We are looking at flights from Chicago to Paris using miles and the best one seems to be AA flight 42 from ORD on Oct 2 2016 into CDG at 6:45 am on 10/3/16 . What are some of the reasonable options of flights or trains to continue on to Toulouse. We have a tour that starts on Oct 4 and plan a extra day in Toulouse on the front end. We will have 1 checked bag and 1 carryon each. Thanx
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10623 posts
Have you entered ORD-Toulouse into your AA flight search and see what they offer because maybe you can get routed all the way to Toulouse on your original ticket--as long as it isn't a code share with high fees. We were able to get all the way to Bordeaux on the original 30K ticket--but on Delta/Air France.
For other options, try rome2rio.com.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Have you tried getting your mileage award to cover a code-shared flight connection to Toulouse? Usually, the miles that you pay are the same for any destination in Europe, regardless of number of connections. That carrier (and partners) would be responsible to get you and your luggage to your final destination, even in case of delay.
If you were to book a separate ticket on a budget airline (see www.skyscanner.com, for instance) or an advance ticket on a train, then neither ticket would be refundable or usable if your first flight was late enough to make you miss the scheduled departure. You'd also have to collect luggage before making your connection. From CDG to Toulouse by train takes 6.5-7 hours with one change; most often that means going into the city and catching a direct train from there. A couple of morning train departures (around 8:15 and 10:15) leave directly from CDG (Terminal 2 TGV station) to Bordeaux, then connect there, which is simpler.