British Airways announces Avios-Only flights to Cape Town over the peak festive period

Andrea Thompson

ByAndrea Thompson

July 31, 2025

British Airways has announced that the latest Avios-Only destination will be Cape Town, with more than 500 seats now available for customers to spend their Avios on.

Members of The British Airways Club can travel to Cape Town over the Christmas period, from as little as 70,000 Avios and £150.

Date Flight No. Route Aircraft
20 Dec 2025 BA43 London Heathrow – Cape Town Boeing 777
02 Jan 2026 BA42 Cape Town – London Heathrow Boeing 777

Cape Town marks the release of the airline’s 7,500th Avios-Only seat since the launch in 2023. British Airways has operated 34 Avios-Only flights to 15 destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, North America, and the Caribbean. The most recent Avios-Only flights to Málaga and Marrakech were scheduled during the October half-term and were especially popular with families. Booking rates for families with children were more than four times higher than for other reward flights.

British Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, Colm Lacy, said: “We’re delighted to announce Cape Town as our latest Avios-Only flight destination, in South Africa’s peak travel season. Members will have the opportunity to book seats across all four cabins over the popular festive period offering more value and choice than ever.”

Avios-Only seats are sold as normal Reward Seats, which means that customers with British Airways American Express Credit Cards will also have the option to use their Companion Vouchers. These entitle Members to a second seat for just the taxes and charges, or one seat for half the amount of Avios.

Reward Seats are those that can be purchased using Avios at static rates. British Airways guarantees a minimum of 12 and 14 Reward Seats on standard short and long-haul flights respectively, whereas Avios-Only flights mean that every seat is available to purchase using Avios. Members booking the Avios-Only flight can do so in any cabin as they normally would through ba.com.