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Eastern stops all flights – what to do if you are affected
The CAA has confirmed that Eastern Airways, which operated regional services from airports across the UK, has suspended operations due to financial difficulties.
All Eastern Airways operated flights are now cancelled, so don’t bother going to the airport. You will need to make your own alternative travel arrangements via other airlines, rail, or coach operators.
Selina Chadha, Consumer & Markets Director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:
“We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Eastern Airways flights are cancelled. Eastern Airways customers should visit the Civil Aviation Authority’s website for the latest information.”
Free train travel for Eastern Airways Customers
London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), ScotRail, TransPennine Express (TPE), GWR and Northern will offer free Standard Class travel to Eastern Airways staff and customers on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 October, on suitable routes operated by each train company. You will need to present either an Eastern Airways employee ID, boarding pass, or flight confirmation to station staff.
Booked a flight with a credit or debit card?
If you booked directly with Eastern Airways and paid by credit card, you may be protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and should contact your card issuer for further information. American Express has its own version of this. Similarly, if you paid by debit or charge card, you should contact your card issuer for advice, as you may be able to make a claim under their chargeback rules.
If you purchased travel insurance that includes cover for scheduled airline failure, known as SAFI, you should contact your insurer. If you did not book directly with Eastern Airways and purchased your tickets through a third party, you should contact your booking or travel agent firstly.
You may be asked for something called a negative response letter by the insurers or credit card company. The CAA are due to publish this on their website shortly.
New way to earn airline and hotel points including Avios
An Australian loyalty website called Passport Rewards offers a number of worldwide brands you can shop with online and earn points, which can be redeemed for rewards across various loyalty schemes. If you are familiar with the Avios store or BA e shopping as it was, then this is similar. They are now offering a UK website with points per £1 spent.
Here are all the partners you can transfer points into:
- Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club – 1,000 Fortune Wings Club Points = 1,000 Passport Points
- Aeromexico Rewards – 1,000 Aeromexico Reward Points = 1,000 Passport Points
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles – 1,000 Miles&Smiles Miles = 1,500 Passport Points
- Patch – 200 Carbon (kg) = 1,000 Passport Points
- ALL – Accor Live Limitless – 1,000 ALL Reward points = 1,500 Passport Points
- AirAsia rewards – 1,000 AirAsia points = 1,000 Passport Points
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club – 1,000 Avios = 1,500 Passport Points
- Etihad Guest – 1,000 Etihad Guest Miles = 1,000 Passport Points
It’s free to sign up, and when you first register, you get 500 points free. There’s also a feature that lets you pay to boost points by up to 12x (only for paid membership; the free one is 4x), which is, in effect, a cheaper way to buy them. BA and Qatar already allow you to do this, but it could be worth comparing rates if you do join. BA only allows 3x, but Qatar is up to a 6x boost.
There is also a Chrome extension that will remind you to earn points when on a participating website.
A lot of the points offered are less than via Avios.com, so I would keep that as my first port of call, but Passport Rewards does have quite a few extra options, such as Virgin Holidays and Bangkok Airways.
The advantage of the site is the fact that you can transfer into multiple partners rather than just Avios, which could be handy if there was a sudden devaluation.
You can find more details here.
Virgin Atlantic credit cards now offer referral bonuses
It has long been a useful way to get extra Avios and Membership Rewards with Amex by referring your friends and family for a card with some quite lucrative bonuses. Now, finally, Virgin is offering the same with both of their Mastercards.
Here are the bonuses:
- Cardholder: 5,000 Virgin points bonus
- Applicant: 7,000 Virgin points bonus for the Reward+ paid card or 4,000 points for the free card. This is in addition to any sign-up bonus.
First, you will need to find your referral code, which is in the app. Click into your card account and then on the Rewards Lounge area. You will then find all the details you need, including your code.
Then your friend needs to apply for either the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card or the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card, which costs £160 per year. Once approved, they have 60 days to enter your referral code in the Virgin Money Credit Card app. It’s a shame it is not as simple as American Express and relies on your friend remembering to do something, which is not ideal. However, as they also get an extra bonus, they may be more willing to do it!
Your friend also needs to spend a minimum of £3,000 within 90 days of account opening.
You can earn up to 50,000 per year in referrals.
