British Airways adds new Avios-Only flights to Majorca and Crete for summer 2027, from £5 plus Avios
British Airways has announced its newest Avios-Only flights, and this time they’re for next summer. You can fly Heathrow to Palma, Majorca, or Heathrow to Heraklion, Crete, in August 2027, right in the middle of the school holidays.
If you haven’t come across these before, Avios-Only flights are dedicated BA services where every seat, in every cabin, can only be booked as a Reward Seat using Avios. They’re open to members of The British Airways Club.
The most important thing to note is that seats go on sale tomorrow mid morning UK time, 22 October. Which means you need to be quick about it, as they always sell like hot cakes. In fact, the quickest sell out ever was in 5 minutes!
Euro Traveller (economy) to Palma starts at £5 plus 28,000 Avios return, and Club Europe (business) at £40 plus 49,000 Avios return. Crete costs a little more in Avios, at £5 plus 33,500 Avios in Euro Traveller and £40 plus 60,000 Avios in Club Europe.
These are Reward Flight Saver prices, but you can swap in more cash for fewer Avios if you’d rather.
British Airways’ new Avios-Only flights
Palma, Majorca
Beaches, villages and a brilliant food scene, on one of the shortest and cheapest Avios-Only routes BA has run in a while.
Outbound: Saturday 14 August 2027, BA494 departing 12:50pm, arriving 4:20pm
Return: Saturday 21 August 2027, BA495 departing 5:15pm, arriving 6:45pm
Euro Traveller: from £5 + 28,000 Avios return
Club Europe: from £40 + 49,000 Avios return
Heraklion, Crete
Greece’s largest island, with beaches, history and plenty of space to explore beyond the resort strip.
Outbound: Saturday 14 August 2027, BA698 departing 11:25am, arriving 5:30pm
Return: Saturday 21 August 2027, BA697 departing 4:45pm, arriving 6:50pm
Euro Traveller: from £5 + 33,500 Avios return
Club Europe: from £40 + 60,000 Avios return
Both routes fly out and back on the same dates, a week apart, so it’s a clean seven nights. Checked baggage is included as standard too.
Can I use my Companion Voucher on these flights?
If you hold a British Airways American Express, your Companion Voucher works on these flights. It adds a second seat for just the taxes and charges, with no extra Avios. If you’re travelling solo, you get 50% off the Avios fare instead.
If you’ve got a Barclaycard Avios Mastercard or Barclays Premier Banking, the Cabin Upgrade Voucher lets you book Euro Traveller but fly Club Europe, if there is availability in Club Europe. You pay the Avios for Euro Traveller and the taxes and fees for Club Europe (all £40 of them). One quirk with the Barclays Cabin Upgrade Voucher is that on short haul flights the voucher only works at the Reward Flight Saver price, so you can’t substitute in fewer Avios and more cash.
Euro Traveller or Club Europe?
Because these flights go from Heathrow, Club Europe gets you a lounge before you fly, the seat next to you blocked, and a meal onboard rather than the buy-on-board trolley.
How much that’s worth depends on the route. Palma is around two and a half hours, so I’d be tempted to stick with Euro Traveller and save the extra 21,000 Avios. Crete, for me, is a different story. At just over four hours gate-to-gate, a proper meal, a drink and a bit more space make a difference, so Club Europe is easier to justify there.
Verdict
I think these are smart picks from BA. August is the hardest time of year to find reward seats, particularly for families who can’t travel outside the school holidays, and guaranteed availability on two of Europe’s most popular summer islands is exactly what Avios-Only flights are for.
Seats go on sale tomorrow, 22 October, at mid morning on ba.com.
Helena
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