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Best British Airways deals in 2023: Cheap flights and holiday deals | Travel News | Travel
BA offers deals and discounts on select flights throughout the year (Image: British Airways)
The best British Airways deals can slash the price of BA flights and package holidays – offering you huge savings on your next short trip, long-haul flight, winter getaway, or summer holiday.
Although their biggest deals only happen every so often, the airline and its package holiday arm to certain destinations or from select airports throughout the year. Though summer is drawing to a close, that doesn’t mean that the deals have to end. Instead, British Airways has launched its end-of-summer sale, with discounts on flights, city breaks and beach holidays.
We’ve got all the details on the latest British Airways sale below, as well as some answers to commonly asked questions about the airline. Scroll down for everything you need to know, or click the links to jump to the relevant section.
For more cheap flight deals, check out our best easyJet deals guide and our best Jet2 deals guide. Or, if you want to try and find even more incredible holiday and travel deals, read our guide on how you can use a VPN to access cheap flights.
British Airways package holiday deals
As part of its end-of-summer sale, British Airways is offering customers the opportunity to save up to £300 on their next package holiday. But, as is often the case with these lucrative deals, the offer is for a limited time only.
If you want to snap up the biggest savings, you’ll need to book your holiday by September 12, 2023.
The amount of money you can save depends on how much your holiday is worth. When you book a flight + hotel or flight + car holiday in the sale, you can make the following additional savings (these savings are available on top of the existing sale prices):
£300 extra discount with a minimum spend of £10,000 per booking (Flight + hotel only)
£200 extra discount with a minimum spend of £5,000 per booking (Flight + hotel only)
£100 extra discount with a minimum spend of £2,500 per booking
£50 extra discount with a minimum spend of £1,250 per booking
£25 extra discount with a minimum spend of £650 per booking (Flight + car only)
British Airways Holidays offers customers all the benefits of a package holiday, including flights, 23kg of hold luggage, hotels and transfers or the option to add a hire car to their package. All British Airways package holidays are ATOL-protected.
Deposits start from £60 per person and there are flexible payment options for those who don’t want to pay the entire cost of their holiday in one go.
And depending on whether you’re after a self-catered, half-board, full board or all-inclusive holiday, there are plenty of options to choose from.
Express.co.uk has rounded up some of the best package holiday deals available right now with British Airways Holidays. These include:
The sale also has package holiday deals to destinations across the US and Canada, Indian Ocean, and Europe. .
All prices are accurate at the time of writing (September 2023) but are subject to availability.
BA has flight and holiday deals to global destinations including St Lucia (Image: Getty Images)
Cheap British Airways flights to Europe
British Airways has a number of low-cost flights on offer, with select one-way routes across Europe from as little as £30 each way. Prices are subject to demand, so the best deals are likely to be snapped up the quickest.
Express.co.uk searched British Airways’ flight offering to find some of the cheapest deals on offer right now. These include:
British Airways has flights on offer to over 100 destinations across the UK and Europe. You can .
British Airways offers seasonal deals to customers throughout the year (Image: Getty Images)
Cheap long-haul flights with British Airways
British Airways offers long-haul routes around the world to destinations across Latin America, the Caribbean, South and Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Far East and Australia. Long-haul routes can be snapped up for under £500 return to select destinations, but prices are often subject to demand and the best deals can often go quickly.
As part of its end-of-year summer sale, British Airways had discounts on a number of long-haul routes, to popular destinations across the US. Holidaymakers also have the option to upgrade their cabin for a discounted price on select journeys.
And, for even more savings, Executive Club members can also benefit from Avios points, with deals available throughout the year,
Standard fares include a generous 23kg checked baggage allowance on top of your hand baggage allowance, plus you can choose your seat for free from 24 hours before departure.
Travellers looking for transatlantic flight-only options can book return flights to:
In addition, customers who book World Traveller (long-haul economy) will have the option to (premium economy) on selected routes for an extra £249 return.
