Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

British Airways launches three new Italian routes, bookable now for Avios

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

British Airways has announced three new summer routes to Italy for 2025.

Two routes are entirely new, whilst the third sees London City gain a service previously only available from Heathrow.

The new services mean that BA will now serve 19 destinations in Italy, more than any other European country.

British Airways A320

British Airways to Rimini

Flights to Rimini, image below, will begin on 15th May 2025 and operate until 27th September.

Services will operate three times per week (Monday, Thursday, Saturday) from Heathrow.

According to BA:

Rimini is an old city full of charm. Those in search of beach holidays can enjoy more than 15km of beach along the seafront, while night owls can soak up the city’s vibrant nightlife. Travellers intrigued by Italy’s ancient history can visit a range of landmarks, such as the Arch of Augustus which was built around 27 BC, and the Tiberius Bridge which dates back to the first century AD. 

Rimini is also a great base from which to explore nearby San Marino, a small, landlocked republic situated on the slopes of Mount Titano. With mountainous scenery and a historic city centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its visitors enjoy a unique blend of nature and culture. 

British Airways flights to Rimini

British Airways to Salerno

Flight to Salerno in the Campania Region will launch on 22nd May 2025. Services will end on 25th October.

Flights will depart from Gatwick and depart three times per week on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. 

Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport opened to commercial flights in July 2024 and offers an alternative to Naples for anyone looking to reach the Amalfi Coast.  

According to BA:

Those looking to explore the wider Amalfi Coast are drawn in by its dramatic coastline, lush scenery and the charm of its towns, such as Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, which overlook the glistening Mediterranean Sea. 

Salerno itself features ocean views, lively piazzas, delicious local cuisine, and historical attractions, making it a popular destination for travellers seeking a blend of beach, foodie and cultural activities in a mild Mediterranean climate.

British Airways flights to Amalfi coast

British Airways to Olbia

Olbia has been served from London Heathrow for many years, but BA is now adding flights from London City.

Flights will launch on 25th May, initially on Sundays only, with an additional Wednesday flight launching on 16th July. Services will operate until 28th September.

Flights to Cagliari in Sardinia will continue to operate from London Gatwick.

According to BA:

Olbia, located on the northeastern coast of Sardinia, is known for its historical significance, as well as its idyllic beaches and crystal-clear waters. The city is also recognised for its vibrant local markets, such as the Mercato di San Benedetto, where visitors can immerse themselves in the flavours of Sardinian cuisine through fresh produce, seafood, and traditional specialties. 

The airport is a short drive from some of Sardinia’s most famous coastlines, including Costa Smeralda which attracts those in search of fine sand beaches and turquoise waters as well as luxury hotels and resorts. 

All flights are bookable now for cash or Avios. Avios availability should be good given that the flights were only loaded yesterday. (EDIT: comments below suggest BA is having some issues with Avios seat loading.)

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 Avios from UK credit cards

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 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 card

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.

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (57)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • ringingup says:
    27 Nov27 November 05:41

    BA’s intern is mixing up Olbia with Cagliari. Mercato di San Benedetto is in Cagliari, only a 3 hour drive from Olbia 😀

    • NorthernLass says:
      27 Nov27 November 07:44

      I think they use AI to do a lot of this stuff these days, and it doesn’t understand such distinctions!

      • meta says:
        27 Nov27 November 09:27

        Lol, but it is lovely market it is!

      • Mr. AC says:
        27 Nov27 November 09:28

        That’s actually a very unlikely mistake for any good AI to make these days. I’ve not seen any factual mistakes from Claude in months (if they use ChatGPT then all bets are off of course).
        So my bet this is an underpaid intern.

    • Nico says:
      27 Nov27 November 09:28

      The intern probably does not travel!

  • Clive says:
    27 Nov27 November 06:38

    Yesterday the Internet also had mispelt Salerno, Costa d’Amalfi as “Salermo, Costa D’Amalfi”. This has since been corrected but Avios Redemptions are not recognising it as a destination yet..

