The British Airways Sale is advertised as a “Holiday Sale” but they are also discounting flight only bookings so business travellers can also take advantage of savings to all major destinations.
Many offers are available for travel through to March 2012 and to book, use our official British Airways Search form where we have some additional booking tips.
Here are the most notable changes affecting business travellers:
London – Paris:
First train will depart at 0540 instead of 0525, Monday-Friday
Two morning trains are now non-stop services: 0701 and 0831
0730 departure is now only on a Monday
Paris – London
An additional peak afternoon train departs 1743 Tuesday to Friday
London – Brussels
Timetable changes to enhance connections to Amsterdam
All trains will now stop in Lille
Eurostar Booking Tips
There are a few simple tips to finding availability and the best prices in my article here
I’ve enjoyed several free flights this summer courtesy of the most generous airline and credit card reward scheme:
Sign up to BMI Diamond Club and apply for a BMI American Express Card
Spend as little as £250 within 3 months on the card and you’ll receive up to 24,000 bonus miles, enough for two return tickets within Europe.
Currently, BMI has a half price sale:
Heathrow to Moscow / Agadir / Casablanca / Nice Economy Class: 4,000 miles
Heathrow to Beirut, Damascus, Baku: 15,000 miles
Book by midnight Friday 2nd September
If you have a BMI Diamond Club Account, you can maximise your rewards by taking advantage of the BMI Half Price Sale.
This offer is valid for travel between 1st September 2011 and 31 March 2012
You can check availability online, or ask your travel agent to check for X class (economy) or I class (business class)
You can only book by phone however, on 0844 8480 808
If you’re not a member of this scheme, see my article here:
BA expects unprecedented demand for flights from around the world during the peak dates 16 July – 29 August 2012
We recommend that you make bookings for this period as far in advance as possible, although the airline has tightened its ticketing policy;
All bookings made in advance (more than 90 days) must be paid for and ticketed within 28days of the booking, or 90 days before departure (whichever is earlier)
One advantage of booking through a travel agent is the ability of agents to “hold” seats pending your decision to confirm, pay, and have tickets issued. (Bookings on ba.com need to be paid for and ticketed immediately)
However, as a general rule, British Airways now cancel all travel agent bookings held, after 28 days from booking date unless tickets are issued.
The agent will have to create a new booking should you wish to continue holding seats.
A brilliant enhancement to Air France booking site is the option to book a flight with a deposit of as little as £10 and to confirm the booking by paying the balance up to one week later.
Short Haul fares are usually cheaper direct:
AirFrance.com to Amsterdam quoted £97.91 return compared to Expedia £102.41.
Expedia offer 200 nectar points but these are only worth £1
For long-haul bookings, online agents like Expedia may be cheaper.
Always check our flight search tool first, then make your choice.
For most business bookings you’ll need flexibility – to hold a room quickly and to cancel without charge.
Always use our Hotel Search to compare the rates and availability and then, unless substantial savings are available elsewhere, we recommend choosing the following two companies:
Booking.com
HRS.com
The Wizz booking site is the worst I’ve experienced when it comes to providing total costs, booking fees etc.
You need to complete the booking before receiving the total quote.
I suggest that you check what the charges will be here first
The total costs (Wizz charges are per person per flight) for two people on a return flight are:
Booking Fee – Credit Card £20
Baggage per return flight £52
Check-in fee online per flight £16
Total extra cost £88 or £44 per person. You need to add that figure to fares quoted on our flight comparison site
Wizz allow changes, which many airlines do not, at a fee of £26 per flight per passenger, or you can book a flexible fare for £18
And uniquely, Wizz allow change of passenger names after booking, at a fee of £34
Remember to always book direct with Wizz rather than through an online travel agent as you’ll only pay more ….
British Airways Executive Club members have until midnight Friday 12th August to redeem miles against travel bookings using HALF the usual miles required.
Even if you don’t have many miles on your account, you’ll be surprised at the discounts that may still be available.
Login to the British Airways Executive Club here
Remember, you can boost your BA MILES account significantly by using a BA AMEX card for your travel bookings.
This article is in response to difficulties experienced by friends who travel to Sierra Leone.
Direct flights with BMI cost from £887 return.
We suggest you contact Kevin McPhillips Travel to obtain discounted fares. This long established company specialises in flights and shipping to Sierra Leone.
Visit their website here or telephone 08455 822 922
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