Last Updated: 20 Feb 2024
British Airways has announced exciting plans to launch 11 new routes from Southampton Airport (SOU) in 2021. Operated by its CityFlyer subsidiary, BA will operate up to 17 flights, every weekend, between 1st May and 31st October 2021, to destinations across Europe.
British regional airports, like Southampton, have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the new BA flights will effectively replace services from Southampton that were previously operated by Flybe, before its collapse. Flybe had been struggling for a while, but the post-Covid fall in passenger numbers saw it enter liquidation in March 2020. This left Loganair, a small British regional airline, as the largest remaining passenger operator from Southampton.
Yet the BA announcement could now make Southampton a more appealing proposition, once the post-Covid travel recovery starts. It will boast an attractive roster of weekend routes and its size and accessibility offer passengers a faster transition, from ground to gate, than larger airports like Heathrow and Gatwick. Passengers, from the south of England, will now also be able to earn and burn Avios points, without having to fly through one of the large London airports.
Prices for the new BA CityFlyer flights will start at £66 and tickets are on sale now. Frequent fliers can earn Avios points on both flights and a new range of BA Holiday packages on sale, offering departures from Southampton.
The “summer weekends only” timetable sadly means that reward seat availability will be limited, though fast movers may be able to grab an Avios deal.
Destinations from Southampton Airport
The full list of new routes, announced in the BA press release is:
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Berlin Brandenburg (BER)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Edinburgh (EDI)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Bergerac (EGC)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Faro (FAO)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Florence Peretola (FLR)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Ibiza (IBZ)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Limoges (LIG)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Malaga (AGP)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Mykonos (JMK)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Nice (NCE)
- Southampton (SOU) ⇒ Palma Mallorca (PMI)
These new routes provide further evidence that BA is finding new ways to better utilise its existing fleet. They will be operated by BA CityFlyer’s existing fleet of Embraer 190 regional jets. These aircraft normally fly from London City Airport, which is limited to Monday-Friday operations, so they would otherwise be sitting idle over the summer weekends. However, to facilitate these new flights, BA has cancelled some scheduled summer services from Manchester and London Stansted airports.
How To Get to Southampton Airport
Southampton is a convenient airport, for travellers from the South of England, since it is easily accessible via the M3 and M27 motorways. It is also served by South Western Railway services, connecting the airport to London Waterloo, Reading, Guildford, Winchester, Bournemouth and Portsmouth, as well as Southampton city centre and the nearby cruise-ship terminals.
Trains from London take 69 minutes to reach the airport. Southampton Airport Parkway station is famously only 99 steps away from the main airport terminal and has accessible lifts for those travelling with children, or wheelchairs or for passengers with limited mobility.
Southampton Airport Facilities
Southampton is a much smaller airport than London Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted, which also makes it easier for passengers to connect to their flights. The airport has both long and short-stay car-parking facilities as well as valet parking. Inside the terminal, there is a WHSmith electronics kiosk, WHSmith newsagents, a Costa Coffee outlet, two restaurant bars and a duty-free shop.
The Spitfire Lounge is the only private lounge facility at Southampton Airport. It is not currently affiliated with any airline alliance and offers pay-per-visit access. Admission is offered for members of several lounge-pass schemes, including Priority Pass and Lounge Key. It’s worth remembering that the lounge closes at 8.30 pm, except on Saturdays when it closes earlier at 3 pm. The lounge may also be closed if coronavirus restrictions are in force at the time of your visit.