  • Bob says:
    27 Nov27 November 06:59

    As and when British Airways decide that there are travellers whose first choice is Bristol rather than any London Airport, then I shall use some of my five flights annually ( with Jet2 ) to go with them instead

    • daveinitalia says:
      27 Nov27 November 08:14

      BA is a hub airline and I don’t think they’re going to run flights from Bristol to Heathrow, Greta would have a meltdown.

      It’s like ITA Airways don’t fly directly from Bologna to London you need to fly via Rome (ITA still serve a small number of direct routes from Milan as a legacy from the Alitalia dual hub days, but just like Bristol is too close to London, Bologna is too close to Milan).

    • jj says:
      27 Nov27 November 08:50

      There are very few people for whom Bristol is more than an hour closer than Heathrow.

      Given the additional choice of flights, better airport hotels and easier parking, I personally always fly from Heathrow rather than Bristol, even though Bristol is closer. I’m sure I’m not alone in that view.

    • G says:
      27 Nov27 November 08:52

      Get a train from Temple Meads / Parkway to Reading and get the bus.

  • Regional Peon says:
    27 Nov27 November 07:07

    Would be lovely if London Airways opened up some more regional connections to Gatwick. One flight a day from Glasgow is not quite “British”. Or perhaps is very British, hard to know which.

    • NorthernLass says:
      27 Nov27 November 07:43

      Or no flights per day any more in the case of MAN!

      • George says:
        27 Nov27 November 11:46

        Posting about BA flights from MAN every other day isn’t going to mean BA start running flights from there

    • JDB says:
      27 Nov27 November 07:45

      Don’t you want ‘London Airways’ to make money? It runs, and has to run, a very commercial operation and there’s neither the profitability nor capacity to operate regional flights into LGW; there are few enough to LHR although there will be more if the third runway is built.

      • LittleNick says:
        27 Nov27 November 07:57

        Will my grandkids see the 3rd runway? And I don’t even have kids myself yet

        • JDB says:
          27 Nov27 November 09:52

          There’s slightly more political will now than previously and politics has been the biggest obstacle (save covid) up to now. The objections by IAG/BA are a bit artificial and despite being the biggest user they can’t block it on their own.

          It would seem to be rather attractive for the current government to have such a vast infrastructure project funded by the private sector.

      • Mikeact says:
        27 Nov27 November 08:22

        @JDB As you said recently, MAN folk are just not prepared to pay.

      • Dubious says:
        28 Nov28 November 01:05

        There is an economic (and social) argument for encouraging greater connectivity between the South of England (not limited to London) and the North of England and Scotland.

        Although BA is a commercial entity, there are broader national economic considerations policy makers need to consider too. If all of Gatwick’s connectivity goes on European flights, you loose the opportunity to share economic development across the country.

        I remember when BA flew 737s between Gatwick and Glasgow multiple times a day. They were always busy flights. What happened?

    • Andrew. says:
      27 Nov27 November 08:22

      Nothing to stop Air Scotia from launching direct routes from London Prestwick. You should petition Sir Cameron Bridie.

    • Richie says:
      27 Nov27 November 08:46

      IAG seems to have ignored the possible opportunities of operating A220 aircraft.

      • JDB says:
        27 Nov27 November 09:12

        I think you can be fairly sure that IAG hasn’t failed to consider any type of aircraft! It’s a very commercial company. If you are suggesting that IAG should be considering these aircraft on thinner regional routes (and not at LHR where an A220 would make no sense for them) there is more to it than just the aircraft. Setting up regional bases would be very costly for BA and really a bit pointless.

        • Richie says:
          27 Nov27 November 09:31

          Would an A220-500 make no sense at LHR?
          A220-100 at EDI & LCY?

          • Rhys says:
            27 Nov27 November 10:15

            Given the slot constraints at Heathrow the only way BA can grow is by increasing the size of its aircraft, and moving to the A220 family would be a backwards step in that regard.

          • Richie says:
            27 Nov27 November 10:29

            It’s interesting that BA replaced it’s B767 short haul fleet with the smaller A321.