Those who upgrade will enjoy wider seats and more legroom, two meals and complimentary bar service, priority boarding, more luggage allowance and a stylish amenity kit made from recycled plastic bottles.
Express.co.uk has rounded up some of the cheapest long-haul deals available right now with British Airways. These include:
All prices are accurate at the time of writing (September 2023) but are subject to availability.
What is included in a British Airways package holiday?
British Airways package holidays allow customers to choose between flight and hotel or flight and car, however, transfers and car hire can be added on to flight and hotel deals for an extra cost. Passengers are also permitted a luggage allowance of one 23kg hold bag per person.
Holidays can be secured with a deposit of as little as £60 with the option to pay the balance in instalments. In most cases, the deposit amount is not refundable if you decide to cancel your booking. However, some exceptions apply if you have chosen a fully flexible airfare as part of your package.
British Airways holidays are ATOL protected and covered by the airline’s ‘Customer Promise’. This includes a dedicated 24-hour holiday helpline for any issues while you’re away, a guaranteed refund if British Airways has to cancel and the option to cancel for a refund if your holiday is impacted by a major travel restriction before departure.
Save money on flights and holidays with Avios points
members have been able to spend Avios points on flights for some time, but as of February, the airline has allowed the option to pay for holiday packages using the member point system too.
Holidaymakers can now choose a flight and hotel package, with the option to add on a rental car, with British Airways Holidays and use their points towards the total price of a holiday when booking.
Avios points can be earned by using the British Airways American Express Credit Card, travelling with Uber, converting Nectar points and shopping on the British Airways Avios eStore.
The member perk can be accessed at check-out, where customers will be given nine different Avios payment options at the check out to decide how many points and how much cash they want to spend.
In some cases, this could be as little as £1.
- Return flights and two nights’ accommodation in Barcelona from £1 + 67,650 Avios for two people sharing (50 points + 33,825 per person)
- Three nights in New York City from £1 + 246,275 Avios for two people sharing (50 points + 123,188 Avios per person)
BA operates hundreds of both short and long haul routes (Image: British Airways)
What is British Airways baggage allowance?
British Airways hand baggage
Regardless of what ticket type you have purchased, all customers are permitted to carry one piece of hand luggage as well as a small personal item onboard.
- Hand luggage must not exceed 56cm x 45cm x 25cm
- Small personal items must not exceed 40cm x 30cm x 15cm
- Both items of luggage can weigh up to 23kg each
However, any hand or hold luggage which exceeds the limit will be checked into the hold. This item can be added to a checked luggage allowance for passengers who have a hold bag included in their ticket type.
Passengers who do not have checked luggage included in their ticket, or those whose hand luggage item goes above the checked luggage weight allowance, may face additional charges.
British Airways hold baggage
For passengers travelling on long-haul routes, hold luggage is typically included in the ticket. However, there is an exception to this for passengers travelling on a hand luggage-only booking. Hand luggage-only bookings can be purchased for both long and short-haul routes.
The weight and size allowance for hold luggage also varies depending on the ticket and cabin type.
- Each piece of luggage must not be larger than 90cm x 75cm x 43cm including handles or wheels
- Each piece of luggage has a weight allowance of either 23kg or 32kg depending on the route or ticket type
- Checked baggage allowance depending on the ticket type
Below we have listed the British Airways checked baggage allowance per ticket type. This applies to all flights except those travelling to and from Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and connecting journeys between India and USA, Bermuda or Canada.
- Passengers carrying a World Traveller Euro Traveller or Domestic Economy ticket (including hold luggage) are permitted one bag at 23kg.
- Passengers carrying a World Traveller Plus ticket are permitted to bring up to two bags at 23kg.
- Passengers carrying a Club Europe ticket can bring up to two bags at 32kg each.
- Passengers carrying a Club World ticket can bring up to two bags at 32kg each.
- Passengers carrying a First class ticket can bring up to three bags at 32kg in the hold.
