British Airways announces new route to Cincinnati

The flight lowdown

The new BA flights will be handled by three Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, with Economy (World Traveller), Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus), and Business Class (Club World) available. 

The service will start on 5 June 2023 and operate five times a week in the summer season and four in winter.

In summer the flights leave Heathrow on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 16.05, arriving in Cincinnati at 19.45. Flights leave Cincinnati at 21.30 on the same days and arrive back in London at 10.15 the following day.

During winter 2023, flights will leave Heathrow on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 16.00, arriving in Cincinnati at 18.40 and will return at 20.25, landing in London at 10.10 the next morning.

As BA partners with American Airlines in the OneWorld alliance, you may want to look at connections on AA if you’re flying onward in the States, particularly as you can earn Avios and Tier Points in doing so. 

Where to find reward seats 

This will be only Cincinnati’s second transatlantic service (there’s already a Delta flight to Paris) so you may be competing with travellers from other parts of Europe for seats, including reward seats, particularly as several large companies in the city will attract business travellers. 

Getting the best value on BA reward flights depends on how and when you book with Avios. Using our Reward Flight Finder (RFF) will help as it allows you to search for reward seats across a wider range of criteria than on the BA website. You can even set alerts, so you’ll find out when new seats are released.

Our Reward Flight Finder (RFF) Bronze membership is free and allows availability searches and a limited number of alerts. Notification occurs within 24 hours when new reward seat availability is found. 

Silver membership for £3.99 a month gives you better Search tools, including a map of available options. You can set up more alerts for different routes and will be notified within an hour when new reward seat availability is found. 

Gold membership is RFF’s top tier, costing £7.99 a month or £6.66 a month when billed annually, and allows more simultaneous Alerts. You’ll be notified as soon as new reward seats are found on your chosen routes so you can snap them up.

About Cincinnati 

Why Cincinnati? True, BA’s new route is more aimed at business travellers but Cincy, as it’s affectionately nicknamed, has good museums and a relaxed food and bar scene, including the most chilli restaurants per capita of any city in the world. It also serves as a handy gateway to America’s Midwest. 

Top Museums and attractions:

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is an important museum where you can learn how escaped 19th-century African slaves were smuggled from the Southern US to safety and a new life in the ‘free states’, Canada or Mexico. The ‘railroad’ was a concept – a secret network of safe houses created by sympathisers. 

The American Sign Museum is a dazzling place to take in over 500 vintage neon advertisements. There are more visual treats in store at the Cincinnati Art Museum which includes works by Van Gogh and Monet. Picasso and Georgia O’Keeffe exhibitions run in 2023. You can alternatively see giant murals from today’s artists throughout Downtown on tours led by non-profit ArtWorks. 

If you’re a fan of the boxing legend, visit the Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, a day trip away in Kentucky. In Dayton, Ohio you can see the Wright Cycle Company Complex, where the Wright brothers had their bike workshop before creating aviation history. Dayton is also home to the National Museum of the US Air Force. 

For first-hand aerial excitement, head to Cincinnati’s Kings Island theme park, which offers 15 rollercoasters and a waterpark. Youngsters will also enjoy Cincinnati Zoo and Kentucky’s Newport Aquarium. 

Key leisure districts:

Throughout the morning, in the DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) on The Banks beside Ohio River, you can pick up a drink and sip as you stroll through the surrounding green spaces. 

Over-the-Rhine, known as OTR and named for its European heritage, is a district with the largest collection of Italianate Renaissance-Style architecture in the US. It’s a good place for shops and nightlife or a casual lunch at Findlay Market, a Cincy institution offering global street food. Fountain Square is another entertainment and restaurant hub, with ice skating in winter.

Thanks to past German immigration, Cincinnati is famous for its beer and there are several breweries where you can take tours. Also, look out for retro ice cream parlours and for the must-try local chilli. 

If you’re outdoorsy, it’s good to know there are several national parks within reach of the city. 

Kentucky Derby:

Horse-racing enthusiasts will want to coincide a visit with the Kentucky Derby in May. 

The famous race is held in Louisville at the culmination of a two-week festival.

Whatever the time of year, you can meet the next generation of racehorses in the famous Bluegrass area of Kentucky, about an hour and a half’s drive from Cincinnati. The region is, of course, also famous for bourbon. 

Where to stay:

As you’d expect from an American city, there are plenty of well-known chains like Marriott, Hyatt, Westin, and Holiday Inn besides Airbnb options.

Get further inspiration from the city’s tourism marketing organisation Visit Cincy. 

Other places to watch

Elsewhere in the US, British Airways has recently upped its frequencies to Portland, Oregon (becoming daily for Summer 2023) and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (moving to six flights per week), while New York’s JFK airport will have eleven flights a day from Summer 2023. 

With more capacity on these routes, there will be more chances to bag BA reward flights, especially now the airline commits to a minimum of eight reward seats in long-haul economy cabins, two in Premium Economy, and four in Business Class. As further reward seats are released on an ad-hoc basis, remember to use our Reward Flight Finder (RFF) to be in with the best chance to snap them up.