HarryHolden68

With just a few weeks to go, has there been any news of who the new partner will be? The original article suggested that BA walked away and would have been "foolish to" without something else up its sleeve.
Mrs Harry is so looking forward to not having to shop there.

Raffles

Avios won't tell me, but I am reassured that there is a deal in place. It won't be disclosed until after 18th January.

In simple terms:

Waitrose - very likely in my view as John Lewis / Waitrose has already announced it is about to launch nationally the loyalty scheme it trialled in a few towns earlier this year. It is also possible that Waitrose gets the BOB contract.

Sainsburys - unlikely because of Nectar, which they won't be dropping. Allowing Nectar points to convert to Avios would be tricky and, in any case, the exchange rate would be something like 3:2 at best. This would mean the earning rate at Sainsbury's for shopping would be so pitiful it wouldn't move the needle in slightest (2.4 Avios per £1 at Tesco did move the needle). Avios also wants a high profile deal and being one of 100 Nectar redemption partners is no better than being one of 100 at Clubcard. The only reason not to dismiss this is that the Avios person overseeing the supermarket deal used to work at Sainsburys.

M&S - difficult to see how it would integrate into Sparks, too small, too expensive (to the extent that no-one would drop Tesco and pay the extra at M&S just to get Avios), M&S has just lost the BOB contract

Morrisons - rarely seen inside the M25, which is where the majority of BA frequent flyers live and/or work

Globaliser

Of course, even now she doesn't have to shop there!

corporate-wage-slave

There are over 20 of them actually. Not in North Kensington Notting Hill, but there is one bang slap in the middle of Ealing Broadway, should you venture into such exotic parts of the metropolis.

Raffles

No chance :-)

I need BA to do a deal with Partridges.

HarryHolden68

Please desist from spreading these mischievous rumours. She sometimes reads over my shoulder!

ratechaser

Waitrose or Sainsbury are both good for me. The former because it's my local corner shop and I'm in there every day. The latter because I have about 45,000 nectar points looking to be put to good use (worst case it will have to be spent on Nero coffees...)

AJA_

And an even bigger one in East Ealing Acton :-)

joeninety

For People in NI there are no Waitrose or John Lewis, so i assume you are referring solely to the English nation?

dnajockey

For all you estate agents out there, Kilburn is now North Maida Vale.......

Mordac

Hoping it's LIDL myself

Seriously though, if it's Waitrose there's no way I'll move there, I just can't afford to shop there regularly.

ratechaser

Well if we are getting into semantics, I always thought that 'Britain' included England, Wales and Scotland; whereas it was the United Kingdom that brought NI into the fold.

I'll get my coat, very very quickly

(and in my defence, BHD was always one of my favourite lounges!)

smokie36

If its Waitrose they might as well rename to English Airways.

Here in Scotland I think we have 3 or 4 stores in total.

Raffles

As Boris now assumes that you are merging with that lot down South, I doubt BA is too bothered :-)

Just about equal to BA's daily Scottish departures then!

BlueThroughCrimp

Surprisingly 7, plus Gretna services. Nothing in the more civilised part of the country though.

Which shows what a London and South East-centric decision they've made.