NEWS & OFFERS: Ex UK Oneworld Dubai from £1370 (440 TP), Eurostar Flash sale from £35 and New Iberia business class experience

Ex UK Oneworld Dubai business class from £1370 (440 TP)

There are currently some great deals to Dubai in business class from the UK. If this one does not suit your dates or you prefer Star Alliance, there is an even better business class deal with Lufthansa and Swiss starting from £1130 return from the UK. That deal is available from now until October and then from January, with November and December being around £1400.

The deal is with Finnair, so it means flying via Helsinki, which is obviously somewhat out of the way from London. The deal does not appear to be available from other UK airports. You will get 440 TPs instead of the usual 280 tier points if you were to fly direct with BA. That’s because London – Helsinki gets 160 TP return. 

One thing to be aware of is that this is a “Lite” fare which means that unless you have Oneworld status you don’t get any checked luggage, lounge access or priority boarding or check-in. Oneworld status overrides this.

There is also an overnight layover on some fares although there are a couple of hotels right by the airport including a Hilton. 

Finnair has a great new business class that is very wide and offers good privacy. It also has the latest technology, such as wireless phone charging. Finnair flies its modern A350s from Helsinki to Dubai. If you are willing to take a longer stopover, you could also travel on the A350 from/to London.

You can read our reviews of Finnair here.

You can check the cheapest online travel agents here or search on Finnair.

Eurostar flash sale

Eurostar has a flash sale, which you must book before 23 May. Seats start at £35 one way to Paris, Brussels or Lille for tickets booked for travel between 4 June and 18 July 2024. I can even see some weekends with £35 tickets at the start of July. 

If you are an Uber user you could book through Uber and get 10% back in Uber Credits, plus you can collect Avios too. 

You can find the sale page here. 

Iberia new A321XLR business class on US East Coast routes

Iberia has revealed details of its new A321XLR aircraft that it plans to use on US East coast routes. Having flown on one of the older versions of these single-aisle aircraft to the US with another airline, it does have a much more intimate feeling than a larger jet which I prefer. Given that you can use BA Amex companion vouchers on Iberia, this may be an aircraft to target for a future trip!

Iberia will launch the new Airbus aircraft this summer when it receives the first A321XLR. Seven more aircraft will be delivered later. When the first aircraft arrives, it will operate medium-range routes for the first few days/weeks. 

This model will have 182 seats arranged in a Business and Economy cabin configuration and will include improvements such as larger overhead compartments, which can store up to 60 % more carry-on suitcases, six different cabin lighting styles, and an innovative panel at the plane’s entrance, among others.

In its Business cabin, the A321XLR will have 14 individual window seats with direct access to the aisle. The seats will also a ‘full flat’ seat that converts into a bed, a wide leather headrest, compartments for personal items, and privacy.

All Business seats have an 18-inch individual 4K screen, offering sharper images and better tones in dark mode. For improved comfort, each seat will have its own lighting system, which can be adjusted independently to the desired environment, while each seat will have its number backlit during night mode, so that it can be more easily found.

All cabins in the new A321XLR will offer passengers the choice to use their own headphones and connect them via Bluetooth and type A and C USB charging ports.

The aircraft will also operate long-haul flights more sustainably, as it uses around 30 % less fuel than wide-body models.

The first destinations are expected to be Boston and Washington, with the additional aircraft potentially adding new US routes as well as bolstering existing services.