Just returned from our France trip

What time was your flight out of CDG back into the US? I keep seeing get there super early.. my flight is at 9:25am and I’ve heard counters don’t even open until 7 so just trying to time it up properly.. thanks and sounds like you had a great trip

Our flight was at 1:10pm - the lines seemed to be increasing throughout the day, so hopefully your earlier flight is to your advantage! They were also aware of the problem, and were helping people cut the line who were at risk of missing their flight.

Great thank you!

We got our covid tests 72 hours before our flight back to the U.S.

That works, but the requirement is that you show proof of an Antigen test completed within the preceding 3 calendar days prior to your departure.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

Edit: Corrected, thanks Aimee

We had to show our passes everywhere in Paris -- even sitting outside at a cafe. When we did a sidetrip to Lyon, we were rarely asked for the pass in restaurants or cafes. So it may be more lax in the provences.

We almost no wait at CDG but we are always there at least 3 hours ahead and we also had uploaded all our details including test results which allowed us the 'travel ready' line which was quite short. (United airlines). The regular line had about 150 people in it.

We had a very short wait at passport control and then security was another very short wait. We were through to the gate area in about 30 minutes. Others have reported hours and hours in lines. In the past before COVID we have had the experience of it taking the full 3 hours to get to the gate without even time to stop for a bathroom break and other times, no time at all. It pays to be very conservative in timing at CDG. Delays and inadequate staffing are pretty common. (American airlines once ushered about 50 people to the front of a line where we had been waiting an hour already -- they just took another line and put it in front of those who were already long waiting. It is never a very pleasant place to board a plane. We used to plan our trips to end with 3 nights in Amsterdam and one reason was to avoid flying out of CDG.

They misspoke — they meant proof of negative test three days before departure. (I think they were focused on correcting the 72 hours remark to three days, which is indeed correct , and then just had a brain freeze and wrote vaccination instead of negative antigen test — and of course it’s the negative antigen test that the U.S. requires for entry.

just had a brain freeze and wrote vaccination instead of negative antigen test

Absolutely correct. I went in for a vaccination that same day, had it on my mind, and wrote vaccination rather than antigen test.

I just returned home from Paris last week. I was so happy to have my Pass Sanitaire in hand for this trip. Everywhere we went, a scan of the QR was required. I was surprised but it was true. It was very easy to find a Green Cross pharmacy to get our test before returning home so I am certain it would be just as easy to obtain a Health Pass upon arrival in the same manner.

Paris was filled with mostly Parisians and Europeans... very few Americans. People were friendly and warm and helpful. Then again I am a smiling person who always greets in French.

We had an 10:30am flight out of CDG, and arrived just before 8am to find that the Delta ticketing crew had not punched in yet. I am well organized and uploaded all info into the Delta system earlier. Once we had checked in we sailed through security in minutes even though all our carry on bags were tapped for hand search. I found it to be organized and while serious, the workers were quite friendly and helped us moved along. I did not need to be there any earlier in advance. We sat for over two hours before our flight boarded. There is a point where it gets silly. Three hours is my max.

Same - we uploaded everything ahead of time and were ready to go - they still made us check in at the AirFrance gate.

see, I didn't upload anything to AF's app, I didn't see where I could (my passport info was there), but I was at CDG at 7am for an 11:20 flight, so no significant issue w/AF lines.

Although I am dismayed at how UNORGANIZED the AF terminal is, when I did my bag drop, there should've been more signs up directing us to which part of 2E we needed to go for that....

Now, security is another story, and the gate was another story as well! Again, signs are actually helpful, something these folks should know at the airport...

let me clarify AF's signage during my departure. I get dropped off at 2E and go to the right, am going to use the electronic bag drop (the computer worked fine to print my bag tag) and then physically drop the bag, then check in to go to JFK.

So after i use the computer, I have to physically walk in some 20 or 30 feet to the bag drop. Oh! But THIS bag drop is not for MY flight, it's for a different flight (no biggie, I get the logistics of it) but the sign noting WHICH flight is on an 8x11" piece of paper that no one can see until you're right up to it! So LOADS of us were being turned around - a logistical waste of time.

Export passport control - what do you want to see? just the passport? That makes sense, but NO, they also want my CDC card (again, no signs).

At the gate, I was there for the previous flight's load and departure to the US. There's a CDC form you have to fill out (again, no biggie) - but they're just sitting on the table, no sign, nothing up in advance stating that pax had fill it out in advance. Why?? Why make the boarding process more confusing than need be? Delta was one gate over, THEY had signed, but not AF?

That's what I'm talking about...

Flying under Iceland on the way back from my trip.

Tip: If you fly our Sunday morning, be extra early. My flight was at 11am and late 45 minutes. Traffic is bottlenecked at the airport. It took a good 25 min more than usual. Everything was fine till I hit the airport. I actually arrived to my gate at 11:20am - 20 min after my original flight would have left. Glad it was delayed.

We flew home from CDG on November 6th. Our flight was later in the day--3:30PM--but our taxi driver (booked by the VRBO owner for us) insisted we leave for the airport at 11AM because of traffic. We went straight to the check-in counter and were first in line. The only difficult thing was trying to manage a passport, a boarding pass, and the negative test. We never knew what they were going to ask for at which point. I always seemed to be fumbling for the right paperwork!

We spent seven days in Amboise and three in Paris and with the exception of two restaurants were required to show the Pass Sanitaire everywhere.

We are traveling to Paris after the new year. Any advice on obtaining the Pass Sanitaire ? Online or in person? Thank you in advance

You can no longer obtain OR codes for your US vaccinations online, but you can try here if you want:

https://www.demarches-simplifiees.fr/commencer/passe-sanitaire-francais-de-l-etranger

Present your CDC card at one of the sanctioned pharmacies, which will issue you an Attestation de vaccination which has a OR code. These codes are read into the TousAntiCovid app which is a very easy way to prove vaccination.

This explains how to show your CDC card and be issued a QR code. Pharmacies may charge up to 35€ for each code.

https://www.sante.fr/how-to-obtain-a-french-health-pass

Museums and restaurants will typically accept your US CDC cards as proof of vaccination. If your stay in France is not very long, you really do not need to go to the expense of the pass sanitaire.

In Paris now.. pharmacies everywhere.. people we have spoken too said it never took longer than 10 minutes…we were lucky enough to have it before landed.. went to 8 places in Paris yesterday and they asked for health pass in 4 of them.. a lot more times today.. don’t depend on your vaccine card however IMO

I flew home from CDG on Air France on Nov 22nd. My flight was at 10:25am and I got to the airport about 7am. Check in was easy at the kiosks with lots of AF people to help, bag drop was simple, and passport control was pretty short. Security check was a nightmare with personnel barking orders at harried passengers and people cutting in line so that your bins were separated. I waited over 10 minutes for the one with my passport in it.
Still, I was through in time to grab a bit of breakfast.
However, Air France held the plane for about 40 minutes because so many passengers were stuck in security. They apparently were not allowed to cut the line but were able to board due to AF waiting for them.
Whatever you do, get to the airport earlier than you think you need to. I wouldn’t bet that this waiting is standard.

Well to me it appeared that the Delta Air Lines lines were ginormous compared to Air France while I was there this last Sunday. I am a person who always gets to the airport extremely early and I would have missed my flight have the flight not have been 45 minutes delayed. Sunday, according to the taxman, is one of the worst days to get to the airport. Traffic is excellent right until you get to the airport area and since there’s only one route that gets you to the airport, that’s the only one you can take.