Our train arrives in Charles De Gaulle at 12noon. Our flight departs at 3:40pm (International). I'm a little nervous about this, but it does allow for more than 3 hours. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.
PS This is for May 3rd, so not sure of the strike situation, but I know May 1 is a holiday.
I think you should be fine. Can there be irregular operations on any day? Yes, but you can't spend time worrying about what may happen. Have a wonderful trip!
How did you get in this situation? Did the airline change your flight or was this how you originally planned it?
Where are you coming from to arrive at noon? I'd be nervous as well and if you're coming from a distance I'd probably want to be in Paris or nearby the night before.
You should know that I'm a very risk averse traveler especially when it comes to a high-stakes long haul flight home.
we are coming from Strasbourg. We are trying to decide if we should come to CDG the night before and spend the night, or if we are able to have one more night in Strasbourg. It seems like this should work, but we are a bit nervous, considering the strikes. But who knows how things will be in May
I've done it like that a number of times with no problems. I've also done it where I have arrived 5 hours before the flight and that can destroy the will to live.
You should be OK. There is some risk but it all depends on your train being on time or at least within a 30 min window.
I've been on two late trains within the last year in France. One was 90 minutes late because someone had left a package and all trains on that line had to stop while the package was destroyed. My second late train recently was because the police had to be called to remove a passenger or passengers at our first stop.
Go the night before; be in the departing city for any high-stakes flight for which you'd have to buy a walk-up return ticket if you were late. You could enjoy an evening in Paris, not the airport.
I'm pretty risk-averse too about high-stakes flights, so I agree with Bets. If you had a morning flight I'd suggest spending the night before at the airport. With a mid-PM flight you could spend that last night in Paris. But you may not want the hassle of moving in and out of the big city for just that one night, especially if you've had a stay in Paris earlier in the trip.
You asked for opinions, but if you've already paid for that Strasbourg-CDG ticket on flight day, then you have to consider the cost of changing your plan. It may not be worth it.
I'm with Bets. It's all about how much risk appetite you have for the possibility of having to buy an on-the-spot one-way ticket from Paris back to the States.
One other issue with Strasbourg is that if the TGV has any problems, it's way too far away to figure out another solution in time. It's a five-hour drive from Strasbourg to Paris (and that doesn't count picking up or dropping off a rental car, or finding a driver to hire, etc.).
And I imagine buying two new train tickets (now) is less than the cost of two walk-up Trans-Atlantic flights.
I’m in the group that chooses to be in the departing (back to North America) city the night before. I have been on delayed trains in France (last year, going to Dijon from Gare de Lyon), Thalys (Paris to Amsterdam) and in Italy. Travel is more complicated now and thus there are more variables that can create delays.
We once arrived at CDG 90 minutes before departure (due to an unexpected shutdown of the RER B line). I used several of my nine lives, but we made it to the gate just before boarding ended.
Anything around 2.5 hours before departure leaves us feeling comfortable!
My daughter and two grandchildren have a flight from San Francisco to CDG (terminal 2E, arriving at 11:15) with a change of planes to Bordeaux. They originally had just over two and a half hours to get to their Bordeaux plane in terminal 2F (leaving at 1:45). They are flying Premium Economy, so should be able to deplane fairly quickly and hustle with their carry-ons to their connection. However, Air France changed the time of their flights , Now they arrive at 2E at 10:45 and leave for Bordeaux at 11:50. Yikes! Just an hour and five minutes! I know they are "covered" to get to Bordeaux because their trip is on one ticket, but if they miss their flight and get bumped to the next flight, or even later flight, it will be a real pain. She is traveling with a 9 year old and 12 year old...not tykes, but still kids who have been on a plane for the previous 10-11 hours. There will be two people waiting to pick them up at Bordeaux airport and then drive them 2 1/2 hours to Vitrac. I can imagine my daughter being a bit frazzeled and those picking them up will have wasted a day hanging around the Bordeaux airport instead of having a glass of wine and some pate in Vitrac.
Does anyone have any suggestions for what they might be able to do to get through immigration quickly so they can move on to their departure gate in 2F? I have suggested telling the flight attendant of their plight, and seeing if that person can suggest a quicker way through immigration. They know they will have to move fast, and of course will use the facilities on the plane before landing, but is there one of those carts you often see in airports that can give them a lift? Being in Premium Economy, is there the possibility of a shorter line for immigration? I will appreciate any suggestions or knowledge you can provide to alleviate my worries about this.
I did call and and speak with a customer service person at Air France, but they said they couldn't suggest anything and that Air France wouldn't change the flight times if the passenger couldn't make it to their next flight. I asked for some info about the terminals and their layouts, etc.but the representative had never been to CDG so he couldn't help me. Sometimes this keeps me awake at night. I know they will eventually arrive at our gite in Vitrac, but I would hate to have their vacation start out like this. For various reasons, they have to fly home on the 18th, leaving Vitrac for Bordeaux the 17th, so they will only have seven days to experience the wonderful Dordogne. First world worries, I admit, but this is a two year-delayed 50th anniversary celebration and probably our last visit to France, so we want to make the most of it!
P.S. I piggybacked on this thread and didn't start out to make it about me, only about transfer times at CDG, so I apologize for that. Still, I would appreciate any help.
Judy, you will get more responses by starting a new thread. But in my opinion, the odds of them making that connection are very, very slim. She should contact the airline and change to flights with a longer connection.
we are coming from Strasbourg. We are trying to decide if we should come to CDG the night before and spend the night, or if we are able to have one more night in Strasbourg. It seems like this should work, but we are a bit nervous, considering the strikes. But who knows how things will be in May
Can you take the earlier train? Otherwise I would go the night before.
Having a schedule that requires (near) perfection to be successful, is thinner ice than I would skate on.
@Judy. Too complicated to answer with the restrictions on short-haul flights. It will turn this thread into a jumble.
This needs and deserves its own space. Just copy your post, delete from here, and paste into your own thread. You'll get a lot more people helping you and will sleep better. 😉
thank you everyone! We have changed our train to come in late the day before, and will spend the night at DeGaulle.
It seems like a bit of a waste of a day, but I do think we would be nervous wrecks otherwise. We will enjoy a good part of the day in Strasbourg and catch a late afternoon train. I really appreciate everyone's input.
Bets and travel4fun, thank you for your concern. I managed to schedule a later flight but from a different terminal (2G). It gives her just over 2 hours transfer time. This flight didn't appear in one of my AF searches, but a wonderful young lady named Emma at AF customer service was a big help and very understanding, and took care of the CDG to Bordeaux flight change. She even assured me that there were "golf carts" available with drivers to speed her through to terminal 2G. She spent about 25 minutes to find a solution to my problem, unlike the young man I spoke with last month. Hooray for Emma! Now I have no need to start a new thread, but I thank you both for your concern. And thank you Emma!
