British Airways offers lie-flat beds on one-hour flights to Paris and Amsterdam

Passengers booking business-class trips on British Airways from London Heathrow to Paris or Amsterdam can stretch out on a fully flat bed during part of the one-hour hop.

The frequent-flyer website Head for Points is reporting that BA is using long-haul aircraft with lie-flat Club World beds on some of its shortest flights.

The main type is the ultra-long-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is being used on the 8.20am flight from Heathrow to Amsterdam on several days each week, and the 12.10pm departure in the opposite direction.

Travelling from London to the Dutch capital on 11 August, returning on 15 August, the return fare in business class is £275. The distance is 231 miles each way.

“Imagine your favourite armchair, your bed, your dining table, and your office; all in one,” says British Airways.

“Our Club World seats are designed for relaxing, sleeping, or getting work done, with more space and privacy.”

BA, like other airlines, is seeking to redeploy long-haul aircraft for cargo purposes, and is also believed to be providing pilots with continued experience.

The Boeing 787 is also being used on some links to Paris CDG – just 216 miles from London Heathrow – as well as Zurich, Stockholm and Athens.

The plane is also being used on flights to Larnaca, which is over 2,000 miles away, and to Moscow – formerly served by British Airways Boeing 747 Jumbo jets.

To Rome, the aircraft used is a larger Boeing 777.

As Head for Points says: “When you book a British Airways flight, you are not contractually booking a certain aircraft type.

“If British Airways decides to swap the aircraft to a standard short haul plane, you do not have any grounds to change or refund your flight.”

A BA spokesperson said: “We keep our operation under constant review.”