Flying British Airways Business Class with a Baby - From London Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaulle Return

During a trip to Disneyland Paris, we opted to fly from London Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaulle.

I was taking this trip with my sister and my daughter, who was 5 months old at the time, and it was babies first flight!

Outbound Journey

Due to the wanting to maximise our time at Disneyland Paris, we booked a flight departing Heathrow at 07:05.

Travel to Heathrow Terminal 5

Having stayed at The Premier Inn Terminal 5 Hotel the night before, our first task was making the short journey from the hotel to Terminal 5. Every time we fly from Terminal 5, we stay at this Hotel the night before, and I have made this short trip many times before.

My normal mode of transport is to take the TfL Bus, as the bus stop is just outside the hotel, and is the cheapest route to Terminal 5 from the Hotel. Every time I have taken this bus it has always been busy, but as it was previously just myself and my husband travelling, we always managed to squeeze on. Unfortunately, this was not the case this time. We woke up very early so that we could be first in line at the bus stop, to catch the second bus of the day. However, when the bus arrived, they would not let us board with the pram, as they said it was too full.

Being left behind as the bus made its way to Terminal 5 without us, we had to resort to booking a taxi. The hotel reception had a direct line to a taxi company which we called, and they arrived within 10 minutes. We then made our way to Terminal 5, but at the cost of £35, as we needed a bigger vehicle to fit us, the luggage and pram in.

BA Business Check In

Once at Terminal 5 we walked over to the BA business check in desk. Even though it was about 5am, it was still very busy and there was a bit of a queue. However, the staff were great at organising everyone, and as there was no queue at the first class desk, they directed us there to check in our luggage.

The check in process was smooth. We checked in a suitcase each, and the travel cot. I kept the pram with us.

Following the check in we were directed back to the business fast track security line. We found this process a little slow, but that was due to us having the baby, and all the necessary checks having to take place on the sterilised water and baby formula that I had in my hand luggage.

London Heathrow Airport

Once through security we made our way straight to the British Airways Business lounge.

When we had to leave the lounge to make our way to the gate, we had a bit of a walk, and had to catch Heathrow’s internal train service, but this was no issue.

Once we reached the gate, as we were the first boarding group we did not have to wait long until we could board.

It was once we reached the plane door that we then had to fold up the pram and leave it by the doors to be loaded in the hold.

Flight – London Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaulle

When flying business class with British Airways the seats are 2×2, as the middle seat is blocked out with a small table. As we were flying with an infant, we were also able to pre choose seats for free.

As this was my first flight with my daughter, the staff were very helpful in showing me how to attach the infant seatbelt to my seatbelt and then how to hold her. They also made sure that I knew that the infant lifejacket was under the seat in front of me.

Having the extra space from the middle seat being blocked was brilliant during the flight. This gave me the space that I need to get everything organised, and to spread my daughter out a bit more, as opposed to just trying to squeeze her only on my lap.

During take-off I was concerned that she may get upset with the change in air pressure affecting her ears, so I fed her as we took off and this seemed to work well. Shortly after being fed, she fell asleep and that’s how she stayed for the rest of the flight.

The flight from London to Paris was very short, but within this time the crew were great at getting everyone drinks from the bar, and serving a breakfast meal. I tried the continental option, as I only wanted something light after filling up in the lounge beforehand.

The continental breakfast had jam, butter, croissant, yoghurt with granola, and ham. This was all very tasty, and I opted for a water with my breakfast. However, my sister made full use of the bar service, having a vodka lemonade at 7.30am, since the trip was for her birthday. The crew on board were very good at making sure everyone had as many drinks as they liked throughout the flight.

The only slight issue that we had with the flight was that my sister is gluten free, and she asked what gluten free options were on the menu, but by the time the crew managed to find this out it was almost time to land. I think this was more off an issue due to the short duration of the flight, and on a longer flight the staff would have had more time to sort this out. But she had filled up on gluten free food in the lounge, so she was okay.

When we arrived at Charles de Gaulle, we had already been advised that the pram would not be returned to the aircraft door. Therefore, I made sure that I took my Ergobaby baby carrier with me on board the plane. This was useful to carry my daughter through border control and to the luggage re-claim, where we then found our pram and luggage easily. This whole process was very smooth and quick.

