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British Airways announces major Heathrow lounge transformation

Flights / 5 October 2026 / Matt Bunnell

British Airways has announced a major overhaul of its Heathrow lounge network, including a completely new lounge at Terminal 5C, a redesigned Arrivals lounge and a new First check-in area at Terminal 3.

And this isn’t just a handful of individual refurbishments, BA says the programme will eventually see every one of its Heathrow lounges redesigned.

Some of the improvements will arrive within months, while passengers will have to wait until the end of 2028 for the biggest project. Disappointingly however, no timeline has yet been given for the refurbishment of the existing departure lounges in the main Terminal 5A building.

The announcement comes alongside the unveiling of BA’s completely refurbished Airbus A380, featuring new cabins in First, Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller.

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British Airways unveils its refurbished A380 with all-new cabins

Flights / 5 October 2026 / Matt Bunnell

British Airways has unveiled full details of its refurbished Airbus A380 – the largest aircraft in the fleet – with new cabins in First, Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller.

But this is more than a cabin refurbishment. The new layout provides a fascinating insight into BA’s strategy of going big on premium travel, with substantially more Business Class and Premium Economy seats at the expense of Economy.

The entire upper deck will become Club World, giving the aircraft a huge 106 Club Suites, while World Traveller Plus increases from 55 to 84 seats. Overall, almost half of the refurbished A380’s 417 seats will be in First, Club World or World Traveller Plus.

The first refurbished aircraft is due to enter service in the coming months, with all 12 of BA’s A380s eventually receiving the new interiors.

And the announcement goes beyond the A380. A number of the new onboard service improvements will be rolled out across BA’s wider long-haul fleet, while the new A380 cabins could also give us an indication of what the next generation of British Airways’ long-haul aircraft will look like.

It is a proper nose-to-tail refurbishment rather than simply replacing BA’s old Club World business-class seat. Each aircraft requires more than 35,000 individual parts, with even the galleys and staircases being redesigned.

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Business Class Light Fares: Are the Extras Worth Paying For?

Flights, Travel Insights / 4 October 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Business Class used to be relatively simple. Pay the premium fare and you could expect lounge access, seat selection, generous luggage allowances, flexibility and plenty of frequent-flyer miles alongside the better seat and onboard service.

That is no longer always the case.

A growing number of airlines now sell cheaper, unbundled Business Class fares – often called Business Light – which give you the same seat, food and onboard experience but remove some of the benefits traditionally associated with flying Business Class.

I recently faced exactly this decision when booking Etihad Business Class from Heathrow to Phuket. The cheapest Value fare gave me the same Business Class seat and onboard experience, but paying an additional £153 each way for Comfort would add benefits including lounge access, seat selection, extra luggage, greater flexibility, more miles, Wi-Fi and Etihad Chauffeur.
At first I dismissed the upgrade. But was I actually saving £153, or would buying the missing benefits separately end up costing me more?

I went back through each benefit, put a value on what I would actually use and worked out whether I had made the right decision.

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Miles+Points: Double-Dip with Air France KLM and Accor Hotels

Flights, Points & Miles / 24 September 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Flying Blue – the frequent flyer programme of Air France KLM – and Accor Live Limitless (ALL) – the loyalty programme for Accor Hotels – have an interesting reciprocal offer that rewards travellers using both schemes.

Miles+Points awards additional Flying Blue miles when staying at an Accor hotel and also awards extra ALL Reward points for flying on Air France KLM.

This is in addition to the normal miles/points & status benefits earned as part of your stay.

So how does this work and is it worth joining?

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British Airways Household Account: How to Pool Avios

Flights, Points & Miles / 21 September 2026 / Matt Bunnell

A British Airways Club Household Account enables up to seven people to pool their miles for the purposes of booking reward flights. In addition, being part of a household account is the only way that under 18s can earn Avios on their flights.

