Bits: BA Gatwick schedule changes for summer, free night promo with Starwood & Design Hotels

News in brief:

Summer schedule changes for British Airways at Gatwick

British Airways has announced some relatively short notice changes to its Summer flight schedule from Gatwick.  The news is only bad if you are flying to Bodrum, Algiers or Tirana.

This is a summary of what is happening:

Bodrum – the Saturday flight in both directions is scrapped from 28th May

Lanzarote – an additional Saturday flight has been added from 28th May (Avios seats should be freely available on this as it has just been added to the schedule)

Alicante / Nice / Ibiza / Faro / Barcelona / Bari / Dubrovnik – 1 or 2 additional flights per week, mainly during August

Larnaca – flights to restart from Gatwick (3 per week for 6 weeks from 16th July)

Algiers / Tirana – flights retimed from a day flight to an overnight flight outbound from 16th July

Starwood launches a free night offer at Design Hotels

Starwood Preferred Guest is stepping up its efforts to get you to book those members of the Design Hotels group that are now available via spg.com, including the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green pictured above.

When you stay three nights (separately or in one go) at Design Hotels properties booked via spg.com, you will receive a free voucher for any Starwood hotel in Category 1-5.

You must register by 16th May and complete your stays by 31st May.  You can earn up to two free nights.

Registration can be done here.  Existing bookings will count.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

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.

The Platinum Card from American Express

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

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.