[Anonymous]

[bchandos]

I travelled with Eurostar between London and Paris last week, for the first timer in probably ten years, and was reminded how much i prefer travelling by train than plane.

Turned up less than half an hour before my departure, security was quick (no laptop out or liquid restriction nonsense), and two hours and 15 minutes later i was in Paris city centre, rather than waiting for my bag to arrive and searching for a cab / city transfer.

I can’t see why anyone would fly between the two cities, unless they are located close enough to Gatwick or Heathrow to make it more convenient, or are doing business near one of the Paris airports.

The (economy) seats are certainly not new, but are perfectly comfortable – the width of the seat felt far more than i would get on a short-haul flight, although the leg room was tight, especially as i was sat on on of the groups of four seats with a table, and the person opposite me was fairly tall. Thankfully the coach was not full, and i was able to move to one of the groups of two seats.

The lack of wifi was also a grumble, but then i guess you don’t get that on many flights anyway, and i understand there will be new trains to remedy this soon.

All in all a great service – although the new advert is rubbish!

[LPPSKrisflyer]

I must agree. Even though I live pretty close to LHR if I’m going to Paris or Brussels I never think of flying anymore. Although it means the train to Vauxhall and then the tube to St Pancras the whole experience is somehow less hassle than a taxi to LHR and then the joys of security today followed by either CE, Premium Affaires or even worse Brussels Airlines, an arrival at CDG or BRU and the journey in to town, BRU being slightly less painful.

Eurostar may look a bit worn at times but it’s in the main highly reliable, the staff are willing and the journey is easy.

I look forward to the day when DB start some longer services which though not practical for a day return will still be excellent for longer trips.

[Bucksnet]

I took Eurostar for a business trip to Paris in November. It took me the best part of 2 hours on 1 train and 2 tubes just to get to St. Pancras. On my return, it took me nearly 2 hours to get home again.

I could have got home from T5 in 45 minutes, and the flight would not have taken 2:15 to start with. Plus if you need to get to the south of Paris, you can fly to Orly.

I would use the train more if I lived closer to central London though.

[LeTigre]

I agree, my personal experience of Eurostar has been consistently positive. The journey is smooth, convenient and comfortable and I especially like the fresh croissants and rather nice coffee they have on board.

I do, however, find that Eurostar prices are slightly inflated because the advertised £69 base rate is only available at about 5am or 11pm most days. I find this unacceptable as I am absolutely sure that the prices advertised were available more widely previously and this change is of the sneaky variety that BA also specialise in. The other issue is also price, how can they justify £500+ for Business Premier when the meal is like a long-haul economy one on a tray and the lounge is incomparable to BA ones- even BA keep CDG routes to £400 in CE.

Apart from these gripes I do feel that Eurostar are far better than any airline, bring on DB to Frankfurt! Or Eurostar to Geneva…

[MartynSinclair]

Great when Oyster cards are accepted on Eurostar!

[PatJordan]

What a nice idea Martyn.

Mind you, I can hardly see TFL going for it !!

Pat

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“even BA keep CDG routes to £400 in CE. “

Interesting, I just took a one way flight from ORY to LHR and they offered me an upgrade for 549 euros.

Needless to say, I couldn’t quite see the value in that one 🙂

[LeTigre]

I got offered CE to HAM in November for £59 each way upgrade, but if I upgrade my boss won’t pay and for a day-trip, I find the value questionable.

[continentalclub]

British Airways, unlike KLM, offer discounted one-way short haul European economy fares.

British Airways, unlike SWISS, do not in general offer discounted one-way short haul European business class fares.

A Club Europe return from Heathrow to Paris vv is often available at cGBP450.

A GBP60 EuroTraveller one-way on the same route would usually be upgradeable only to the non-discounted Club Europe one-way fare at an incremental cost of cGBP500.

However, it is regularly the case that BA offers so-called ‘proactive online upgrades’ on short haul routes, which are available on both one-way and return itineraries (subject to availability) at a cost of cGBP60 to cGBP170 depending on route length.

For those yet to achieve status, chasing renewal or seeking a higher tier, these POUs are a sometimes attractive way to gain lounge and baggage privileges, along with a leap from 10 or 20 to 40TPs plus per sector.

There is no guarantee that a POU will be offered, but reading the booking confirmation page on BA.com, and checking Manage My Booking subsequently and regularly, can pay dividends.

[MartynSinclair]

waiting for the day when I can go to my local First Capital Connect station and swipe the Oyster and end up in Koln via Kings X.

I am sure it will happen one day, but not sure how the ticket price will be determined or the seat aoolocation will be made.

[NTarrant]

Eurostar is good value on the £69.00 fares, although the first class/business are way off the mark which makes flying more appealing. Eurostar was great for me when it went from Waterloo, but with two changes on the tube it is a bit tiresome. A just over one hour from my local station to LGW or now with Hindhead tunnel an hours drive to LHR.

Nice idea Martyn, Koln would probably be in Zone 137, but your Oyster would be valid to Zone 100!

[RichHI1]

Martyn I think DB will sort their service well before FCC sort out their act to KX. Probably a mixture of interest and management competence.

[MarkCymru]

I am a Eurostar fan and their staff are usually very good but two recent rips have put me off.

I had the misfortune of sitting in Standard Premier at a table across from someone. Even with us sorting out who would put their legs inside whose, it was an uncomfortable trip and very poor value — it cost about £250 one way.

Last week, I again had to book at the last minute. Standard was only £10 less than Standard Premier (and only about £50 less than Business Premier). However, the online booking system would only allocate a table seat in either of the Premier classes. There was no option to select your own seat and so I had to call — sure enough, there were only table seats. I figured that even the cramped legroom in Standard would be better and took that. It was better but not much. The BA flight to CDG or Orly would have cost less than £100 while Eurostar standard cost £170. I picked Eurostar because the security is less hassle but then got stuck behind a school party going home. Even Terminal 5 would have been quicker

[Capetonian]

Travelling out of St. Pancras is an absolute delight. Sadly the opposite applies to Gare du Nord. What a disgusting start to a journey, with filthy inadequate facilities, long queues, rude security and passport control staff, just a completely inadequate infrastructure. I’m lucky in that I often travel on other routes which allow me to change at Lille, which is relatively good.

[Author]

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