London: Despite environment concerns and the Eurostar rail service that connects the two cities in little over two hours, many visitors prefer to fly between London and Paris.
“It’s ridiculous to take the plane for such a long distance,” said Sabia Mokeddem, a French national who has been living in London for over five years.
Mokeddem claims she is obliged to fly due to Eurostar’s “prohibitive” ticket pricing for the 305-mile (492-kilometer) high-speed route via the Channel Tunnel.
“I think about how much carbon I’m producing for such a short flight… But I cannot afford the train,” the 27-year-old bank employee told AFP.
She says she’d gladly pay a bit more to let the train take the burden “because it’s better for the planet” and she loves to travel by rail.
But the price difference is too big, especially because she can find flights over the Channel for as cheap as 40 euros ($43).
Lucy Kelly, a 30-year-old Irish woman living in Paris and working in brand management, only travels the train to London when she can reserve a seat ahead of time.
“If I’m organised enough, I’ll book the Eurostar,” she explained. “Then you may get a return for 110 euros, which I think is reasonable, even though it is still more expensive than the plane.
“If I go last minute, prices can be crazy.”
A return flight can easily cost more than 350 euros.
Kelly claimed she took the plane to London in November.
“It was definitely cheaper — a quarter of the price of getting on the train,” she went on to say.