        • Nico says:
          27 Nov27 November 10:35

          Exactly, A220 is not an aircraft for LHR

          • Richie says:
            27 Nov27 November 11:30

            BTW
            AF1681 operated by A220-300 aircraft F-HZUB left LHR for CDG at 9.30am this morning.
            LX359 operated by A220-300 aircraft HB-JCP left LHR for GVA at 7.32am this morning.

  • Paul says:
    27 Nov27 November 08:09

    Have to Agree. London airways doing what London airways always does. In Germany you have Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin and Düsseldorf serving the world. Here we have Heathrow. Gatwick is the bucket and spade Costs routes while City airport is the posh totty routes.

    The rest of the country abandoned to Easy Jet and Ryan air or their tribute acts

    • daveinitalia says:
      27 Nov27 November 08:16

      “In Germany you have Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin and Düsseldorf serving the world”

      Only two of them are Lufthansa hubs

    • J says:
      27 Nov27 November 08:57

      Unfortunately complete nonsense regarding Berlin, we have very few connections outside of Europe.

    • JDB says:
      27 Nov27 November 09:23

      @Paul – Germany is a much larger and slightly more populous country with much less wealthy population concentration vs the UK. As others have stated, there are really only two international hubs and you forget that MUC not only serves LH/Germany but also is a hub for LH group passengers from Switzerland, Austria and Italy which it used to suck all the lifeblood out of Alitalia/ITA until it was able to buy the remnant. Those two hubs therefore serve a massively bigger/wealthier market thank the UK. For BA to split its hub would be ridiculous and while I understand why passengers outside the SE might wish to have some long haul routes, it wouldn’t really be in anyone’s interests plus the economics aren’t there anyway. IAG is testing the waters with Aer Lingus from MAN which works because EI has a totally different cost base vs BA.

    • George says:
      27 Nov27 November 10:11

      EasyJet isn’t any worse than BA so it’s really not a big deal having to fly with them.

    • Lady London says:
      1 Dec1 December 12:52

      🙂

  • Mikel says:
    27 Nov27 November 08:21

    We were on the inaugural flight to Olbia from Edinburg in May. It’s a stunning place to visit. Salerno is a great addition for Sorrento and the Amalfi coast as Naples is an absolute dump

  • DCW says:
    27 Nov27 November 08:32

    Neither Rimini or Salerno are showing as bookable via Avios currently.

    Rimini makes a good cycling base so I would have booked that straight away for May half-term.

  • Charles S says:
    27 Nov27 November 08:32

    Still no Genoa??

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
      27 Nov27 November 09:59

      Can’t have your cake and eat it

      • DCW says:
        27 Nov27 November 10:21

        Tips cap at that.

      • Nick says:
        27 Nov27 November 10:21

        Genoa only made money on days when there was a cruise departing. Otherwise it was nearly always the cheapest route from Gatwick, needing to be open in low classes right up to departure, rather than being yielded like anywhere else. Add to this the particular difficulties over disruption (seafarers being the only corporate traffic create very specific challenges) and you can see why no one at BAEF is keen to relaunch it. VY do/did serve it if you want to go.

        • Charles S says:
          27 Nov27 November 16:28

          VY does not offer direct; only RyanAir does.
          Genoa and surrounding areas have far more to offer than Salerno and/or Rimini!

      • JDB says:
        27 Nov27 November 10:23

        Very good!

    • Lady London says:
      1 Dec1 December 12:53

      Try Nice, or Torino with someone else. Even Pisa is not that hard to.come from.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Got any questions? Ask them in our forums.

Get 25,000 Avios with the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

GET A SIGN-UP BONUS OF 18,000 VIRGIN POINTS!

Latest Forum Posts

Get 80,000 bonus points (worth 80,000 Avios) and £400 of dining credit with The Platinum Card (Offer ends 27th May)

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Get up to 10,000 bonus Hilton Honors points

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.7 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

SME? GET THE ONLY FREE SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT CARD WHICH CAN EARN AVIOS

Get points worth 30,000 Avios with 'first year free' American Express Gold (ends 27th May)

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.

Got it!