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New British Airways route
British Airways has announced an interesting new route to Georgia. although it did previously serve the country until 2019. I have heard amazing things about how beautiful Georgia is, so it is good news that British Airways has announced flights to the capital. It should also be a 160 tier point destination, so if you are after the tier points there is a new short/mid haul option.
British Airways will launch flights from London Heathrow to Tbilisi, Georgia next year, operating four times per week from 30 March 2025 with short haul A320neo aircraft.
Georgia is known for its rich history, vibrant culture, traditional cuisine and picturesque scenery. The country also lays claim to being the birthplace of wine, with an 8,000-year-old history of winemaking that remains a predominant part of its culture today.
Tbilisi is located on the banks of the Mtkvari River, surrounded by hills with the Caucasus Mountains to the north. The city attracts visitors looking to soak up the charm of the cobbled streets of its historic city centre, its unique blend of architecture, and diverse cuisine, which has been influenced by its history and surroundings. The canyons and caves near Kutaisi and multiple UNESCO World heritage sites are within easy reach.
Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Tbilisi back into our route network, after our last scheduled service in 2013. We expect this to be a popular route with the leisure market, which has seen a strong comeback since 2019, as well as with those looking to enjoy direct flights to visit friends and family. We look forward to improving the connectivity between our two capital cities next year.”
The timings of both the inbound and outbound flights have been optimised for those customers wishing to connect onto other services from Heathrow, particularly New York and destinations across Europe which aren’t served directly from Georgia, such as Madrid and Barcelona.
| London Heathrow (LHR) to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) All times are local Aircraft: A320neo |
|||
| Day | Flight number | Departing LHR | Arriving TBS |
| Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun | BA890 | 21:25 | 05:30 (+1) |
| Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) to London Heathrow (LHR) | |||
| Day | Flight number | Departing TBS | Arriving LHR |
| Wed | BA891 | 07:10 | 09:40 |
| Fri, Sun, Mon | BA891 | 07:30 | 10:00 |
There are some decent value economy holidays such as two nights at the 4.5* Moxy Tbilisi from £369pp on a room-only basis, travelling between May and July 2025 inclusive. Includes Euro Traveller (economy) return flights from London Heathrow and one 23kg checked bag per person. Book by 29 September 2024 at www.britishairways.com/holidays.
Return flights are available now from £275 in the economy, but in Club, they are starting from a crazy £975 for a 5-hour flight!
To book, visit www.ba.com.
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Heathrow Express £10 tickets
I’d guess Heathrow Express may be feeling the pinch from the Elizabeth line as there seem to be regular offers for it. It is quicker if you are happy getting off at Paddington and usually quieter than the tube lines with plenty of room for luggage.
7 comments
When you say 160 points, do you mean it’s 80 each way in business? 5 hours in Club Europe isn’t the most appealing thought, proper long haul would have been better, but if done on a BA holiday 320 points for £975 is not too bad
Yes. Short haul plus destinations including Malta, Canary islands and many others get 80 TP each way.
I’ve been to Georgia several times – it’s great that it’s opening up so that others can see its rich history and the vibrant country it is but these are god awful flight times!
Barring the beauty of Georgia or the amazing wines they produce, it seems odd that BA has announced this route at this time considering the tensions ongoing in Georgia with the Georgian Dream party leaning further towards Putins Russia (which is highly unpopular). There have been a number of rallies with tens of thousands of people protesting in Tblisi following the introduction of the Foreign Agents Bill; some protests ended in violence following police crackdowns and arrests.
There is also the risk of westerners being targeted by pro-kremlin government agencies.
These are uncertain times and anywhere bordering Russia may be subject to turbulent events occurring with little or no warning.
It sounds an interesting place to visit but no way im paying 975 for an overnight flight in CE. I really dont understand the thinking at BA that it is acceptable to creep CE into these mid haul destinations, as also done with CAI AMM etc. It is a shame they can’t do ssomething like the previous DME routes… remember First on a 747 for 60 quid and a companion voucher😅
Hi there, comments on FlyerTalk from people who have booked the flight are saying it is coming up on Manage My Booking as 140TPs each way (280 return).
We were immediately excited about Georgia being added. The 05:30 arrival time isn’t exactly great and definitely a case of BA prioritising West bound/ connecting pax.
Can see it being a case of booking with BAH then separately contacting the hotel selected to book the prior night, advising actual ETA and having them link the two their end so there’s a bed we can fall into for a few hours on arrival.
I mirror thoughts about regional tensions but EZY are also kicking off the route as well. Maybe they know something we don’t as I tend to agree that it’s generally considered bad business practice to send your customer base to war zone adjacent areas.
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