CDG connection time?

Posted by Dick (Olympia, WA, USA) on 11/17/14 04:59 AM

We're flying home to Seattle from Athens next spring, and we have two Delta flight choices. One is through CDG with 1 hour and 50 minutes between flights. The other is through JFK with two hours and a half between flights. We'd rather do our US entry at the end of the trip, in Seattle, but only if the 1 hour 50 minute connection in CDG is likely to be adequate (after a 3 1/2 hour morning flight from Athens).

Our question to experienced flyers is, which route would you choose? One with a 1 hour 50 minute layover at CDG, or one with a 2 hour 30 minute layover (including US entry) at JFK? Should we expect to change terminals at either airport? Does Delta do a good job with these connections?

Of course, missing either connection wouldn't be the end of the world. There are worse places to be stuck than Paris and NYC! :-)

Posted by sanderskn

Seattle, WA

11/17/14 05:13 AM

359 posts

I would take the longer layover. You never know what could happen.

Posted by Roberto da Firenze ⚜

San Francisco Bay Area (USA)

11/17/14 06:49 AM

15835 posts

In JFK you might have 40 extra minutes, but you need to go through US immigration (often long lines at JFK), then wait for and retrieve your luggage (as US customs is at the first port of entry), go through US Customs with the luggage, re-check the luggage to SEA again once passed customs, go out, take the shuttle bus from the International terminal to the domestic terminal, go through security again, and find your gate to SEA.

All you need to do at CDG is transfer from Terminal 2F to 2E (and go through security/passport check at T-2E).

1h50m is a long time, assuming the flight from ATH arrives on time. I'd take a chance at CDG. Going the Arctic route straight to SEA is much shorter, plus I hate doing customs in NY and still having to fly another 6 hours. The worst that can happen is be stuck in Paris for one night at the airline's expense (which beats being stuck one night in Jamaica, NY at your expense). But it won't happen. Usually when you have a tight connection at CDG, they come and get you at the gate with a special van (but yours is not that tight if your flight from ATH is timely). I've been stuck in Paris only once, as my SFO flight was canceled for snow. All other times I made it with even shorter layover than yours, often picked up with a special van.

Posted by Andrea

Peterborough, ON, Canada

11/17/14 12:27 PM

1618 posts

When I connected at CDG, the airport officials pulled people with connecting tickets out of the passport control line and put us to the front of the line. Not saying that would happen again, but it did help get us through in a timely manner. This only applied to people who had bought the entire journey on one ticket, as you will have.

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

11/17/14 06:49 PM

16895 posts

I have chosen to use Delta from Athens to Seattle on a couple of occasions and had no problem with the transfer in that direction. When you book it all on one ticket, at least the airline takes responsibility in case of a delay. I have always thought it made sense to avoid a connection in the US, with the accompanying customs inspection. On a lesser note, this year I stopped over in New York for a few days, and the Delta flight from JFK to Seattle that I took last month had no included food service and a really skimpy, lousy selection of paid movies, so those domestic features are different from the trans-Atlantic flights.