To find out exactly what luggage allowance your flight permits, visit the page.
Where does British Airways fly from in the UK?
British Airways has two main flight hubs in the UK offering domestic and global flights. The airline is based at London Heathrow Airport and operates from its home terminal T5, as well as Terminal 3.
From , the airline departs from the South Terminal. British Airways also offers flights to the UK and Europe, as well as its Business Class only service to New York, from London City Airport.
However, the airline does operate domestic flights to and from its main hubs across a number of UK airports, including:
- Aberdeen
- Belfast
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Inverness
- Isle of Man
- Jersey
- Leeds Bradford
- London Stansted
- Manchester
- Newcastle
- Newquay
- Norwich
London Underground drivers are set to walk out in a series of strikes beginning tomorrow, causing widespread disruption across the capital.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union confirmed on Monday that its members will strike for 24 hours from midday on Tuesday and Thursday, with further walkouts planned through the summer.
Here is everything you need to know about the strikes, which lines are affected and how to plan your journey.
When are the Tube strikes?
The strikes are planned on the following dates:
April Tuesday 21 – Wednesday 22 April Thursday 23 – Friday 24 April
May Tuesday 19 – Wednesday 20 May Thursday 21 – Friday 22 May
June Tuesday 16 – Wednesday 17 June Thursday 18 – Friday 19 June
Each strike runs from midday to midday the following day, but disruption is expected to continue into the afternoons and evenings of each strike day. Most notably, the first to begin will be Tuesday from 12pm.
Which Tube lines are affected?
The strikes will affect the entire Tube network. While a reduced service will run across most lines, significant disruption is expected throughout. Services that do run will be less frequent and very busy — you may not be able to board the first train that arrives.
The following lines will see no service at all during strikes:
The Piccadilly line and Circle line will have no service. The Metropolitan line will have no service between Baker Street and Aldgate. The Central line will have no service between White City and Liverpool Street.
What to expect on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Normal services will run until mid-morning. Services will begin ramping down in the late morning ahead of the midday strike start. From midday onwards, significant disruption is expected across all lines, continuing through the following day. Any Tube services that do run will finish early — passengers should aim to complete their journey by 8pm.
What to expect on Wednesdays and Fridays
No Tube service is expected before 7.30am. Significant disruption will continue across all lines until midday, after which services will gradually recover — though some disruption is likely to persist into the evening.
What transport services will be running in London?
The Elizabeth line, DLR, London Overground and tram services will all run normally on strike days, offering alternative routes for commuters and tourists caught out by the Tube disruption.
The vast majority of bus routes will also operate as usual throughout the strikes. However, seven routes operated by Stagecoach from Bow Bus Garage face separate strike action from 5am on Friday April 24 to 5am on Saturday April 25. The routes affected are 8, 25, 205, 425, N8, N25 and N205. All other buses will run as planned.
Services are likely to be extremely busy across all alternative transport options as passengers seek to avoid the Tube.
Why are London Tube drivers striking?
The RMT union triggered the strikes after accusing TfL of imposing a new four-day working week on drivers without agreement. General secretary Eddie Dempsey said the union had “approached negotiations with TfL in good faith throughout this entire process” but that TfL appeared “unwilling to make any concessions in a bid to avert strike action.”
“This is extremely disappointing and has baffled our negotiators. The approach of TfL is not one which leads to industrial peace and will infuriate our members who want to see a negotiated settlement to this avoidable dispute,” he added.
TfL rejected that characterisation. Chief operating officer Claire Mann said the proposed four-day week was voluntary, would involve no reduction in contractual hours and would bring London Underground in line with other train operating companies.
“This allows us to offer train operators an additional day off, whilst at the same time bringing London Underground in line with the working patterns of other train operating companies, improving reliability and flexibility at no additional cost,” she said. “Those who wish to continue a five-day working week pattern would be able to do so.”
How to plan your journey
Passengers are advised to plan ahead, check before travelling and consider alternative routes where possible. The timing is particularly disruptive, coming just as many commuters and visitors return to the capital following the Easter break.
