British Airways multi-city push

British Airways is trying to sell summer 2026 trips as one long stitched-together journey instead of one flight and one hotel. On its own site, the airline is pushing “multi-centre” vacations that let travelers fly into one city, leave from another, and add more than one hotel or a car rental in the same booking. (britishairways.com) That changes the pitch from “pick a destination” to “build a route.” British Airways says these packages can combine two or more places across its network, which is why the offer works best for trips like Europe plus the Caribbean or one United States city plus another before the flight home. (britishairways.com) The mechanics are already live in British Airways’ booking system. Its multi-city flight search lets travelers enter at least three separate flight legs in one reservation instead of buying disconnected one-way tickets and hoping the timings line up. (britishairways.com) British Airways is pairing that sales push with a border warning: a lot of people connecting complex trips through Britain now need a United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation before they travel. The United Kingdom government says an Electronic Travel Authorisation is required for eligible visitors coming for tourism or certain other short stays of up to six months. (gov.uk) That rule became much broader in 2025 and 2026. VisitBritain says eligible Europeans started needing the permit from April 2, 2025, and the Home Office says enforcement for all remaining eligible nationalities was set from February 25, 2026. (visitbritain.org) (homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk) The permit is not a visa, but it is now a boarding rule. The Home Office says travelers must apply with passport details, a photo, and suitability questions, and then travel on the same passport they used for the application. (homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk) The price is also moving. The main United Kingdom government page shows an Electronic Travel Authorisation at £16, while an April 2026 immigration update says the fee rises to £20 from April 8, 2026, which means summer 2026 travelers need to check the live government page before they book around London. (gov.uk) (freemovement.org.uk) British Airways has a reason to put that warning next to a vacation deal. The more stops a traveler adds, the more chances there are to pass through a British airport or start one leg in the United Kingdom, and one missing digital permission can break an entire chain of flights, hotels, and transfers. (britishairways.com) (gov.uk) The airline is also sweetening the package side of the offer. British Airways Vacations says members of The British Airways Club can earn 10,000 bonus Avios on flight-and-hotel or flight-and-car packages of five nights or more if they register and book by April 20, 2026. (britishairways.com) So the real product here is not just a discounted airfare. It is a pre-built way to book an open-jaw summer 2026 trip, bundle the hotels, collect loyalty points, and clear the new United Kingdom entry paperwork before a multi-stop itinerary turns into a gate-side problem. (britishairways.com 1) (britishairways.com 2) (gov.uk)