When Does British Airways Release Flights? The 355 Day Rule Explained

British Airways does not release flights in seasonal batches at all. Instead it works to a rolling horizon of 355 days, which means a brand new day of flights becomes bookable every single day. If you want to book for a particular date, it opens for sale exactly 355 days beforehand.

How the 355 Day Rule Works

The 355 day window applies to both standard cash fares and to reward flights booked with Avios. New availability is typically released at midnight GMT, which shifts to 1am when the UK is on British Summer Time. Because the horizon rolls forward one day at a time, there is no big annual release to wait for. The flip side is that if your date is more than 355 days away, you simply cannot book it yet.

One consequence catches people out on return trips. Because each date opens 355 days ahead, the return leg of a long trip may not be bookable when the outbound is. Frequent flyers sometimes book the outbound as a one way as soon as it opens, then add the return once it becomes available 355 days before the return date.

Booking Popular Dates and Reward Seats

For peak dates such as Christmas and school holidays, and especially for Avios reward seats in Club and First, availability can be booked within minutes of release. If you are chasing scarce reward seats, being ready at midnight GMT on the day they open makes a real difference. Cash economy fares on most routes are far less time critical, so there is no need to sit up at midnight for an ordinary short haul booking.

Because BA releases every day, the practical advice is simply to know your 355 day date and set a reminder if the trip is in high demand. For everything else, you can book whenever suits once the date is inside the window.

Before You Fly

British Airways fares include cabin baggage, but the checked allowance depends on your fare and cabin, and the cheapest Economy Basic fares are hand baggage only. Our British Airways baggage allowance guide sets out exactly what each fare includes. You can also read our British Airways airline guide for terminal information, particularly at its Heathrow and Gatwick bases, and follow flights live on our Heathrow departures board.

For how BA compares with the low cost carriers, see the full overview of when UK airlines release flights.