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What British Airways Flight Routes are in each Avios Distance Band?

By: Author Harry Thomas

Posted on Last updated:

Sunset at London City Airport

British Airways Executive Club is the highly-regarded loyalty program of British Airways. Members earn Avios (the loyal program’s currency) through a variety of ways, including through flying on British Airways or their oneworld alliance or partner airlines. Members can then redeem these Avios on flights and other spending opportunities. Earning Avios from flights is based on flight distance, fare class, Airline and cabin class. Pricing for spending British Airways Avios on flight redemptions is based on flight distance (within each distance band), cabin class and date (off-peak vs. peak pricing).

Below, I will go through which routes British Airways flies currently, and the flight routes that fit each distance band for Avios redemptions.

Sweet Spot Avios Flight Redemption Opportunities

You can check out my other article here on why this is important, as at the furthermost cusp of these distance bands is where the sweet spot Avios flight redemptions lie, and when you can maximise your time in the air. Maybe not so much in Economy, but certainly in Club Europe, Club World or First, when you have great service, I never usually want to leave.

To make it easier to identify these sweet spot “maximise your time in the air” routes, I have bolded the routes below that are towards the maximum end of the distance band, to help you identify the longest British Airways flights within each distance band. I have only noted the one-way flight routes from British Airways’ London hubs plus their fifth freedom routes, and the return is available in the same distance bands.

If you are planning a mileage run, it is worth looking at some of the more off-the-beaten-track destinations in higher distance bands, as they can sometimes be cheaper and offer more tier points than some of the shorter routes, such as London Heathrow to Paris Charles-De-Gaulle. Additionally, it is also something to consider if you need more eligible flights to upgrade or renew your British Airways Executive Club elite status (and fly oneworld partners more often than British Airways or Iberia).

British Airways Plane parked on Airport apron with Jet Bridge attached.

British Airways Distance Bands

There are 9 distance band / distance zones used by British Airways for Avios flight redemptions on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus. Note that North America has a slightly different pricing chart (and certain other destinations) where British Airways has applied different distance band pricing (sometimes, a bargain redemption) so below is based on the Avios flight redemption pricing British Airways uses, not necessarily the distance. The 9 distance bands are:

  • Zone 1: Up to 651 Miles
  • Zone 2: 652-1,150 Miles
  • Zone 3: 1,151 Miles to 2,000 Miles
  • Zone 4: 2,001 – 3,000 Miles
  • Zone 5: 3,001 Miles to 4,000 Miles
  • Zone 6: 4,001 Miles to 5,500 Miles
  • Zone 7: 5,501 to 6,500 Miles
  • Zone 8: 6,501 to 7,000 Miles
  • Zone 9: 7,001 Miles and up

Note that Domestic North America flights have slightly different pricing for Zone 1, with Avios redemptions starting from 7,500 Avios + fees and taxes.

Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.
Flights between London Heathrow and Paris Charles-De-Gaulle are in Distance Band 1.

British Airways Distance Band/ Distance Zone 1

London Heathrow

  • LHR to MAN (London Heathrow to Manchester)
  • LHR to DUB (London Heathrow to Dublin)
  • LHR to CDG (London Heathrow to Paris Charles-De-Gaulle)
  • LHR to AMS (London Heathrow to Amsterdam)
  • LHR to ABZ (London Heathrow to Aberdeen)
  • LHR to INV (London Heathrow to Inverness)
  • LHR to EDI (London Heathrow to Edinburgh)
  • LHR to GLA (London Heathrow to Glasgow)
  • LHR to BHD (London Heathrow to Belfast)
  • LHR to JER (London Heathrow to Jersey)
  • LHR to BRU (London Heathrow to Brussels)
  • LHR to LUX (London Heathrow to Luxembourg)
  • LHR to DUS (London Heathrow to Düsseldorf)
  • LHR to NCL (London Heathrow to Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
  • LHR to TLS (London Heathrow to Toulouse)
  • LHR to MRS (London Heathrow to Marseilles)
  • LHR to NCE (London Heathrow to Nice)
  • LHR to MXP (London Heathrow to Milan Malpensa)
  • LHR to LIN (London Heathrow to Milan Linate)
  • LHR to GVA (London Heathrow to Geneva)
  • LHR to ZUR (London Heathrow to Zurich)
  • LHR to BSL (London Heathrow to Basel)
  • LHR to LYS (London Heathrow to Lyon)
  • LHR to INN (London Heathrow to Innsbruck) (seasonal)
  • LHR to MUC (London Heathrow to Munich)
  • LHR to STE (London Heathrow to Stuttgart)
  • LHR to FRA (London Heathrow to Frankfurt)
  • LHR to CGN (London Heathrow to Cologne-Bonn)
  • LHR to BER (London Heathrow to Berlin Brandenburg)
  • LHR to PRG (London Heathrow to Prague)
  • LHR to HAM (London Heathrow to Hamburg)
  • LHR to CPH (London Heathrow to Copenhagen)
  • LHR to BLL (London Heathrow to Billund)
  • LHR to GNB (London Heathrow to Grenoble) (seasonal)

