Join a very cheap (and no taxes!) ‘Avios only’ party plane to NYC if you are a BA Amex holder!
It’s the 25th anniversary of the British Airways American Express card this year, and we have already seen a couple of small promotions.
The big one has just opened for pre-registration – a heavily discounted ‘Avios only’ flight to New York in October, with hints of a ‘party plane’, with NO taxes and charges and with an evening party in NYC included.
Book into First Class and you’ll get a BLADE helicopter transfer included for free.
Even better, whilst tickets will be discounted vs the usual Avios price, you can use American Express 2-4-1 Companion Vouchers to reduce the cost even further.
Full details and the link to pre-register are on avios.com here.
Here are the details:
- the outbound flight BA177 departs Heathrow on 15th October 2026 at 13:20 and arrives at New York (JFK) at 16:10
- the inbound flight BA180 departs New York (JFK) at 19:20 on 18th October 2026, and arrives at Heathrow at 07:20 on 19th October 2026.
- you must pre-register interest by 24th June with bookings being taken on 15th July
- you can book up to four seats (which I think is unreasonable – this will sell out quickly and letting people book four seats seems unfair, which is why we now cap HfP events at two tickets per person)
- you CANNOT use Avios in a Household Account to book – 100% of the Avios required must sit in the account of the BA Amex cardholder
- you can use British Airways American Express 2-4-1 Companion Vouchers – there is no mention, unsurprisingly, of Barclaycard Avios upgrade vouchers
- you CANNOT book a one way flight
- connecting flights must be booked separately at standard rates and will seemingly be on separate tickets – your baggage will NOT be checked through
- you cannot mix and match cabins across the outbound and return flights
- you can only cancel up to 30 days before departure
How cheap are the tickets?
Very cheap, which is why I think four tickets per person is too many.
The return cost is:
- World Traveller = 25,000 Avios with NO taxes
- World Traveller Plus = 50,000 Avios with NO taxes
- Club World = 100,000 Avios with NO taxes
- First = 160,000 Avios including a one-way BLADE helicopter transfer from JFK to Manhattan, with NO taxes
This means that someone with an Amex 2-4-1 Companion Voucher can book two First Class seats, return, for just 160,000 Avios all-in, no taxes due.
A solo traveller could book First Class for just 80,000 Avios return, and no taxes, using a 2-4-1 Companion Voucher.
What else you do you get on top of your ticket?
“More than just a flight; a thoughtfully designed journey to delight at every step”. Make of that what you will!
It does seem like it will be a ‘special’ flight, unlike usual ‘Avios only’ flights.
There will also be an evening event:
“An exclusive evening above the NY Skyline – Enjoy a private Cardmember event in Manhattan, with sweeping views across the city.”
How do you register your interest?
Go to this page of avios.com.
Only British Airways American Express Cardholders will be allowed to register.
We’ll share more details when we get them!