Travel to Disneyland Paris

Once we had all our luggage, we made our way over to the Magic Shuttle, which I had pre-booked for €24 per adult (one way), infants travelled free.

It was quite a long walk from Terminal 2B to Terminal 2F, and probably took around 10 minutes to walk. The walk was okay, as all the floors were smooth making it easy to roll the suitcases.

Once at Terminal 2F we exited at gait 8 and we found the Magic Shuttle with ease. We had to load all our own luggage on board, but we were able to find seats with no issues.

The journey from Charles de Gaulle to the Disneyland Paris was around 1 hour, and the shuttle goes around all the hotels dropping everyone off.

Return Journey

Again, wanting to maximise our time at Disneyland Paris, we booked a return flight for 22.10.

Travel to Charles de Gaulle

We also got the Magic Shuttle on our return from Disneyland Paris back to Charles de Gaulle, and this was the same process but in reverse. With the Magic Shuttle collecting us from our hotel, and dropping us back at Terminal 2F, where we had the 10 minute walk back to Terminal 2B.

British Airways Business Check In

Unfortunately, the check in and luggage drop service at Charles de Gaulle was very sub par when compared to the brilliant experience at Heathrow. There was only one BA business check in desk open, and the gentleman managing it was meticulously measuring each piece of carry on, even when it was clearly within the limits. This was causing a considerable line to develop, as he was processing passengers very slowly.

When it was our turn to drop off our luggage, we had no issues with checking in our suitcases and travel cot. However, we were also told that we would have to drop our pram off now too. I asked what I was supposed to do with my daughter, and he bluntly said that it can’t be taken to the aircraft and I have to carry her. He then proceeded to tag the pram and direct me in the direction of oversized baggage to drop the pram off.

Charles de Gaulle Airport

Once we had dropped off our luggage, and reluctantly dropped off our pram, we proceeded to security. We were not offered any fast-track security at Charles de Gaulle, but the line was not too bad.

We were directed to the family security line, where all the staff were very nice and let us take our time. This process was much more difficult though, as I was carrying my daughter in the baby sling (which I was so glad that we had), and when you have a baby strapped to you it is much more challenging to get things out of bags etc.

Once again, our baby formula and liquids were tested, but this was expected.

Once through security, we made our way to the lounge.

Unfortunately, we found Paris Charles de Gaulle to not be a baby friendly airport. Not being able to take the pram with us to the gate was a massive inconvenience. For our entire time in the airport, I had to carry my daughter in the baby carrier, which she was not fully comfortable in for such a prolonged period of time. If we would have had the pram, then she would have had a dark, comfortable place to nap, and I would not have got so hot and tired having to carry her around for hours.

Flight – Paris Charles de Gaulle to London Heathrow

We were once again in business class for the return fight, with the 2×2 seats due to the middle seat being blocked.

The crew on board were once again very helpful with the safety information for the baby, and overall, they made the flight very pleasant.

This time we were flying at 22.10, and there was a small meal service on the flight. I opted for the chicken salad, which was very standard. Once again, the crew were brilliant at making sure everyone had what they wanted to drink throughout the flight.

Overall, the flight was quick, and as it was late my daughter slept the whole flight.

Once we landed back at Heathrow, as I could not take the pram to the gate, I was told I could only collect it from the baggage hall. This then involved another long walk with my daughter in the harness, along with a trip on the internal mini train at Heathrow.

Once at border control, the line was not very long, so we passed through quickly and got our suitcases, travel cot and pram back from the baggage hall.

Summary

Overall, our experience at London Heathrow was very good. The BA staff on the desks were helpful and friendly, and the airport is very baby friendly. We also had a very good inflight experiences in the business class cabin. The crew were welcoming and kept us well supplied with any drink we wanted. If travelling with a baby or infant, traveling in business class makes things far easier. Having the luxury of the extra space to put things down and get yourself organised made the whole experience much easier and enjoyable. I would highly recommend travelling business class with a baby.

Unfortunately, the experience at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport was the opposite of what we experienced at Heathrow. From the unhelpful check in staff, and not being able to take the pram to the gait, it made our experience at this airport very difficult. This makes having a baby carrier  essential for anyone who is travelling with an infant through Charles de Gaulle airport. Even though we had a negative experience at Charles de Gaulle airport, I would still rate my overall experience with British Airways very highly, and I would definitely fly business class with them again.