top of page
Writer's pictureJamsheed Motafram

London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle? Which Airport is Ideal for a Layover?


Impressions de CDG
Impressions de CDG (Jamsheed Motafram).

When it comes to having a layover, most people would rather have a layover with Middle Eastern or Pacific carriers such as Emirates or Singapore Airlines. However, when it comes to Europe , two airports that I recently visited over the last couple of years come to mind. Since the dawn of time, France and Britain have always competed, be it in wars or sports. This time, let's into what airport would be better to experience a layover in between London Heathrow (LHR) and Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG). In this blog, we will go over the check-in/security process, amenities, planespotting and deliver my final verdict. 


Airport Check In/Security

CDG Boeing 787
A Westjet Boeing 787 at CDG (Jamsheed Motafram).

When it comes to check-in, the baggage check-in processes for both airports are decent. Simply because LHR and CDG are hubs for Oneworld and SkyTeam respectively, the customer service at check-in was top notch and checking in was smooth. But that is where the similarity ends. At Heathrow, right after check in, is security and it was a breeze. It took me only 15 minutes to go through at LHR. CDG however was more of a hassle after check in. This is because passengers would have to take the VAL (CDG Train) to terminal 2E if flying Delta or Terminal 2L for Air France. Then, passengers go through security and the whole process between check-in and security takes a whopping 35 minutes. Overall, the edge goes to LHR for the efficient transit times from terminal to gates. 


Amenities

CDG Terminal
The terminal at CDG (Jamsheed Motafram).

Once passengers go through security at both airports, there are a plethora of amenities to follow. To begin with, CDG has much better shops and the terminal feels like a glorified shopping mall so if passengers want to bring the magic of Paris back home, there is a lot to choose from. On the other hand, LHR has CDG beat where food is concerned. There is a good variety to eat when it comes to food options at LHR, from Fish and Chips at Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food to Starbucks and everything in between. On the other hand, there wasn’t much variety when it comes to food options on my flight back from Paris. So overall when it comes to amenities, it depends if you prefer more eating options or more shopping options. 


Planespotting

777-300 at London Heathrow
A British Airways 777-300ER at London Heathrow (Jamsheed Motafram).

Since both these airports are megahubs, there can be a lot of planespotting to be done between flights. Both airports have their quirks that make planespotting more interesting. First off at CDG, the airport windows are unique, allowing passengers to take many different pictures at different angles of the same plane and it’s a cool experience. It’s also why the rock band U2 utilized this airport for their music video for their mega hit Beautiful Day. It makes passengers feel like they are contributing to the art heavy culture of France when taking these pictures.


Air France 777
An aviation art paining comes to life at CDG ( Jamsheed Motafram).

On the other hand due to its compact construction, one can see a larger variety of paint schemes at LHR and there are also so many different places to spot. For example, not only does Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food have great food, the views from the terminal are amazing. Plus due to the compact nature of LHR, it’s easier to explore each subterminal in Terminal 5 thanks to the airport transit. Terminal 5A is where all the Inter-Europe flights are handled wheras Terminal 5C has all the US bound flights and 5B has all the rest of the international flights. And unlike the CDG Val, the airport train at Terminal 5 is quicker. With all of this being said, which airport is a better transit stop? 


Verdict

Air France Dreamliner
An Air France 787 before its journey to Minneapolis. A good nickname for the Air France's 787s would be "The Flying Baguette" due to fuselage being shaped like the French Bread (Jamsheed Motafram).

Overall, because of the experience transitioning between terminals, the efficient security checkpoints as well as the variety of amenities, flying through LHR on British Airways is a better option as opposed to flying Delta or Air France through CDG. The sprawling nature of CDG is more difficult for passengers to navigate if they want to go to other destinations. So let’s say a passenger is flying from JFK and has to have a stopover in CDG to go to Faro, Portugal. After going through immigration, the passenger has to wait for the Val and the trains aren’t as frequent. They would have to transit all the way to Terminal 2G and it would take a long time due to CDG’s sprawling nature.

A British Airways A380
A British Airways A380 before its flight to San Francisco (Jamsheed Motafram).

Whereas if a passenger flew British Airways through LHR, he/she would go through immigration and then quickly go on the transit and will be at terminal 5A quicker so it’s more likely to catch the connecting flight to Faro. Put it all together, and London Heathrow is the superior choice between the two. But what do you guys think? Would you rather have a layover at London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle? Let me know in the comments below and keep looking to the sky! 

Comments


bottom of page