London Gatwick

  • LGW to AMS (London Gatwick to Amsterdam)
  • LGW to GLA (London Gatwick to Glasgow)
  • LGW to BOD (London Gatwick to Bordeaux)
  • LGW to NCE (London Gatwick to Nice)
  • LGW to GVA (London Gatwick to Geneva) (seasonal)
  • LGW to TRN (London Gatwick to Turin) (seasonal)
  • LGW to INN (London Gatwick to Innsbruck) (seasonal)
  • LGW to SZG (London Gatwick to Salzburg)
  • LGW to GNB (London Gatwick to Grenoble) (seasonal)
  • LGW to MPL (London Gatwick to Montpellier) (seasonal)

London City

  • LCY to DUS (London City to Düsseldorf)
  • LCY to EDI (London City to Edinburgh)
  • LCY to GLA (London City to Glasgow)
  • LCY to RTM (London City to Rotterdam)
  • LCY to BHD (London City to Belfast)
  • LCY to UIP (London City to Quimper, Brittany) (seasonal) (seems to be ending in April 2024)
  • LCY to NCE (London City to Nice)
  • LCY to GVA (London City to Geneva)
  • LCY to BER (London City to Berlin)
  • LCY to PRG (London City to Prague)
  • LCY to EAS (London City to San Sebastian)
  • LCY to CMF (London City to Chambéry) (seasonal)
  • LCY to LIN (from November 5, 2023) (London City to Milan Linate)

Other

  • ANU to SKB (Antigua to St Kitts)
  • UVF to GND (St Lucia to Grenada)
View of the islands off Split, Croatia from an airplane.
Flights between London Heathrow and Split, Croatia are Distance Band 2.

British Airways Distance Band / Distance Zone 2

London Heathrow

  • LHR to BCN (London Heathrow to Barcelona)
  • LHR to MAD (London Heathrow to Madrid)
  • LHR to FCO (London Heathrow to Rome)
  • LHR to VCE (London Heathrow to Venice)
  • LHR to PMO (London Heathrow to Palermo) (seasonal)
  • LHR to NAP (London Heathrow to Naples)
  • LHR to PSA (London Heathrow to Pisa)
  • LHR to BLQ (London Heathrow to Bologna)
  • LHR to BIA (London Heathrow to Bastia) (seasonal)(seems to be ending in April 2024)
  • LHR to FSC (London Heathrow to Figari) (seasonal)
  • LHR to OLB (London Heathrow to Olbia) (seasonal)
  • LHR to VLC (London Heathrow to Valencia)
  • LHR to GIB (London Heathrow to Gibraltar)
  • LHR to AGP (London Heathrow to Malaga)
  • LHR to FAO (London Heathrow to Faro)
  • LHR to LIS (London Heathrow to Lisbon)
  • LHR to OPO (London Heathrow to Porto)
  • LHR to ALG (London Heathrow to Algiers)
  • LHR to BDS (London Heathrow to Brindisi) (seasonal)
  • LHR to SPU (London Heathrow to Split)
  • LHR to PUY (London Heathrow to Pula) (seasonal)
  • LHR to LJU (London Heathrow to Ljubljana) (seasonal)
  • LHR to ZAG (London Heathrow to Zagreb)
  • LHR to VIE (London Heathrow to Vienna)
  • LHR to BUD (London Heathrow to Budapest)
  • LHR to KRK (London Heathrow to Krakow)
  • LHR to WAW (London Heathrow to Warsaw)
  • LHR to ARN (London Heathrow to Stockholm)
  • LHR to GOT (London Heathrow to Gothenburg)
  • LHR to OSL (London Heathrow to Oslo)
  • LHR to PEG (London Heathrow to Perugia) (seasonal)
  • LHR to RIX (London Heathrow to Riga)
  • LHR to BEG (London Heathrow to Belgrade)

London Gatwick

  • LGW to BRI (London Gatwick to Bari) (seasonal)
  • LGW to VRN (London Gatwick to Verona)
  • LGW to CAG (London Gatwick to Cagliari) (seasonal)
  • LGW to PMI (London Gatwick to Palma)
  • LGW to IBZ (London Gatwick to Ibiza) (seasonal)
  • LGW to ALC (London Gatwick to Alicante)
  • LGW to AGP (London Gatwick to Malaga)
  • LGW to SVQ (London Gatwick to Seville)
  • LGW to FAO (London Gatwick to Faro)
  • LGW to MAH (London Gatwick to Minorca) (seasonal)
  • LGW to DBV (London Gatwick to Dubrovnik)

