British Airways Increases San Diego Service to 2x Daily

British Airways is increasing service between London Heathrow (LHR) and San Diego (SAN) to twice daily, beginning April 20, 2024.

This is pretty big news, so let’s dive right in!

BA Increases Capacity to San Diego in April 2024

British Airways is expanding its presence in sunny San Diego. Come next spring, the British flag carrier will serve the city twice daily.

BA’s upcoming second daily flight to the Southern California city will operate as flights BA265 and BA264 and will employ the 272-seat Boeing 777-200 aircraft. It will arrive in San Diego at 3:25 p.m. and then depart for London at 5:15 p.m. The existing flights will continue to operate as BA273 and BA272 with the Boeing 787-8, which has 214 seats.

British Airways has served San Diego, the third-busiest airport in California, since 2011.

The service expansion between London Heathrow and San Diego “opens up a world of possibilities,” said Kimberly Becker, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority President and CEO.

“Leisure and business travelers from San Diego will have added opportunities to explore London and beyond, while giving travelers from the rest of the world increased access to San Diego’s beautiful beaches and year-round sunny climate,” said Becker.

How To Book

The new flights appear to be loaded in British Airways’ systems, so you can book now if you want to ensure availability. And, luckily, prices using points and miles are pretty reasonable considering the long distance between the 2 cities.

Award flights on British Airways start at just 30,000 Avios one-way in economy or 90,000 Avios in business for off-peak dates in April 2024. British Airways Avios are among the easiest airline currencies you can earn — the program has transfer relationships with American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Marriott Bonvoy.

If you have American Airlines AAdvantage miles, you’ll find award tickets from 30,000 miles one-way in economy and 57,500 miles in business. Note that, with either option, you’ll incur hefty fuel surcharges. American Airlines has 1 transfer partner — Marriott Bonvoy — though you can also earn AAdvantage miles by opening co-branded credit cards, spending on those cards or through shopping portals, and more.

Final Thoughts

This is exciting news for British Airways and travelers in San Diego who now have another nonstop option from London, which lands earlier in the afternoon. We’ll be on the lookout for other route expansions from British Airways in the near future!