As we edge closer to the new year, Brits are already planning their 2025 holidays. However, there are some airline changes that travellers need to be aware of to avoid any unexpected surprises at the airport.
Whether it’s a sudden fee for not adhering to a new luggage rule or missing out on valuable flight points due to choosing a specific airline, these changes can catch you off guard. While airlines do their best to communicate any alterations to their booking, boarding, seating, luggage and other processes, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up.
So here are the changes to airlines that holidaymakers need to know about in 2025: British Airways In 2025, your British Airways Tier status will reset at the same time as everyone else’s. This means that travellers will have the same Tier Point Collection Year as their friends and family who are also members of the Executive Club.
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From now on, the Tier Point collection period will start on 1 April and end on 31 March every year. This change will apply to all British Airways Executive Club Members, starting from 1 April 2025.
Wizz Air, alongside aircraft manufacturer Airbus, is preparing to kick off a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) trial in response to upcoming EU mandates. The airline, recently honed by the CAPA Centre for Aviation as the environmentally sustainable airline group of the year, is teaming up with Airbus for this groundbreaking SAF trial, set to take place before the EU’s RefuelEU aviation regulations come into force in 2025.
These regulations, arising from the EU’s Fit for 55 programme, stipulate that aviation fuel providers must mix a minimum amount of SAF into their fuel at certain EU airports, and will also require airlines operating within the EU to ensure that 90 per cent of their fuel used is drawn from those airports. A significant part of the trial will be conducted on two prominent routes—Barcelona to Budapest and Brussels Charleroi to Budapest.
Yvonne Moynihan, Wizz Air’s corporate and ESG officer, endorsed the initiative, commenting: “This cross-industry collaboration with Airbus is a demonstration of the commitment of the aviation community to reduce emissions intensity. It’s crucial for all actors in the aviation ecosystem to play their part and join forces to reach the industry goal of net zero by 2050. SAF is a key enabler and that is why Wizz Air supports this pioneering EU policy and has made significant strategic investments into SAF as a result.”
Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of low-cost airline Ryanair, has unveiled ambitions to make the carrier completely paperless by May 2025. In a forward-thinking move, he announced: “We are working towards May 1 that everything will be done on the app, nothing will be done on paper anymore.”
He said during a press briefing, adding, “I’m one of the last remaining people still showing up with my piece of paper,” in reference to traditional boarding passes.
“But it works so well. [The app] tells you your gate and if there is a delay.”
He also mentioned the current penalties for passengers who forget about online check-in, stating, “At present, passengers are charged £55 if they forget to check in online before getting to the airport.”
However, in envisioning a more streamlined process, he suggested, “The airport check-in fee will be gone. So I think it will be a smoother, easier journey for everybody,” Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic has also expressed environmental goals: “[W]e are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and leading the industry by example with our goal of having 10 per cent of our flights powered by SAF by 2030.”
Virgin Atlantic has announced a carbon surcharge on all flights from the UK starting 1 January 2025. Travellers booking tickets from the UK will be charged an additional £8 in economy, £12 in Premium and £24 in Upper class, which is less than one per cent of the average fare.
This new surcharge is due to increasing regulatory and compliance costs. In addition, Virgin Atlantic has also recently revealed its new Clubhouse at LAX Airport in Los Angeles, America, set to open in early 2025.
The lounge will boast a bar, personal table service, local flavours, cocktails, relaxation spaces, The Royal Box – an exclusive area for VIPs (Virgin Important people) – and The Wiggle Room – a private space for pre-flight workouts or guided meditation.
In other airline news, Delta Air Lines has announced that it will implement new Sky Club access restrictions on February 1, 2025. These changes will limit the number of annual visits for many cardholders.
Delta Sky Club membership offers travellers a place to relax before their flight with complimentary cocktails, fresh and healthy food options, free high-speed Wi-Fi and more, across 50 locations. The change will affect Reserve Card Members, who will only be able to have 15 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club.
To earn an unlimited number of visits each year starting on February 1, the total eligible purchases on the cardholder’s account must equal $75,000 (£59,540.63) or more between January 1 and December 31, 2024, and each calendar year thereafter.
Once all 15 visits have been used, Eligible Card Members will be able to purchase additional Delta Sky Club Visits (including Grab and Go) at a per-visit rate of $50 (£39.69) per person using their card. In addition, a new modern design will be coming to the widebody Airbus A350 early in the new year.
The design will feature new seating materials, enhanced lighting, a different colour palette and new decorative motifs and signature branding, according to Delta. .
American Airlines has responded to passenger frustration over being unable to use their miles for upgrades. The airline will treat miles like cash in 2025, allowing customers to purchase upgrades with miles as they would money.
The airline intends to introduce the new system in early 2025.
JetBlue has a big year ahead, as it will open its first-ever airport lounges in 2025, located at its main hubs in New York and Boston, USA. The first ‘exclusive’ lounge will be at JFK International Airport in New York, in late 2025, and will be 8,000-square-feet.
A second 11,000-square-foot lounge, at Boston Logan International Airport, will follow. .
The lounges will be open to JetBlue credit card holders, Mint class customers on transatlantic flights as well as some other top-class, frequent fliers. Eligible customers will be able to purchase day passes, depending on space availability.
All customers, will also have the opportunity to buy an annual pass – however, pricing for this is not yet clear.
The lounges will feature cocktail and espresso bars, complimentary food and beverages, workspaces with charging stations, and top-tier loyalty customers will have the privilege of bringing one guest into the lounge at no extra cost.