One of Avios’ sweetest redemptions: Trip review of Loganair, Heathrow-Kirkwall via Dundee

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Avios redemptions tend to make people think of long-haul business class, or perhaps even first class to some far-flung destination. Mine took me from London to the Orkney Islands on a 30-year-old turboprop – and it turned out to be one of my best-value and most interesting, redemptions yet.

Robbie with the Loganair ATR 72-500 at London Heathrow before departure to Kirkwall. © Robbie Watson

Loganair review at a glance:

Route: London Heathrow – Dundee – Kirkwall / LM622 & LM625

Aircraft: ATR 72-500

Redemption: 6,500 Avios + £75 return during Loganair’s 50% Avios sale

Cash fare: £350+ for my dates (July 2026)

In March 2025, Scottish regional carrier Loganair adopted Avios as the currency of its loyalty programme. That opened up Loganair’s extensive network to Avios collectors. Points can be transferred across from programmes such as The British Airways Club, putting destinations across Scotland and beyond within reach. For someone like me who is always looking for a slightly more unusual trip, suddenly being able to use Avios to reach some of Britain’s more remote corners was immediately appealing.

I had already been looking for an excuse to tick off a few more Scottish islands when Loganair announced a 50% Avios reward-seat sale in February 2026. Reward flights normally cost a flat 6,500 Avios plus taxes and fees each way, but during the promotion that dropped to just 3,250 Avios.

Screenshot of redemption booking confirmation.

That was enough to get me searching, and I soon spotted an opportunity that felt too good to miss: Heathrow to Kirkwall and back for 6,500 Avios plus £75 in total, compared with a cash fare of more than £350 for my dates.

The routing made it even more interesting. Loganair flies from Heathrow to Dundee, with selected services continuing north to Kirkwall. On my flights there was no aircraft change in Dundee – just a short stop before continuing onwards to Orkney. There was something quite

appealing about boarding a small turboprop on the tarmac at Heathrow and, a few hours later, stepping off in one of the most remote parts of the UK.

Securing those flights also gave me the starting point for exactly the kind of trip I enjoy planning: making limited annual leave go further with an ambitious, high-impact long weekend. From Kirkwall, I could build an island-hopping itinerary around Orkney’s ferries and tiny inter-island aircraft, reaching some of Scotland’s most remote communities along the way.

So, what does this redemption actually get you on one of Britain’s more unusual domestic journeys?

Booking the redemption

Booking the redemption itself was refreshingly straightforward. Loganair allows reward availability to be searched directly on its website by selecting the ‘Spend Avios’ option, so there’s no separate award-booking portal or phone call required.

Once I’d found flights that worked, I transferred the Avios I needed from The British Airways Club to Loganair via the Avios website. Then I returned to Loganair to complete the booking.

I prefer doing it in that order rather than moving points speculatively, particularly when award availability is limited.

And limited is worth emphasising. These are small aircraft, and some routes only operate a handful of times each week. There simply aren’t huge numbers of seats to start with. If you’re targeting a particular weekend or peak travel period, I’d recommend searching and

booking as early as possible.

My redemption covered the Heathrow-Dundee-Kirkwall return journey only. Loganair’s Orkney inter-island flights aren’t currently bookable with Avios, nor can Avios be collected on them, so I booked those separately with cash as I built the rest of the island-hopping itinerary. My inter-island flight bookings came to £99.50 in total, which I thought was pretty

reasonable.

The journey

Heathrow

My journey began at Heathrow Terminal 2, where I had time for a quick visit to the No1 Lounge using Priority Pass before heading to the gate.

Loganair bus gate at London Heathrow Terminal 2. © Robbie Watson

Boarding was from a remote stand, which made the contrast rather fun: my 30-year-old Loganair ATR 72-500 was parked amongst much larger long-haul aircraft, including 777s and A380s nearby. It isn’t often you board a small regional turboprop at Heathrow for a journey to one of the UK’s more remote island groups.

The Loganair ATR 72-500 after arrival at Kirkwall Airport in the Orkney Islands. © Robbie Watson

The flight was mostly full and I was automatically allocated seat 12D on the back row during online check-in. First impressions were good – particularly the legroom, which was noticeably more generous than I am used to on many low-cost European flights. We eventually departed on time shortly after 10am for the first sector to Dundee.

