British Airways has confirmed two fresh additions to its Heathrow map for 2026: Tivat in Montenegro and Guernsey in the Channel Islands. According to the airline’s official announcement, seasonal Heathrow–Tivat flights start on 14 May 2026 from Terminal 3, while year-round Heathrow–Guernsey service launches on 19 April 2026 from Terminal 5.
Both go on sale with BA positioning each as the only direct options from Heathrow.
What’s launching and when
- Heathrow to Tivat: three times per week (Tue/Thu/Sat) from British Airways Terminal 3 Tivat, operating through the summer season. BA lists lead-in fares from £172 return and a BA Tivat schedule designed for weekend-friendly breaks.
- Heathrow to Guernsey: a daily service all year from Terminal 5. The schedule is timed for onward connections across Europe and North America, with entry fares from £101 return. This reinstates Heathrow links to the island and boosts BA’s short-haul tally to nearly 100 destinations.
Tivat serves the Adriatic’s dramatic coast and medieval towns; Guernsey offers a low-stress island escape with quick flight times and strong connection potential via Heathrow. Both routes include Club Europe for lounge access, enhanced catering and a larger baggage allowance, per BA’s release.
Route details at a glance (for planners and searchers)
To help you plan—and to reflect the search terms people actually use—here’s a concise reference pulled from BA’s published information and industry coverage:
- Route: Heathrow to Tivat (LHR–TIV)
Pattern: Tue/Thu/Sat (seasonal, summer)
Terminal: British Airways Terminal 3 Tivat
Start date: 14 May 2026
- Route: Heathrow to Guernsey (LHR–GCI)
Pattern: Daily (year-round)
Terminal: T5
Start date: 19 April 2026
Tivat: gateway to Montenegro’s bays and mountains
Montenegro’s coastline brings steep mountains dropping into deep-blue water, medieval towns tucked into coves and a relaxed pace in high season. Tivat sits on the UNESCO-listed Bay of Kotor, a natural amphitheatre of cliffs and calm water that Avios travellers increasingly target.
Once overshadowed by Kotor and Budva, it has stepped into the spotlight thanks to Porto Montenegro – a superyacht marina of boutiques, cafés and waterfront promenades. From here you have easy access to Kotor’s lanes, Budva’s old town and, on longer trips, Lovćen National Park.
Weekend Highlights & Avios Playbook
For a short break, start in Kotor’s Old Town, a tangle of stone lanes, churches and squares; climbing the fortress walls rewards you with sweeping views over the bay. Budva’s Old Town pairs Venetian remnants with beaches and a breezy promenade.
A boat trip across the bay adds drama – the church-islet of Our Lady of the Rocks near Perast is a postcard made real – while slow walks along Porto Montenegro’s palm-lined quays work best with a glass of Montenegrin wine at sunset.
Montenegro’s Adriatic coast peaks June to August, with hot days, cruise-ship crowds and fierce competition for seats. BA notes surging demand, with 2.6 million visitors in 2024, so expect interest to spike as summer approaches. May–June and September–October strike a better balance: warm seas and fewer people.
With only three BA flights a week from Heathrow, Avios availability is tight; Reward Flight Finder (RFF) users should set alerts as soon as schedules drop, then play with dates – mid-week or Thursday–Tuesday patterns often unlock seats. Tivat sits in BA’s Zone 2, keeping off-peak Euro Traveller returns good value in Avios.
Guernsey: quick island hops, wild coastline
Guernsey brings back an easy short-break staple from Heathrow. The island packs a surprising range of landscapes into a small footprint: rugged cliffs, sheltered beaches and a harbour town full of character. St Peter Port is the entry point, a jumble of cobbled streets, cafés and maritime history anchored by Castle Cornet, the 800-year-old fort above the harbour. Beyond town, quiet lanes lead to viewpoints and bays that feel far removed from mainland life.
Weekend Highlights & Avios Strategy
A Guernsey weekend can be as energetic or unhurried as you like. The cliff paths are the big draw – miles of trails that wind past wildflowers, steep drops and secluded coves. Even a short stretch from Fermain Bay to St Martin delivers sweeping Channel views. Beach time slots easily into any itinerary at Cobo Bay, Vazon Bay or tucked-away Petit Bot, while art lovers can follow the Renoir Walk at Moulin Huet Bay to see the scenes that inspired his paintings. Ferries from St Peter Port make island-hops to car-free Herm and Sark simple, adding an extra layer to a long weekend.
For Avios collectors, Guernsey sits in BA’s lowest distance band, so reward flights need few points and taxes are modest. British Airways is the only airline flying direct from Heathrow, with a connection-friendly daily schedule that trade coverage has already picked up as a selling point. The frequencies bring flexibility, but summer weekends will still be busy. RFF users should set alerts early and use date-range Availability Calendar to surface options, especially around school holidays and peak summer departures.
Avios: how to plan, price and book smart
If your goal is to book with Avios, these two routes slot neatly into a strategy that balances peak/off-peak calendars, travel party size and vouchers.
- Avios pricing for Tivat and Guernsey now follows BA’s dynamic reward pricing rather than a fixed standard short-haul chart. However, these short-haul routes typically fall within BA's lower mileage bands, so Avios costs tend to remain relatively modest. Use RFF tools or ba.com as your primary Avios reward seat finders to monitor availability, as seats often appear there first before becoming widely visible.
- Make quick sense of costs with our Avios Calculator page.
- Travelling as a pair? A BA Companion Voucher can stretch your Avios on these short-haul sectors—use our Companion Voucher Calculator to see off-peak/peak Avios per passenger (one-way) across Economy, Premium, Business and First.
- For cash-plus-Avios decisions, compare redemption value against BA’s starter fares noted above.
When inventory is tight, broaden your date window or fly mid-week. If you need real-time confirmation, set alerts and Search reward seat availability today via RFF.
Tips to maximise availability with RFF
- Search broadly, then narrow: Start with week-long or fortnight-long ranges across both routes. That’s the fastest path to BA reward flights you can actually book.
- Watch cabin mix: Short-haul Club Europe can release in clusters. If you’re flexible, alerts catch those bursts and help you book without overpaying in cash.
- Use instant alerts: Don’t rely on manual refreshing or generic “fare sales” posts. Our instant alerts capture seat availability for our Gold members as soon as seats appear.
How this impacts your trip planning
With Tivat, expect strong summer demand from UK travellers upgrading their coastal escapes; Montenegro’s mix of beaches and mountain scenery is catnip for photographers and weekenders alike. Guernsey’s daily connectivity from Heathrow should support spontaneous escapes and family visits without London-Gatwick airport swaps.
For both routes, our recommendation is simple:
- Price cash vs Avios flights early.
- Turn on RFF alerts to catch reward seats the moment they’re released.
- Use a BA Companion Voucher into play if you’re travelling as a pair.
- Keep an eye on late-release patterns in the weeks before departure for last-minute BA reward seat availability.