London City

  • LCY to FLR (London City to Florence)
  • LCY to PMI (London City to Palma)
  • LCY to IBZ (London City to Ibiza)
  • LCY to SPU (London City to Split) (seasonal)

Other

  • NAS to GCM (Nassau, Bahamas to Grand Cayman)

British Airways Distance Band / Distance Zone 3

London Heathrow

  • LHR to TIA (London Heathrow to Tirana)
  • LHR to KEF (London Heathrow to Reykjavik)
  • LHR to RAK (London Heathrow to Marrakesh)
  • LHR to BUD (London Heathrow to Budapest)
  • LHR to TFS (London Heathrow to Tenerife)
  • LHR to FNC (London Heathrow to Madeira)
  • LHR to PDL (London Heathrow to Ponta Delgada) (seasonal)
  • LHR to CFU (London Heathrow to Corfu)
  • LHR to PVK (London Heathrow to Preveza) (seasonal)
  • LHR to ZTH (London Heathrow to Zakynthos) (seasonal)
  • LHR to KLX (London Heathrow to Kalamata) (seasonal)
  • LHR to EFL (London Heathrow to Kefalonia) (seasonal)
  • LHR to ATH (London Heathrow to Athens)
  • LHR to JMK (London Heathrow to Mykonos) (seasonal)
  • LHR to JTR (London Heathrow to Santorini) (seasonal)
  • LHR to CHQ (London Heathrow to Chania) (seasonal)
  • LHR to BJV (London Heathrow to Bodrum) (seasonal)
  • LHR to IST (London Heathrow to Istanbul)
  • LHR to OTP (London Heathrow to Bucharest)
  • LHR to SOF (London Heathrow to Sofia)

London Gatwick

  • LGW to MLA (London Gatwick to Malta)
  • LGW to CTA (London Gatwick to Catania)
  • LGW to RAK (London Gatwick to Marrakesh)
  • LGW to ACE (London Gatwick to Lanzarote)
  • LGW to FUE (London Gatwick to Fuerteventura) (seasonal)
  • LGW to LPA (London Gatwick to Las Palmas) (seasonal)
  • LGW to TFS (London Gatwick to Tenerife)
  • LGW to CFU (London Gatwick to Corfu) (seasonal)
  • LGW to JMK (London Gatwick to Mykonos)
  • LGW to JTR (London Gatwick to Santorini)
  • LGW to HER (London Gatwick to Heraklion)
  • LGW to KGS (London Gatwick to Kos) (seasonal)
  • LGW to RHO (London Gatwick to Rhodes) (seasonal)
  • LGW to DLM (London Gatwick to Dalaman) (seasonal)
  • LGW to AYT (London Gatwick to Antalya) (seasonal)
  • LGW to PFO (London Gatwick to Paphos) (seasonal)
  • LGW to SKG (London Gatwick to Thessaloniki) (seasonal)

London City

  • LCY to JSI (London City to Skiathos)

Other

  • GIG to EZE (Rio De Janeiro to Buenos Aires)

British Airways Distance Band / Distance Zone 4

London Heathrow

  • LHR to CFU (London Heathrow to Larnaca)
  • LHR to CAI (London Heathrow to Cairo)
  • LHR to TLV (London Heathrow to Tel Aviv)
  • LHR to AMM (London Heathrow to Amman)
  • LHR to KWI (London Heathrow to Kuwait)
  • LHR to BAH (London Heathrow to Bahrain)
  • LHR to RUH (London Heathrow to Riyadh)
  • LHR to ABV (London Heathrow to Abuja)

London Gatwick

  • LGW to SSH (London Gatwick to Sharm El-Sheikh)
  • LGW to DOH (London Gatwick to Doha)
New York Skyline View from the Top of the Rock, Rockerfeller Plaza. Mid Distance Band.
Flights between London Heathrow and New York are in Distance Band 5.

British Airways Distance Band / Distance Zone 5

London Heathrow

  • LHR to DXB (London Heathrow to Dubai)
  • LHR to ACC (London Heathrow to Accra)
  • LHR to LOS (London Heathrow to Lagos)
  • LHR to NBO (London Heathrow to Nairobi)
  • LHR to JFK (London Heathrow to New York John F Kennedy)
  • LHR to EWR (London Heathrow to Newark)
  • LHR to BOS (London Heathrow to Boston Logan)
  • LHR to PHL (London Heathrow to Philadelphia)
  • LHR to IAD (London Heathrow to Washington Dulles)
  • LHR to BWI (London Heathrow to Baltimore/Washington International)
  • LHR to PIT (London Heathrow to Pittsburgh)
  • LHR to YUL (London Heathrow to Montreal)
  • LHR to YYZ (London Heathrow to Toronto)
  • LHR to CVG (London Heathrow to Cincinnati)
  • LHR to ORD (London Heathrow to Chicago)
  • LHR to ISB (London Heathrow to Islamabad)
  • LHR to AUH (London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi) (restarts 20th April, 2024)

