British Airways launches Riga with airBaltic and Hamburg with SUN-AIR

British Airways has announced a new codeshare agreement, this time with airBaltic.

It only covers one route, from London Gatwick to Riga in Latvia.  I had a good trip to Riga a few years ago, and it is worth a visit if you have exhausted the usual Eastern European bucket list.

Tickets are now on sale at ba.com for travel from September 23rd.

Whilst you will be able to earn Avios and tier points flying on this route – if booked under the BA flight code – it seems unlikely that redemptions will be available.

(Even if Avios redemptions were available, you would not be able to use Reward Flight Saver so you would be liable for the full tax of £70 – £90 per person.)

As always with codeshare flights, you should double-check the price on the airBaltic website before booking.  You would lose your Avios but the price may be lower over there, depending on how successful each airline has been in selling their respective ticket allocation.

SUN-AIR to launch Hamburg flights

In a separate bit of route news, BA franchisee SUN-AIR of Scandinavia is launching a Hamburg service from London City Airport.

Unlike the official British Airways services from City, this will use a small Dornier 328 turboprop aircraft.  Running only from Monday to Friday, there will a morning and evening flight in both directions.

The first flights will depart on 27th October.  This service is available for Avios redemptions and it is available as a Reward Flight Saver.  It looks as if two seats per flight have been allocated for redemptions

SUN-AIR also runs London City to Billund (for Legoland), Manchester to Billund and Manchester to Gothenburg, all as franchised BA services.  These are bookable at ba.com just like standard BA flights.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.