In this post:
Aer Lingus Announces First Transatlantic Avios-Only Flight
To celebrate 10 years of AerClub. Aer Lingus has just announced an Avios-only flight to New York. The return flight from Dublin is on sale now.
Flight times are as follows:
- EI109: Dublin to New York JFK – Friday 13th November 2026: Departs 14:00, Arrives 16:50
- EI108: New York JFK to Dublin – Tuesday 17th November 2026: Departs 22:00, Arrives 09:30 (+1 day)
Return flights in Economy are priced at 23,400 Avios and Business at 90,000 Avios, plus taxes and fees. That’s a 10% discount on the usual fares. You also have the option to pay with a mix of Avios and cash.
You can easily transfer Avios from your British Airways Club account to AerClub if you don’t have enough to book. You can also move Avios from other Avios schemes, such as Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, and Iberia Club, or from the Qatar Privilege Club or Finnair Plus via BA.
This comes shortly after BA (also part of the IAG group) announced a very special Avios-only flight to New York to celebrate 25 years of the BA AMEX cards. While the BA option has bigger discounts, no cash to pay, and a range of extras, demand is likely to be huge, but if you don’t have a BA Amex or you’d prefer to fly from Dublin or guarantee a seat now, the Aer Lingus option is ideal.
Judging by past Avios-only flights, these will sell out very quickly, so it’s best to book sooner rather than later.
Since its 2016 launch, AerClub has grown to 4 million members, and it’s certainly a loyalty programme to consider, with status often easier to earn than in other Avios-earning programmes. You can read our AerClub guide here.
Adam Daniels, CEO, IAG Loyalty, said:
“The launch of Avios-Only flights with Aer Lingus was another milestone in our journey to make travel more rewarding, and since then we’ve offered peak-time flights to destinations including Faro and Malta. So, to be taking the offering transatlantic is testament to its popularity and success amongst AerClub members, and is the perfect way to celebrate the programme’s 10th anniversary with a new way to redeem Avios.”
It’s always good to hear about Avios-only flights, especially if there’s a discount involved. It’s frustrating to find out your preferred reward flight doesn’t have seats available for redemption, especially if you’re travelling as a family or a larger group.
British Airways Finally Launches a New App
British Airways has launched its new app. But is it any good?
The old version has been outdated for a while, especially since the launch of the Avios app, which is noticeably more user-friendly. While the old app worked for the basics, it didn’t compare with the updated apps of many competitors. There were many issues and many booking changes that required a call to customer services or a redirect to the website.
The new app has been long-awaited, having been first announced in 2024. It’s part of BA’s £7 billion transformation programme, promising a great digital experience with a focus on reliability, personalisation and self-service.
Not all devices will have access to the new app yet. It’s being gradually rolled out over the summer.
First impressions are positive, and it is certainly a substantial improvement on the old app. It has:
- An improved home screen focused on your next trip with quick access to boarding passes. It’s certainly easier to find what you need!
- Access to gate changes, notifications and boarding passes from 24 hours before travel, plus a countdown to boarding.
- Improved self-service functionality makes it easier to manage your booking.
- Upcoming journeys are displayed in an easy-to-follow timeline, along with live flight information, gate changes, and travel updates.
- Booking flights has also been simplified, with fewer clicks required to search and pay.
- A huge security upgrade and multi-factor authentication
One of the big issues is that you can no longer search for reward flights within the app. Both redirect to the website. You can search on the Avios app and see availability and pricing, but you’ll be redirected to book.
BA has also said that more app features are coming soon.
Have you tried the new app? Let us know what you think in the comments below:
Virgin Red Summer Bonus on Trains and Stays This Summer
You can now earn extra points via Virgin Red on train tickets booked via Virgin Trains Ticketing and hotel stays via Booking.com until 13th July 2026.
Earn up to 6 Virgin Points per £1 spent on trains, up from 3. This makes a huge difference to the number of points you earn. A £100 ticket would earn you 600 points, up from 300 before.
The Virgin Trains app is one of the best ways to earn points/miles by booking trains, not to mention the extra points you’ll earn if paying with a Virgin credit card or similar. Other options include 1 Avios per £1 with Trainline or 2 per £1 with TrainPal, both via Avios.com.
You can also earn 10 Virgin Points per £1 spent (up from 8) at Booking.com for UK and European stays of any date to a maximum of 50,000 points per booking. This is one of the most lucrative ways to earn Virgin Points, especially if you’re planning a high-value booking or multiple stays. Spend £2,900 during the offer period; that’s enough for the 29,000 points needed for a Saver Reward Upper redemption on most US routes. A £1,050 spend would be enough for a Premium seat to New York.
If you’re a Booking.com Genius status holder, you’ll also receive the usual discounts. Just remember, you’ll need to click through to Booking.com via Virgin Red.
As usual, there are no booking fees. If you’re using points, you can still get the bonus as long as you pay at least £1 for your ticket.
1 comment
Thanks for the tipoff. Just updated the app. Seems you still can’t add your membership card to the Apple Wallet.