NEWS & UPDATES: BA calls in, Alaska unveils London business class and 10-20% Nectar bonus

BA allows phone and video calls on board

When I heard that BA signed up for Starlink, one of my first thoughts was, I hope they don’t follow Qatar to allow voice and video calls. Air France also allows these calls, and I’m sure more airlines will follow.

You can hope that people know how to behave when this is allowed on a plane, but judging by the number of people I see on airplanes playing videos at full volume without headphones, I have no hope. I can only imagine what a Saturday morning flight to Palma will be like in the summer with a plane full of passengers who have had a few beers at 6am and are shouting into their phones “I’M ON THE PLANE”. Or on a heavy business flight on Monday morning, where everyone will be on the phone for meetings and business calls.

I personally think it is a bad idea that can lead to conflicts and conflicts when people are not considerate of others. BA’s first Starlink-equipped aircraft took off in March on a B787, and all aircraft are expected to have it in the next two years, including short-haul flights. Long-haul flights will be installed with the new wi-fi first.

Passengers will be able to make voice and video calls on platforms such as FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom and Teams, as long as they use headphones and keep their voices down. Since most people can’t do that right now with things like social media, I think BA is opening a can of worms by assuming people will follow the directions they’ve given on their website:

• When calling, keep your voice down and use headphones
• Please always use headphones when viewing or listening to content on your device.
• Please do not access anything offensive, or watch or download inappropriate content (please note that some sites are restricted).

Starlink wi-fi will be free in every BA house. It’s not limited to one device – you can connect to your phone, tablet and laptop at the same time.

What do you think about letting these calls in? Let us know in the comments below.

Nectar 10-20% bonus production

I mentioned earlier that if you were planning to convert Nectar points to Avios, you should wait, as the offer was on its way. IAG Loyalty, the Avios arm, has teamed up with Nectar to offer customers bonus Avios or Nectar points in April.

Avios conversions to Nectar

Starting today, Nectar customers will now receive a 20% bonus Avios when they convert their Nectar points, With a 20% bonus, you can exchange 400 Nectar points for 300 Avios, up from the standard conversion rate of 250 Avios.

A 20% bonus will be available to those who choose to convert vehicles – a process where Nectar points are converted directly to Avios every Monday – while customers who choose to manually transfer Nectar points to Avios will benefit from a 10% bonus Avios. With this, 400 Nectar points will translate to 275 Avios from the usual 250 Avios.

Nectar conversions to Avios

For the first time, members of The British Airways Club who choose to convert their Avios to Nectar points will also enjoy a bonus, with up to 20% more points than Nectar on conversions. Also, customers who choose to change cars from Avios to Nectar points will enjoy a 20% bonus, which means that 400 Avios changes to 480 Nectar points, from the standard rate of 400. For those who want to change their Avios to Nectar points, a 10% bonus will apply, which means 400 Avios to 400 Nectar points.

This limited time offer will be available for all conversions up to and including 30 April 2026, and is only available to UK residents. There are also some limits – for manual changes, the maximum bonus that can be received is 5,000 Nectar bonus points, and for moderate changes, the maximum bonus that can be received is 10,000 Nectar bonus points. There is no maximum bonus limit on Nectar to Avios manual or automatic conversion.

Alaska Airlines unveils its new business class seats and services in London

Alaska Airlines is expanding its service to Europe next year with flights to London from Seattle starting on 21 May 2026. This will be their first entry into the ideal long-haul area, and being part of Oneworld will provide an acceptable alternative to BA or AA on the US West Coast. The first proposal sounds very interesting, and I can’t wait to try it. Wine, cheese and charcuterie even before you start the food and ice cream bar, sign me up! Of course, you can redeem your Avios for travel to Alaska with BA’s The Club or any of the world’s single-carrier loyalty programs.

Alaska Airlines today announced the launch of its new International Business Class, a long-term experience that will begin this spring as the airline expands to Europe and Asia.

The airline’s new International Business Group on the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners will offer:

• Suites with private doors, direct access and lounge chairs that turn into real beds.
• Modern building design with 18” HD entertainment screens, over 1500 movies and TV shows, noise canceling headsets, power supplies and wireless charging.
• The high-end “restaurant” offers a wide variety of cuisine that celebrates the flavors of the West Coast and the world regions that Alaska serves.

The experience begins with a welcome service featuring a cheese and charcuterie board – an interpretation of Alaska’s Signature Fruit & Cheese Platter – paired with an expanded wine selection from the West Coast and European regions, such as Stag’s Leap, including Roederer Champagne, handcrafted cocktails, West Coast craft beer, coffee beer water and Stumplytown.

The meal continues with an appetizer followed by six entrée choices made for each course. Options may include fried chicken with pasta carbonara on flights to Rome and Gochujang chicken with traditional banchan on the route to Incheon. You can also choose Alaska’s Chef’s (Tray) Table entrée, created in collaboration with Seattle chef Brady Ishiwata Williams, who has his own short ribs from Klingemann Farms.

Meals can be pre-ordered through Alaska’s pre-order feature on the flight app.
Then there will be a new Alaskan dessert cart, featuring a choice of Salt & Straw sundaes and other desserts.

Before arrival, guests will be served a second light meal and drink, inspired by the destination, just like a traditional English breakfast on flights to London.

Luxury bedding and travel amenities will include luxury bedding designed in collaboration with Filson. International Business Class amenities include a plush mattress, soft sleeper pillow, lumbar/lounging pillow and king-size duvet – plus a two-tone West Coast-inspired Filson collapsible travel bag, exclusively for Alaska Airlines. Each kit includes original Rock Salt products and other travel essentials. Guests will also receive a reusable water bottle made in partnership with PATH Water.

Access to the lounge will be included in Alaska’s network of lounges and partner rooms worldwide.

Starlink is also scheduled to be installed on Alaska’s 787-9 Dreamliners this fall. Starlink is already available on select flights across Alaska’s fleet, providing gate-to-gate connectivity. Starting in May, if you fly on any Starlink-approved Alaska flight, you’ll need to sign in using your Atmos™ Rewards number to enjoy Starlink for free.