I am flying in to CDG airport approximately an hour before my sister is scheduled to arrive. I will arrive in Terminal 2A, and she is flying into terminal 2E. We would like to meet and share a taxi to our hotel. Please explain the best way to do this. I have looked at maps, and I think I need to pick up my baggage and go through security before going to another terminal. Will I be able to enter Terminal 2E without a ticket? Is there another convenient way to meet each other?
Posted by
Chicago
8063 posts
Meet in the lobby of the Sheraton hotel
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you. That sounds great. Should I pick up luggage and go through customs first?
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
You will have no choice in the matter.
Posted by
Chicago
8063 posts
You can't do anything before you go through immigration and baggage claim. You are herded off the plane into those stations.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Norma and Janettravels are right. Here's the procedure, assuming you are arriving on a nonstop flight from North America:
1) You get off the plane and go through passport control (immigration). This can take 15 minutes or two hours, and there's no way to predict in advance.
2) You go to baggage claim and pick up all your checked luggage. If you have no checked luggage, proceed through baggage claim to step 3.
3) You go through customs. In Europe, this is merely a matter of walking through the Green Channel Nothing To Declare line. Unless you are "randomly selected for additional screening" (possible but rare), you're done.
4) You now go through the frosted doors and are officially in France. You are now free to go anywhere you wish - except into secured areas of the airport, such as the parts of terminal 2E where your sister will be going through passport control, baggage claim, and customs. In other words, unless you're arriving on a flight, you can't get behind those frosted doors.
You cannot skip steps 1 to 3, and must go through them in order, before doing anything else. Don't worry - you won't be allowed to skip them, but will be funneled through them, along with the rest of the people on your plane. All of these steps have labeling in English and French.
Upon going through the frosted doors, there is always a huge scrum of people waiting for arriving friends and family. That's why Janet suggested the Sheraton - much nicer. If you don't want to do that, each terminal will have a designated Meeting Point, but as I said these can get very crowded and a bit frenetic.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks for your replies to my question. You have been very helpful.
Posted by
Chicago
8063 posts
I always have a plan B as well. If one person's flight is seriously delayed or cancelled, we just head into town and meet at the hotel. Haven't had to do that yet, but you won't want to spend hours at the airport or else be confused about what to do. We were once on a plane that came in 5.5 hours late; I would not have wanted a friend or relative to wait for that.