As a result, being part of a Household Account enables members of the group to book flights that they otherwise would not individually have enough points for and also means that collectors can also get additional value from the Avios collected by other family members who are under 18 or are infrequent travellers.

However, there are a few restrictions to be aware of, especially if you regularly use your Avios to book flights for many different people. Our guide explains how British Airways Club Household Accounts work, the key benefits and the things to be aware of.

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Best F1 Races to Visit in 2027: A Travel Guide for UK Fans

Flights, Tips & Hacks / 16 September 2026 / Matt Bunnell

The 2027 Formula 1 calendar has been announced, with 24 races across 22 countries – including the return of Portugal and Türkiye. The number of rounds with sprint races has also been increased to 10 races.

For British and Irish F1 fans thinking about attending a race next year, Silverstone is the obvious choice. But should it be?

With the British Grand Prix among the more expensive races on the calendar, relatively cheap flights to much of Europe and several circuits easily accessible from major cities, travelling overseas to watch Formula 1 can sometimes offer a better trip – and potentially better value – than staying at home.

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Can You Build Your Own Business Class for Less?

Flights, Tips & Hacks / 14 September 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Short-haul Business Class can make flying considerably more enjoyable. Fast-track security, lounge access, extra luggage, priority boarding, more space and complimentary food and drink all improve the journey – but they come at a price.

So we wondered: could we recreate the Business Class experience ourselves for less?

We found a British Airways Club Europe flight from London Gatwick to Malaga for £220 and compared it with Economy fares on seven alternatives: BA itself, easyJet, Ryanair, Vueling, Wizz Air, TUI and Jet2.

We then added the extras required to create our own version of Business Class: checked and cabin luggage, fast-track security, lounge access, priority boarding where available, an extra-legroom seat, a hot meal, some fizz and a gin & tonic.

The results surprised us. Vueling managed to beat BA Business Class by £33 and Wizz Air by £28 – but Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI actually ended up costing more than the real thing.

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Flying Blue Family: How to Pool & Transfer Miles

Flights, Points & Miles / 9 September 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Flying Blue, the frequent flyer programme of Air France and KLM, allows families to combine their miles, potentially turning several small mileage balances into enough miles to book a reward flight.

A Flying Blue Family account can contain up to eight people – a maximum of two adults and six children. Everyone continues earning miles in their own Flying Blue account, but the designated Family Leader can transfer miles from the other members into their account, free of charge.

This can be particularly useful when some family members fly infrequently, miles are approaching expiry or you’re just short of the miles needed for a reward flight.

However, there are some important restrictions. Transfers are one-way, the Family Leader cannot be changed and, once transferred, the miles effectively belong to the leader. In this guide, we’ll explain how Flying Blue Family works, when it’s useful and the potential pitfalls to consider.

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How to Earn Extra Avios and Tier Points with British Airways Holidays

Flights, Points & Miles / 2 September 2026 / Matt Bunnell

Booking a trip with British Airways Holidays can offer several advantages over booking your flight, hotel or car hire separately – including additional Avios, extra Tier Points, potentially cheaper fares and the ability to secure your trip with a relatively small deposit.

In some cases, a British Airways Holiday can even cost little more than the flight on its own, making the additional benefits particularly attractive.

However, there are some important rules to understand – particularly around what actually qualifies as a BA Holiday and how the additional Avios and Tier Points are calculated.

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How to Book Virgin Atlantic Flights with Flying Blue Miles

Flights, Points & Miles / 29 August 2026 / Matt Bunnell

For UK residents, one of the more attractive uses of Flying Blue miles is to redeem them for flights on fellow Skyteam member Virgin Atlantic.

This enables members to take direct long-haul flights from the UK, avoiding connecting in Amsterdam or Paris. As well as from Heathrow, Virgin also operates services out of Manchester and Edinburgh, making it even more attractive for those who live in Northern England and Scotland.

We analysed the scheme to see if using redeeming for Virgin Atlantic is a good use of your Flying Blue miles.

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