British Airways' winter schedule is now running, and the European side of it got a lot busier. In its October 26 announcement, BA added a new seasonal route to Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland, December flights timed for Germany's Christmas markets, and more capacity to Cairo, Rome and Florence.
We already covered the long-haul half of the season, including Baltimore, Barbados and the new Gatwick–Colombo route, in our earlier look at BA's winter schedule. This story is about the short-haul changes, which matter if you are planning a ski trip, a holiday break or a few nights under the Northern Lights.
A new route to Lapland
The headline addition is London Gatwick to Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland and the home of the Santa Claus Village tourist site. BA says the flights will run twice a week from December 4 to January 4. They are operated by BA Euroflyer, the Gatwick-based subsidiary that flies most of BA's short-haul routes from that airport.
Rovaniemi joins two other Arctic options in the BA network. The existing Gatwick–Ivalo service keeps flying, and Heathrow–Tromsø in Norway is now daily. For travelers chasing the Northern Lights, that means three Arctic airports on one airline this winter, from both of London's big airports.
The season is short. With only about a month of flights at two a week, seats on the Rovaniemi route are likely to be limited, so book early if you want a Christmas week date.
Christmas market flights
BA is adding service in December to three cities known for their markets:
- Cologne: up to five flights a week from Heathrow through December.
- Nuremberg: four flights a week through December. BA did not say which London airport these flights use.
- Innsbruck: 16 flights a week from Gatwick and two a week from London City. The Austrian city doubles as a ski gateway.
These are short trips, so most travelers will fly economy. If you have BA Silver or Gold status, or oneworld Sapphire or Emerald, the lounge before you leave London is likely to be the best part of the journey.
Ski season and the sun
Geneva stays one of BA's busiest winter routes. The airline says it will run up to 110 flights a week at the peak of ski season, from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City. In Geneva itself, our directory lists the Crystal Lounge by Aspire, which takes Priority Pass, along with several SWISS lounges for Star Alliance travelers.
For warmer weather, BA listed several smaller changes:
- Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands moves from Gatwick to Heathrow. It runs twice a week from mid-December to April.
- Palermo in Sicily becomes a year-round route.
- Thessaloniki in northern Greece gets a longer season that now reaches into November and March.
- Cairo gets seven more flights a week, which brings it to three a day.
- Rome, Florence, Gothenburg and Jersey all get extra flights, though BA did not give the new counts.
The Fuerteventura move is a quiet upgrade for anyone with status. Heathrow Terminal 5 has more BA lounges, and more showers, than Gatwick.
Where to wait in London
Most BA flights at Heathrow use Terminal 5. Club Europe passengers and eligible status holders can use the Galleries Club South, which has 10 showers and rates 4.6 with our readers, or the Galleries Club North, rated 4.7. Gold members and oneworld Emerald members can use Galleries First.
At Gatwick, BA's Club Lounge (South) is one of the highest-rated BA lounges on Lounge Frog, at 4.9 out of 5. That is the lounge for the Rovaniemi, Ivalo and Innsbruck flights if you have access. Our directory has no lounges listed at London City.
See every lounge at London Heathrow and London Gatwick, or check BA's full network and lounges on our British Airways page.
What BA did not say
The release gives no fares for the European routes and no flight times for Rovaniemi. It also does not say which aircraft will fly the new Arctic route. BA's schedule can still change with airport slots, so check the booking page before you plan a trip around one of these flights.
BA's Neil Chernoff, its chief planning and strategy officer, said the airline is "delighted to be expanding the options available" to customers this season.
