Route of the month - London to Paris

Alex McWhirter looks at how new services can benefit business travellers. This month: options from London to Paris.

In theory, it should be no contest. Rail scores every time thanks to Eurostar’s high-speed train via the Channel Tunnel, which links the two capitals in just over two hours 15 minutes. But life isn’t so straightforward. As we saw with London-Edinburgh (see Route of the Month, February 2012), whether you prefer the low or the high road depends mainly on where you live and work, and your ultimate destination. Eurostar is perfect for central London to downtown Paris. However, with a departure from London St Pancras and an arrival at Paris Nord, it’s less convenient if you need to come into London from Essex, Hampshire or Berkshire. And it’s not so handy if you need to travel onwards to the south of the French capital. This is where the high road regains the upper hand and why, despite Eurostar’s huge share of the overall market, it attracts fewer business passengers than leisure travellers. The airlines compete with convenience (for travellers based near Heathrow, City and Luton) and the fact that they arrive at airports in the north (Charles de Gaulle) and south (Orly) of Paris. Should you be bound for downtown, you will find that Orly, at 14km from the city centre, is closer than CDG, located 26km outside town. Travellers who live west or south-west of London have a choice of flying from Heathrow or Southampton. The Hampshire airport claims its catchment area extends to Basingstoke and Guildford. It is easily reached by motorway (M3/M27) and even more easily by train – Southampton Parkway station is barely a couple of hundred yards from the airport terminal and lies on the main line linking London Waterloo with Southampton. Eurostar competes for out-of-towners by stopping some trains at Ebbsfleet. This airport terminal-style station is located just off the A2, near the M25 and M20, and not far from the mammoth Bluewater shopping centre. It has ample car parking space priced from £5 a day. When flowing freely, the M25 and M20 provide easy access for passengers based in Essex, Kent and Sussex. The trouble is, the M25 and Dartford Crossing are unpredictable at the best of times. In terms of frequency, there are about 16 daily weekday Eurostar trains. This compares with about 12 daily flights from Heathrow to CDG and four daily to Orly, 32 weekly flights from London City to Orly, 19 weekly services from Luton to CDG and 17 weekly from Southampton to Orly. Pricing for both air and rail is high, even though Paris seems only a hop away. By plane, London-Paris is 341km, while the train makes a “dog leg” via Calais and Lille, which pushes the distance up to about 490km. Although Eurostar trumpets its £69 return lead-in fare, business people will find this tariff difficult to secure unless they book many weeks ahead and choose off-peak times. Eurostar says its pricing reflects the cost of operating its complex multi-voltage trains, which are specifically designed for the Tunnel. Moreover, its costs are further inflated by access fees for high-speed tracks in England and France, plus further toll charges to use the Tunnel. The airlines maintain their prices will never be as cheap as in former times (only a couple of years ago tickets cost as little as £80 return) because of ever-higher taxes, fees and charges. Nowadays, for airlines other than low-cost carriers, these comprise almost £100 before you add on the cost of the flight. Note that while budget carriers may have a lower base fare, ancillary fees for extras such as luggage, onboard food or speedy boarding will quickly hike the ticket cost. Eurostar fares The company adopts airline-style pricing so what you pay depends on the class of travel, the degree of flexibility and when you book and travel. Booking a week ahead, Standard class returns typically cost upwards of £150, while Standard Premier (larger seats with free catering and newspapers) costs upwards of £220. Business Premier offers lounge access (with free wifi), separate zones on the train and fast-track check-in. Tickets are fully flexible and are priced at £490. Airline fares From London Heathrow, choose from British Airways or Air France. BA serves both CDG and Orly. With a week’s notice, expect to pay upwards of £260 in economy and about £550 in business. Air France operates from both Heathrow and City (using its subsidiary Cityjet). Flights to Heathrow operate into CDG; those from City arrive in Orly. Economy fares are upwards of £200 and Air France also sells premium economy tickets (a flexible economy tariff) priced at about £450 from Heathrow and £530 from City. Business class is offered out of Heathrow for £555. From Southampton there is an Air France/Flybe codeshare service into Orly. Booked with Air France, a one-class flight typically costs about £130 for a restricted ticket and around £390 for a flexible one. Easyjet departs Luton with rates of around £100 plus ancillary fees. Flexible tickets (that include most add-on fees) typically cost upwards of £210.