TfL’s Journey Planner can help map out routes by public transport, cycling or walking. The TfL Go app provides a live Tube map and real-time disruption alerts. Live status updates for Tube, rail, trams and buses are available on the TfL website, along with email update subscriptions for regular commuters.
The Foreign Office has issued an update regarding travel to Greece for Brits, and it’s good news.
Since the European Union‘s (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) was fully rolled out earlier this month, widespread travel disruption has ensued. Holidaymakers have reported significant queues and delays at airports across Europe, with some lasting up to four hours, while hundreds have missed flights as they attempt to navigate the new digital border system.
In an effort to alleviate the travel chaos, Greece has opted to waive the EU requirement for Brits to provide fingerprints and facial scans at airport border controls. In a statement from the Greek Embassy, they announced: “Update for British passport holders travelling to Greece.
“In the framework of the implementation of the Entry/Exit System, as of 10 April 2026, British passport holders are exempt from biometric registration at Greek border crossing points.” While there was no indication of how long the exemption would remain in force, shortly afterwards, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) revised its travel guidance for Greece.
In an update on Monday, 20 April, the FCDO stated: “Greek authorities have indicated that they will not collect biometric data (fingerprints and photos) for UK travellers as part of EES. Follow the advice of authorities on the ground. If you are a resident in Greece, make sure to show your residence documentation at passport control to ensure you are not registered in EES.”
Greece chose to abandon the new biometric security measures following concerns about the substantial travel disruption they were generating at airports, seriously affecting holidaymakers. The eased EU regulations from Greece are now expected to enhance travel for Brits entering the country, facilitating a more seamless journey without arduous waiting periods and needless hold-ups, reports the Mirror.
Commenting on the EES impact, Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at ABTA, said: “While for many the travel experience remains smooth, we’re disappointed and frustrated to see some passengers being caught up in delays due to EES.
“ABTA has been warning destinations and the (European) Commission for some time about the need for proactive steps to be taken to avoid delays, including the full use of contingency measures to stand down biometric checks at busier times, and adequate staffing, especially at peak times.”
The EES was fully rolled out across European airports on April 10, 2026, requiring all Brits travelling to the Schengen zone to “create a digital record” and register their biometric information, including fingerprints and a photograph. It’s required for their initial arrival at the airport border within the Schengen area, and following the first registration, the EES remains valid for three years.
Countries in the Schengen area include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
At present, Greece remains the only country to have eased EU entry requirements for British travellers. The EES system is not required for travel into the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus, as they fall outside the Schengen area.
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There are four principal ways the jet fuel crisis could hit British holidaymakers: rising flight prices, additional fees, cancelled flights and package holiday surcharges (Image: Thomas Barwick via Getty Images)
British holidaymakers are facing soaring flight costs and pricier package holidays — even for those who have already made bookings — as a looming jet fuel shortage threatens to wreak havoc on travel plans.
Triggered by the Iran War and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, oil exports from the Middle East have ground to a halt compared to earlier this year, leaving European jet fuel reserves severely depleted.
Typically, European nations maintain several months’ worth of jet fuel stockpiles at any given time, according to an IEA report published last week. “Every passing day that the Strait of Hormuz remains shut, Europe is edging closer to supply shortages,” warned Amaar Khan, head of European jet fuel pricing at Argus Media. “The Strait accounts for around 40% of Europe’s jet fuel imports, but no jet fuel has passed the Strait since the war broke out.”
There are four principal ways the jet fuel crisis could hit British holidaymakers: rising flight prices, additional fees, cancelled flights and package holiday surcharges. Each is outlined below.
Several airlines have already begun pushing up ticket prices in response (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)
Rising flight prices
Jet fuel — a refined kerosene-based oil product — represents airlines’ single largest expenditure, accounting for roughly 30% of total operating costs, according to the International Air Transport Association. Since the outbreak of war, jet fuel prices have approximately doubled, with shortages potentially looming on the horizon.
