British Midland vs. BA vs. Air France
Hi:
I'll be flying from LHR-CDG at the end of next week. Since I've never flown any intra-European route before, I thought that some of you may be able to give me some advice. The market for LHR-CDG seems to be dominated by British Midland, BA, and Air France. If the prices are comparable, which airline would you recommend and why? I've read something about British Midland's safety record. Should that be a concern to me? |
With a flight time of 40 mins who cares? Similar aircraft and seating with service levels about the same on such a short sector. The decision comes down to which miles and exec points you wish to collect. If you are connecting to an international or domestic flight then you choice of carrier may be influenced by which terminal they use at Heathrow. BA & BD use Term 1 at LHR with AF in Term 2. As for safety concerns with BD please be specific. Let's get the facts and not the fiction. If you are referring to the Kegworth accident have a look at the AAIB site for a detailed report and how the aircraft was manufactured with the engine indicators incorrectly wired. The other carriers have had incidents that we are all aware of. Have a look at BA's record operating BAE ATP aircraft for instance or how Concorde went from being the safest aircraft in the world to the worst with the unfortunate accident last year. Safety is not an issue with any of the carriers operating on that route.
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I've flown each of them on that route and Woodie says, they are pretty much the same. However I would ask what your final destination is. If it is Paris central, I would suggest flying to Orly instead of CDG.
Also, BD is an excellent airline and I feel totally safe flying them. |
I agree with Woodie. It's too short a flight so fly what is most convenient or try the Eurostar.
------------------ speedbird001 |
BA uses Terminal 4 for all Paris flights (CDG and ORY).
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To All:
Thanks so much for the feedback. I've never flown any of those airlines that I mentioned, and was just trying to see if all of them are comparable, or if I should avoid any of them at all cost... Also, I thought about taking the Eurostar, but figured that since my stay in Paris is already short, and the fact that I don't speak a word of French, I didn't want to venture into something that's totally unfamiliar to me. As for the safety record for British Midland, I simply brought it up because somebody else in this bulletin board mentioned it. When did the Kegworth accident happened? It's probably before my time... By the way, why would Orly be a better choice than CDG when traveling to central Paris? Is it a lot closer? Oh, also, is it convenient taking a train from CDG into the city? Which line should I take? Thanks again! [This message has been edited by domirule (edited 02-14-2001).] |
Domirule,
The Eurostar is a convenient option if you're starting your journey in central London, but if you're arriving into LHR from elsewhere then flying is more convenient. As already mentioned, safety is really not an issue with these airlines. The Kegworth accident happened back in 1989. I fly with British Midland LHR-CDG about once a week, and their service is excellent. The easiest way to get into the city centre from CDG is by the RER train. This is very well signposted from the arrivals hall, there is a shuttle bus that takes you to the station, and everything is in English as well as French. Orly may be closer to the city centre, but I have not flown into there so I have no further information about it - perhaps someone else can help there? Have a good trip! |
Domirule
The post you refer to about BD's safety record was complete nonsense. Yes, mistakes were made and yes agin I'm sure both pilots would act differently if the same thing happened again. The safety of the airline is not in question. Two manufacturing faults in a very new aircraft cannot be blamed the airline. My wife and I are both BD Gold card holders and fly weekly with them. I have a choice BA or BD. I switched to BD about a year ago as I found the service and seating much better than BA especially on UK domestic. |
You don't need to know French at all to take the Eurostar. It is fully bi-lingual as is Gare Du Nord where you will arrive in Paris. Then when you leave the station, just take a taxi to where you want to go. This is far, far easier than flying if you are going London city centre to Paris city centre, and it's faster when you consider all the time spent at the airports and travel to the city.
As for Orly, it is closer and a shorter and cheaper taxi ride than CDG. But it really depends on where you are going. |
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