Review of British Airways flight Paris London in Business

Airline British Airways
Flight BA 309
Class Business
Seat 3A
Aircraft Airbus A319
Flight time 01:05
Take-off 28 Nov 14, 12:30
Arrival at 28 Nov 14, 12:35
BA   #65 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 960 reviews
jetsetpanda
By 4292
Published on 5th December 2014
Hi and welcome to this short CDG-LHR hop of my trip report. So far my schedule is as follows:

SFO-LHR in BA Y - http://flight-report.com/en/report-8578.html
LHR-CDG in BA Y - http://flight-report.com/en/report-8611.html
CDG-LHR in BA J - you are here
LHR-SFO in BA J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-8684.html


All good things come to an end and after a wonderful stay in Paris it was time to return home. On this trip I was glad that I had the opportunity to experience two aspects of this city. On one hand I did the touristy things like staying in the Opera area and visiting the famous sights since I was traveling with someone who was in Paris for the first time. This brought back memories of my first visit here long time ago. The city is just as charming and enchanting as that first visit when I saw it with a sense of awe. The second part of my stay was in an apartment in the intimate 16th arrond. which gave me the chance to see another side of this multifaceted city. Strolling through the quiet neighborhood and shopping for groceries at the stores and local bakeries allowed me to experience life as a local that no stay at a hotel can give me. Perhaps on my next visit I should go to Belleville or around Alésia in Montparnasse to acquire a more real perspective. Regardless of which neighborhood I end up on my next visit, one thing is for sure - Paris is the ideal city for a flâneur who delights in its sights.


The 16th arrondisement.





The day of my departure I decided to leave early with my companions and wait for our taxi at 0730. I had a nice driver who attempted to make some conversation but most importantly he was honest and charged me around EUR 57 for the ride. We arrived at CDG 2F a little before 0830 and after my mom and sister checked in with AF, I was on my way to 2C for my BA flight @ 1230P with plenty of time to do some lounge exploring. Here are some shots of my walk there.


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At 2C I realized that BA's counters were located one floor down around a hallway. I came across a seating area for Club and elite passengers and the counter was just next to it. Check-in was quick and I was informed by the agent that I could use the Cathay lounge. Of course, I was planning to use the AA's Admirals Club as well since I had so much time in my hands.

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I went through Passport control where a stone faced agent just stamped my passport without replying to my bonjour. Got to love those last impressions of Paris. Security was done professionally but the guy in front of me delayed the process somehow because he had some small bottles of liquor in his pockets and when he took them out to show them to the agent he gave him a thumbs up.

Direction - CX lounge.

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Cathay First & Business Lounge

I headed to the CX lounge where an agent welcomed me warmly. First impressions are good with lots of international publications behind the reception desk, a neat business center and spacious dining area. The buffet was well stocked with pastries, hot food, cold cuts, cheeses and pancakes. The noodle bar was not open yet but in the meantime I indulged myself with some breakfast.




Buffet.





My breakfast with ketchup for the eggs. This one is dedicated to lagentsecret ;)

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At the end of the lounge there was a viewing area of the tarmac. Here are some visitors today.




I checked out some email at the business center and then proceeded to order a chicken noodle soup. I was given a pager to let me know when my order was ready. My noodle soup was fine and tasted better after I squeezed some lime on it.

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After 1030A the lunch buffet was set up. The beef stew looked oddly dry on the top.

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AA's Admirals Club

Then it was time to explore the neighboring Admirals Club. One thing you notice when you enter this lounge is the way that the reception is arranged with individual desks in a staggered position. I was warmly greeted by one of the lounge agents who invited to step inside.

As you enter, you will see the buffet area to the left side along with some chairs on the counter. The food offering is limited compared to CX, but there are a few hot items for breakfast as well as cold selections and desserts. The lounge feels comfortable and there is a viewing area of the tarmac at the end, but its ambiance is more functional than stylish.




I did not stay here for too long and decided to leave to my gate.

Gate.

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The gate area was not too crowded and when the agents arrived they prepared the flight for boarding. The elderly and family with children were invited to board first followed by Club Europe and elite members. Two smiling FA's welcomed passengers as they stepped inside and I settled into 3A quickly. When we finished boarding all passengers I noticed that nobody else was in my row, contrary to what the seat map showed earlier. Hot towels were distributed but I don't recall a pre-dept. beverage service.