Several airlines have already begun pushing up ticket prices in response. Just last week, it emerged that Virgin Atlantic had hiked some flight prices with an additional £50 fuel surcharge on economy-class tickets, while premium economy fares are rising by £180 and business class by £360.
Air France and KLM prices are also set to increase. Passengers are likely to face an extra €50, pushing the fuel surcharge to €100 (£86.98) on top of the standard fare. Meanwhile, flights to the United States, Canada and Mexico could rise by €70 (£60.89), and an economy return trip could cost an additional €10 (£8.70).
If you have already booked your flights, there is no need to panic. You will not be asked to pay anything extra on your existing air fare retrospectively. Once payment has been made, airlines cannot chase you for further funds — unless the Government raises aviation charges, which does not appear to be on the cards.
Extra fees
Many travellers will have secured their flights months in advance, prior to the US and Israel attacking Iran and fuel prices beginning to surge. Because airlines are unable to increase fares that have already been booked, despite now turning a smaller profit on them, they have begun exploring alternative means of generating additional revenue. American Airlines has announced it will increase checked baggage fees by $10 (£7.40) each for the first and second checked bags and by $150 (£111) for the third checked bag on domestic and short-haul international flights. Southwest Airlines has confirmed it will raise checked baggage fees by $10 for the first and second bags, pushing costs up to $45 (£33) for the first bag and $55 (£40) for the second.
Since travellers frequently add additional luggage shortly before departure, these increases could affect passengers who booked flights prior to the invasion.
No major European carriers have implemented comparable changes.
Last week, International Energy Agency Director Fatih Birol said Europe has “maybe six weeks” of remaining jet fuel supplies and warned the global economy faces its “largest energy crisis.” (Image: Getty Images)
Cancelled flights
Last week, International Energy Agency Director Fatih Birol said Europe has “maybe six weeks” of remaining jet fuel supplies and warned the global economy faces its “largest energy crisis.”
Numerous major carriers have already scrapped flights due to soaring fuel prices and declining demand, with further cancellations expected.
Swedish flag carrier SAS has confirmed it will axe 1,000 flights in April owing to elevated oil and jet fuel prices, having already cancelled a “couple hundred” flights in March. United Airlines revealed that five per cent of flights will be scrapped in the second and third quarters of 2026, while Dutch carrier KLM has cancelled 160 flights for the forthcoming month. Other carriers, such as BA, have suspended entire routes to parts of the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict, while Virgin Atlantic announced earlier this month that it would be permanently axing its London flight to Riyadh from April.
Under UK law, if your flight is cancelled more than 14 days before it is due to depart, you are not entitled to compensation. However, your airline does have to offer you a full refund or help you find an alternative flight.
In the latter case, it’s up to you whether to fly as soon as possible after the cancelled flight, or at a later date that suits you. Although most airlines will book you onto another of their flights to the same destination, if an alternative airline is flying there significantly sooner or other suitable modes of transport are available, then you may have the right to be booked onto that alternative transport instead. You can discuss this with your airline.
Given that airfares may be considerably higher than when you originally booked, opting for an alternative flight rather than accepting a refund could well work out in your favour.
Extra package break costs
A largely overlooked clause buried within package holiday terms and conditions could result in the price of a package holiday rising by hundreds of pounds – even after you’ve already completed your booking and payment. An article by Which? highlighted an obscure clause contained within Package Travel Regulations. It reveals that UK holiday companies can impose a supplementary charge of up to 8% on a package holiday price, without being obliged to offer a free cancellation option, under three particular circumstances.
These circumstances include: a destination introducing additional taxes or other charges, a significant shift in currency exchange rates, or a rise in the price of fuel or power. Given the ongoing Middle East conflict, fuel costs have been climbing considerably, which means package holiday operators could potentially invoke this rule for Brits who have already booked their holidays should these expenses continue to rise.
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