Getting money from the ATM at the airport

There could be a line with some people ahead, but that can be at ANY ATM anywhere. There are two limits - the owner bank has a transaction limit on the machine, and your bank will have a transaction limit on your account. The lower limit takes precedence. Just like in the US.
In order to be certain of using a bank-owned machine, learn the names of the major banks where you will be. And note that"Travelex" is not a bank.

Which Airport? If it is a large airport, like Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, etc. there will be dozens of ATM's.

Larry's post answers almost everything. A few additions: some major US banks will have interbank agreements with European banks so that you are not charged any fees from your bank (European banks do not charge fees). You can check with your bank to see if it has any such arrangements. Travelex is an exchange agency, not a bank, and therefore does charge fees for using its machines. Reports are that Travelex is the only ATM provided at Heathrow but is worth avoiding at other locations if you can.

Sorry. I will be at CDG in Paris.

Unless it's changed in a year the current ATM concession at CDG is HSBC bank. There's a $5 fee. Chalk it up as a travel expense. Unless you have a banking account which provides exchanging currency without a fee using an ATM when you arrive will be cheaper. Find an ATM, get some Euros and be on your way into the City of Lights.

According to the CDG website, HSBC has 25 ATM's there. You won't have any trouble finding one. I don't recall the $5 fee Claudia mentions, but I don't doubt her either. When you use a bank-owned ATM in Europe, usually the only charges are those imposed by your own bank back home. The only limit you have to worry about is that from your own bank. If a particular ATM machine has a limit, all you have to do is go to another ATM.

Hi, Liz. I connected through CDG in May and needed to get Euro while there. The closest ATMs can get backed up since people tend to go to the first one that they find and you will arrive with a group of people. Although CDG is very large, it is also pretty well signed. If the first ATM you encounter has long lines, look for a map which will have ATM locations noted on it and go to one a bit further away (if you have time). My debit card (Charles Schwab) doesn't charge ATM fees so I didn't pay any. You can probably check the CDG website to determine the terminal where your flight will land and then check the online map for ATM locations.

Liz, be sure to notify your bank of your departure and return dates to the US...and the countries you will be visiting. And..reconfirm with your back shortly before your departure.

I've used ATMs at CDG at least 2 or 3 times in the last 3-4 years, never been charged a fee.

Avoid exchange machines posing as ATM's. It used to be easy to skip exchange booths in favor of an ATM but now there are automated exchange booths that look like ATM's. You can tell by avoiding any machine with "EX" in the name and stick to the ones that have a bank name. So for example TravelEx is a skip, but Banco de Madrid is okay. There are also better deals on ATM charges/daily withdrawal limits from your bank, but that requires time to shop, open an account, and receive your debit/ATM card before you travel.