London Gatwick

  • LGW to ACC (London Gatwick to Accra)
  • LGW to MCO (London Gatwick to Orlando)
  • LGW to TPA (London Gatwick to Tampa)
  • LGW to KIN (London Gatwick to Kingston)
  • LGW to PUJ (London Gatwick to Punta Cana)
  • LGW to UVF (London Gatwick to Saint Lucia)

Other

  • SIN to SYD (Singapore to Sydney)

British Airways Distance Band / Distance Zone 6

London Heathrow

  • LHR to MEX (London Heathrow to Mexico City)
  • LHR to PHX (London Heathrow to Phoenix)
  • LHR to LAS (London Heathrow to Las Vegas)
  • LHR to LAX (London Heathrow to Los Angeles)
  • LHR to SAN (London Heathrow to San Diego)
  • LHR to SFO (London Heathrow to San Francisco)
  • LHR to SJC (London Heathrow to San Jose, CA)
  • LHR to PDX (London Heathrow to Portland)
  • LHR to SEA (London Heathrow to Seattle)
  • LHR to YVR (London Heathrow to Vancouver)
  • LHR to AUS (London Heathrow to Austin)
  • LHR to ATL (London Heathrow to Atlanta)
  • LHR to DEN (London Heathrow to Denver)
  • LHR to IAH (London Heathrow to Houston)
  • LHR to DFW (London Heathrow to Dallas Forth Worth) 
  • LHR to MSY (London Heathrow to New Orleans)
  • LHR to MIA (London Heathrow to Miami)
  • LHR to BLR (London Heathrow to Bengaluru)
  • LHR to MAA (London Heathrow to Chennai)
  • LHR to BOM (London Heathrow to Mumbai)
  • LHR to DEL (London Heathrow to New Delhi)
  • LHR to HYD (London Heathrow to Hyderabad)
  • LHR to MLE (London Heathrow to Malé) (seasonal)
  • LHR to NAS (London Heathrow to Nassau)
  • LHR to BDA (London Heathrow to Bermuda)
  • LHR to BNA (London Heathrow to Nashville)
  • LHR to JNB (London Heathrow to Johannesburg)
  • LHR to CPT (London Heathrow to Cape Town)
  • LHR to BGI (London Heathrow to Bridgetown, Barbados)
  • LHR to PKX (London Heathrow to Beijing)

London Gatwick

  • LGW to SJO (London Gatwick to San José)
  • LGW to CUN (London Gatwick to Cancun)
  • LGW to CPT (London Gatwick to Cape Town)
  • LGW to BGI (London Gatwick to Bridgetown, Barbados)
  • LGW to POS (London Gatwick to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)
  • LGW to UVF (London Gatwick to St Lucia)
  • LGW to ANU (London Gatwick to Antigua)
  • LGW to SKB (London Gatwick to St Kitts via Antigua)

British Airways Distance Band / Distance Zone 7

London Heathrow

  • LHR to HKG (London Heathrow to Hong Kong)
  • LHR to PVG (London Heathrow to Shanghai)
  • LHR to HND (London Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda)
  • LHR to GRU (London Heathrow to Sao Paulo)
  • LHR to GIG (London Heathrow to Rio De Janeiro)

London Gatwick

  • LGW to MRU (London Gatwick to Mauritius)
  • LGW to BKK (London Gatwick to Bangkok) (starts 28 October 2024)

British Airways Distance Band / Distance Zone 8

London Heathrow

  • LHR to SIN (London Heathrow to Singapore)
  • LHR to EZE (London Heathrow to Buenos Aires)
  • LHR to SCL (London Heathrow to Santiago)
  • LHR to KUL (London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur) (starts 10 November)

British Airways Distance Band / Distance Zone 9

  • LHR to SYD (via SIN) (London Heathrow to Sydney via Singapore)
British Airways Plane at London Heathrow Terminal 5, short distane band.

Conclusion

British Airways flies to so many unique destinations and off-the-beaten-track locations, and I never realised just how many until I compiled this list. If you have a bank of Avios to use up, why not think about heading to some of the more remote locations?

I hope this list above is super helpful in finding those “sweet spot” British Airways Avios redemptions at the edge of each distance band. I will try to keep this list updated as much as possible when British Airways makes any routing changes, but if you do notice any errors or updates that I have missed, please feel free to email me at [email protected].

Use the “Book with Avios” tool on the British Airways website to confirm availability and book flights with Avios.