The cabin.

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My seat.

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Taxiing out.




Bye Paris.

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Right after take off the lunch service started with a prawn salad followed by a bread basket. I had bitter lemon with my meal and afterwards coffee or tea were offered by the nice crew.





I chose a window seat in hopes of catching a glimpse of downtown London on arrival. Unfortunately that wish did not materialize and I had to settle for a less than exciting arrival.

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On the way to the gate.




We had to use a bus to be transported to the terminal, even though there was a jetbridge by the plane. There was a bus reserved for Club passengers only which made the ride less hectic.

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See more

Verdict

British Airways

7.5/10
Cabin8.5
Cabin crew9.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering7.5

Cathay Pacific Lounge

8.5/10
Comfort8.0
Meal/catering8.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Services9.0

Paris - CDG

8.2/10
Efficiency8.0
Access7.5
Services8.5
Cleanliness9.0

London - LHR

8.5/10
Efficiency7.0
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

I had a good flight on BA and appreciated the great crew onboard who were smiling and friendly. I gave a slight deduction for not offering pre-departure drinks.

The meal was cold and there was no choice. It would have been great to be able to have an option.

I am starting to dislike having to connect through LHR T5.

Information on the route Paris (CDG) London (LHR)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 134 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Paris (CDG) → London (LHR).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Air France avec 7.5/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 1 heures et 16 minutes.

  More information

8 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 123860 by
    lagentsecret 12186 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR

    Nice pictures of Paris : from a Paris'lover like you I'm not surprised

    This one is dedicated to lagentsecret ;)
    Thanks for the dedication : anyway an American without ketchup ? not possible IMO ;) :P

    The CX lounge looks great : much better than the lounges of CDG's main airline

    The AA is not on par with a poor food offer

    The cabin is very old : fortunately you didn't have a neighbour

    The collation is quite good

    Still a rather bad transfer in LHR

    See you soon for your last leg
    • Comment 306491 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Nice pictures of Paris : from a Paris'lover like you I'm not surprised
      - When you have your muse it's easy to get inspired.

      Thanks for the dedication : anyway an American without ketchup ? not possible IMO ;) :P
      - A little sweetness from time to time is needed, don't you think? ;)

      The CX lounge looks great : much better than the lounges of CDG's main airline
      - It looks like a premium lounge with the noodle kitchen as one of its main attractions.

      The AA is not on par with a poor food offer
      - How can one go back to beer after tasting champagne? :P

      The collation is quite good
      - They should have offered a bigger container of dressing. The bread was warm and delicious (must have been French) ;)

      Still a rather bad transfer in LHR
      - T5 @ LHR is starting to look like a pain.
  • Comment 123864 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    It's a shame there was no pre-departure drink as it makes a bad impression on a short flight like this that does not have much service. Otherwise seems like a good flight an it's always nice to have a great crew. The CX lounge in CDG is awesome. Thanks for sharing!
  • Comment 124259 by
    marathon GOLD 10116 Comments
    Congestion, pollution, hassles, real estate prices... Paris is much better for visiting than for living. Few people who were transferred to another French city try to come back.
    When will the French immigration officers be made to realize that they are the last official memory of France that visitors take home ? Sigh...
    The CX lounge looks completely empty - business travelers do not fly at that time of the day, I presume.
    I like the plane viewing area in that lounge - much more variety than in the AF / Skyteam area of CDG. I had never seen that CX livery !
    I wish AF executives visited this lounge one day !
    The seats at the AA lounge do not look very comfortable. One good point is that there seems to be power plugs of several standards.
    Thanks for sharing !
    • Comment 306806 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      I take Paris despite all those valid negative points. Sometimes we feel pulled to some places for certain reasons (whether logical or unexplained) and my fascination with this city started early in my life. Perhaps I am a reincarnated Parisian ;)

      Every coin has two sides, so we sometimes have to take the good with the bad to appreciate the whole.

      The AA lounge was slightly disappointing after visiting the CX one.

      Thanks.
  • Comment 124353 by
    Chibcha SILVER 540 Comments
    Lovely pictures of Paris, the CX lounge looks nice and the food appropriate, the AA one...meh.

    The plane service looks okay for the short hop, as you said, it would have been nice to have a choice.

    It's a shame destiny didn't oblige and give you the views you wanted. The day seemed awful.

    Saludos!

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