If we are traveling from Paris to Barcelona on Vueling, should we arrive two or three hours before our flight? The hotel is telling us 2, and I really want that to be true, but I don’t want to miss our flight. Thank you!
Posted by
Paris
6914 posts
For what it's worth, I travelled from Paris to Spain on Vueling on 8th July (first day of school holidays) and security at CDG T3 took maybe 5 minutes, but check-in lines looked long.
So, if you travel with cabin luggage (beware, you need to pay for it on Vueling) and are able to get your boarding pass ahead of time, 2 hours is appropriate.
With checked luggage, or if you need to check in at the airport, an extra 30-45 minutes or so can't hurt. More seems excessive, and there is very little to do while waiting at CDG T3 - all you have is a Pret a Manger.
Also, beware of traffic or transit disruptions between Paris and CDG: allow extra time for that trip.
EDIT: The airline itself had sent me a notification to allow 2 hours.
Also, Vueling uses T3 at CDG: that's a very different "beast" vs. the huge terminals 2A-B-C-D-E-F, very manageable and comparable to Orly in that regard.
But if you can fly from Orly, it is better, because it is closer to Paris!
Posted by
Panguitch, Utah
2547 posts
I fly to Barcelona with some degree of regularity, avoiding CDG for ORY, and generally arrive just over 2 hours before scheduled departure. If for some reason, and I cannot think of a single reason why you would, you are flying from CDG, I would allow more than 2 hours right now, simply because of the overall chaos of summer travel this year.
Posted by
South Carolina
79 posts
It took me 2 hours to clear immigration and security leaving CDG a month ago, so I would not risk it. On top of that, my daughter had been randomly flagged for extra screening at the gate, so we had to be at the gate an hour before the departure time. Security took so long that we had to book it across the terminal to get there in time.