes from Gatwick. The new airline received its operating licence in December. Over the first half of this year, 10 Airbus A320s and nine A321s will be gradually transitioned from British Airways to BA Euroflyer. British Airways resumed Gatwick flights in the spring of 2022 under its usual branding. Now BA Euroflyer has the green light, it will take over BA’s short-haul

2. flights from the airport. Most of the new-look flights will take off when the summer timetable starts in March 2023. As it moved to recover financially from the pandemic, last February British Airways leased 118 of its weekly take-off and landing slots at Gatwick to its sister airline Vueling and a further 230 to rival EasyJet. It is now gradually claiming them back. This means it has a chance to increase frequency on routes it already offers and add some new ones too. New BA routes from Gatwick Using BA Euroflyer, British Airways plans to operate from London Gatwick to more than 30 destinations for Summer 2023. BA has added Montpellier, Corfu, Mykonos and Innsbruck to its short-haul route network from the Sussex airport in addition to expanding its existing Salzburg service into the summer months. Montpellier, in the South of France, is an entirely new destination for British Airways and will run three times a week from late May. Along with Salzburg, Corfu will also run thrice weekly over the summer, while fellow Greek island Mykonos will be served once a week. From December 8, winter flights between Gatwick and skiing gateway Innsbruck will operate eight times a week.

3. This is in addition to the routes BA resumed last year from Gatwick, which its subsidiary will now pick up, covering a host of summer sun favourites, including several for Greece and its islands. The destinations which will be served with the highest frequencies include: Faro in Portugal Malaga, Alicante and Mallorca and Ibiza for Spain and its islands Bordeaux and Nice in France Dubrovnik in Croatia Marrakech in Morocco and Tenerife and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands are among BA’s Gatwick destinations most associated with winter sun. Besides using Gatwick for short-haul BA Euroflyer flights to Europe and North Africa, BA flies long-haul to selected holiday destinations under its regular branding. New for winter 2022/spring 2023 from Gatwick are: Aruba in the Caribbean (via Antigua) Georgetown in Guyana (a Gatwick newcomer which will be served via St Lucia) Cape Town Vancouver Las Vegas (a route missing from Gatwick since Virgin moved the route to Heathrow in 2019) BA’s service to Trinidad will meanwhile become direct, rather than operating via St Lucia. The good news for Avios collectors is the increase in frequencies means greater British Airways reward flight availability, while the new routes create further choices on where you can treat yourself with your points.

4. The Gatwick advantage Of course, Heathrow is the UK airport serving most parts of the globe. Gatwick does have some advantages to travellers flying out of London, however. Gatwick is quieter than Heathrow and there are only two terminals to negotiate. Entry to the train station from the South Terminal is swift and road access straightforward. Though the recent opening of the Elizabeth Line has greatly improved cross-London access to Heathrow, Gatwick is still easier to reach from parts of the capital, despite being in Sussex. BA Euroflyer and Avios When British Airways launched its low-cost model from Gatwick, going head-to-head with EasyJet, it promised to retain less stripped-back levels of service than its ‘no frills’ rival, using a model similar to BA Cityflyer, its subsidiary based at London City Airport. BA Euroflyer still offers both business and economy cabins on all short-haul flights plus an included baggage allowance, free water and snacks and free seat selection from 24 hours before flying.

5. Those flying in business class (Club Europe) enjoy a premium check-in area, lounge access and a complimentary meal and bar service. Crucially, as a frequent flyer in the Executive Club, you can still pick up the Avios that help you earn British Airways reward flights and the Tier Points that help you improve your status. You’ll also be able to enjoy the benefits that come with higher status levels, such as lounge access. British Airways reward flight availability has improved since the pandemic so now a minimum of 12 Reward Seats are released on every short-haul flight, including those on BA Euroflyer (14 on long haul). If you book your British Airways reward flights using a BA Flight Savers fare in order to reduce your fees and taxes, return trips start from £1 plus 18,500 Avios. And don’t forget, if you choose to cash in a BA Companion Voucher (earned through American Express) at the same time as a Flight Saver fare, you will mirror this discount for the second seat. Original Source- https://rewardflightfinder.com/news-and-advice/british-airways-will-increase-gatwick-flights-from-2023?ut m_source=Google&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=website+blog