What is Loganair actually like?

For a short domestic flight, the onboard experience was pleasantly old-school. There was one cabin crew member working the ATR per sector, and shortly after take-off a complimentary service began with tea or coffee, water, Walkers shortbread and, importantly, a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer. It’s a small thing, but I liked it. It certainly felt more hospitable than the buy-on-board model I’m used to across much of Europe.

Loganair’s complimentary onboard service included tea or coffee, water, Walkers shortbread and a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer. © Robbie Watson

The aircraft itself was showing its 30 years in places, but I found the cabin comfortable, with particularly generous legroom compared with many of the low-cost flights I usually take around Europe. Loganair also includes a 15kg hold luggage allowance on its lowest fare class, plus a cabin allowance. That’s worth bearing in mind when comparing the redemption

with cash fares on other airlines.

The journey back to Heathrow offered much the same experience, including the complimentary service. By coincidence, I also had the same cabin crew members on the return journey sectors, who were friendly and personable throughout – a nice touch after several days exploring the islands.

Typical seating on board Loganair’s ATR 72-500.© Robbie Watson

Heathrow to Kirkwall operates as a one-stop, same-plane through service via Dundee, so there was no connection to make: passengers continuing to Orkney simply remained onboard during the short stop before heading north. Loganair currently markets Kirkwall from Heathrow in this way as part of its seasonal northern-islands operation.

There is, however, some uncertainty around how long this particular redemption opportunity will remain. Loganair has announced its intention to withdraw from the Dundee-Heathrow Public Service Obligation route, while also saying it is considering alternative London airport options. The last scheduled service from Heathrow is currently 23rd October 2026.

Destination: Orkney

For me, getting to Kirkwall was only the beginning. Kirkwall became the starting point for an ambitious few days combining Orkney’s ferry network with Loganair’s island services. It was exactly the sort of trip I enjoy putting together: using limited time to reach places that initially feel slightly too remote or complicated for a long weekend.

Looking across to the Brough of Birsay on Orkney Mainland. © Robbie Watson

One experience in particular had been on my travel list for some time – Loganair’s famous Papa Westray to Westray service. My flight took just one minute and 37 seconds from take- off to landing, ticking off the world’s shortest scheduled air service in the process – with an official certificate to prove it! I was on such a high afterwards. So much had happened in such a short space of time – pretty much an AvGeek dream for me.

Inside Loganair’s Britten-Norman Islander during the Papa Westray to Westray service. © Robbie Watson

I booked the inter-island flights separately with cash, but Avios had already done the important bit and got me to Kirkwall. From there, the rest of Orkney suddenly felt within easy reach.

So, was it good value?

My return itinerary cost 6,500 Avios plus £75, compared with a cash fare of more than £350 for my dates. On paper, that works out at around 4.2p per Avios after deducting the cash element – although, as ever, redemption value is only meaningful if you would genuinely have considered paying the equivalent cash fare.

The value went beyond the headline pence-per-point figure. I used a relatively small number of Avios to reach somewhere I had wanted to explore for some time, while keeping most of my balance available for future trips. For me, getting good value from points isn’t just about

the biggest pence-per-point number. Sometimes it’s using them for an experience I’d never justify paying cash for; other times it’s simply getting somewhere I really want to go and making memories there.

Is a 30-year-old turboprop from Heathrow to Kirkwall the most glamorous way to spend Avios? Probably not. But for a reasonable price, I got an enjoyable and unusual flying experience, reached one of the UK’s more remote corners and put together a trip that gave me some genuine bucket-list memories.

White-sand coastline and clear waters in Papa Westray. © Robbie Watson

Perhaps we don’t always need to save our Avios for the fanciest seat or the furthest destination. Sometimes the best redemption is simply the one that makes an adventure possible.

I’m Robbie Watson, a UK-based travel creator focused on making limited annual leave go

further through ambitious long weekends, unusual routes and high-impact itineraries around

the UK, Europe and beyond.

You can follow my latest trips and travel ideas on Instagram at www.instagram.com/robbiewatson.