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The New British Airways Lounge in Dubai is Now Open
British Airways has finally opened its brand-new lounge at DXB six months later than planned. First announced in March 2024, it’s part of BA’s £7bn transformation programme.
The new lounge occupies the former Qatar Airways unit in Concourse D, which has been completely redesigned. The result is a much more stylish interior, with marble, mirrors, and chandeliers. Unfortunately, as with other Concourse D lounges, there’s no natural light. The lounge is much larger and won’t feel as crowded as the old lounge. Although there could still be crowding once the flight schedule increases!You’ll find a brand new Concorde Dining Room with six booths and two lounge areas. This area is just for First Class passengers, Gold Guest List and those with a Concorde Room card.
Throughout the lounge, there’s wireless charging, sockets at nearly every seat, much better toilets and showers and improved boarding.
Initial feedback has been mixed but mainly positive, despite BA spelling Champagne ‘Champange’. So far, staff have been praised for being very attentive and going above and beyond. However, the buffet is relatively limited.
This new lounge is long overdue, and based on initial feedback, BA seems to have gone in the right direction. If you’re flying from DXB soon, it’s worth arriving early to enjoy. We will update you with some official photos once they are released.
British Airways to Fly Direct to St Louis International
BA is set to announce the launch of a direct Heathrow to St Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). The service is expected to begin in late 2025 or early 2026 and will operate four times per week.
This will be the second direct connection to Europe from STL, joining Lufthansa’s service to Frankfurt, which launched in 2022. This route has been so successful, with three flights per week, that five flights per week are scheduled for summer 2026. It’s the first direct connection to London since American Airlines discontinued the route in 2003.
Currently, if you want to fly from LHR to STL with BA, you’ll need to connect via airports such as Charlotte Douglas, Chicago O’Hare, and Dallas Fort Worth. Virgin and Delta also run flights from St Louis, but again, you’ll have to have a connection.
Visiting St Louis, you can explore the Mississippi Riverfront, explore Forest Park (which is larger than Central Park) and see sights like the Gateway Arch. It’s also a city famous for its Blues and Jazz, and you can visit the Fox Theatre, which hosts many a Broadway show. Try the local toasted ravioli, enjoy BBQ fare aplenty and visit the Anheuser-Busch brewer. Nearby the city, you can spend the day exploring Missouri Wine Country, discovering some of Route 66 or visiting the Cahokia Mounds.
The official announcement is expected to take place at some point today. We will keep you updated on developments on the start date and aircraft/times.
Once the flights are available to book, keep your eye on seat availability, as seats are expected to sell fast!
EDIT: British Airways have now released the official flight frequencies and timings — London Heathrow (LHR) – St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). All times are local.
| Flight number | Day | Departure Airport | Departure time | Arrival Airport | Arrival time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA221 | Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun | LHR | 16:25 | STL | 19:30 (-6) |
| BA220 | Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun | STL | 22:00 | LHR | 12:05 |
AMEX Offer: Spend £200+ with Hilton, Get £50 Back
American Express has just launched a new cashback deal. You will receive £50 statement credit when you spend £200+ at Hilton properties until 31st December 2025. This is one of our favourite AMEX returning offers, and it’s usually available for most card types, including some Business cards.
To check if you’re eligible, open the Amex app, head to the ‘Offers’ tab, and save the Hilton cashback offer to your card. The offer is limited to 40,000 cardmembers, so make sure you enrol now. Third-party bookings through travel agencies or other platforms will not be eligible.
The offer is limited to once per card, but supplementary cardholders can also enrol if they are targeted.
The list of participating hotels is extremely long, and you can view the full PDF here.
This is a great offer, and cumulative spend also counts. If you book a night’s stay for £205, this will be just £155 after the cashback, saving you 24%.
You can also combine this with Hilton offers, including earning 1,500 bonus points before 31st December.
If there’s a chance you might stay at a Hilton before December 31st, make sure to save the offer to your card now.
1 comment
The new BA direct flights to St Louis are long overdue and much needed. It has always been a mystery as to why St Louis has had no direct flights from the UK for several decades. TWA used to fly direct from Gatwick and the service was extremely popular. Since then, the so-called “connecting” flights with AA from Chicago to St Louis are always full, frequently cancelled and the timings out of synch with the AA/BA flights from London (despite the code-share arrangements).