Is CDG a Bad Airport to Connect Through?

CDG can be rough, after all France attracts the most visitors than any country in Europe.
In this current climate where most of the world's busy airports like Amsterdam and Paris are short staff I would go with a longer connection. When is the trip? The airport situation may not be as bad as it is this summer by the time of your trip.
Your bags will be checked all the way through to Venice.
If you miss the connection due to the first flight not leaving on time enough for you to make it to your connection Delta will just put you on the next flight with space available to Venice. Delta is partners with Air France through the Sky Team alliance; currently there are 3 flights a day to Venice. What time is the one you are connecting on? I see departures to Venice at 7:10 am, 6:05 pm and then 9:10 pm.

We usually fly Delta and either KLM or Air France and are familiar with both airports you mentioned.

Based on what I read in the past few weeks, I would go with CDG over Amsterdam.

90 minutes could be a problem going through CDG now. We have changed flights several times at CDG and usually have to change terminals, but the two terminals are walking distance away.

Five hours is plenty even with the current issues at Amsterdam, but if you check any luggage, it might not make it to Venice.

I would suggest trying to go through CDG but book 2.5 hour layover. If you go through Amsterdam, don't check any luggage.

Just a heads up that if you're flying non-stop from MIA to CDG I think that's on AirFrance, even though the ticket may be sold by Delta as a codeshare.

Well, don't base it on which is more FUN -- as a layover isn't FUN. Base it on enough time to get through Border Control/Customs and now-a-days -- I'd do NO LESS than 3 hours. We have had layovers in just about all airports and as long as you have PLENTY of time - you should be ok. All airports are in a mess now - Heathrow being all over the news, but there are issues everywhere. I'd be careful with anything less than 2-3 hours. If you get delayed leaving the USA - which has happened to us - your layover in Europe is even less. I don't think 90min is enough - we always do 2 hours minimum and prefer 3 - Border Control lines can be brutal. Plus - you want your luggage to get on the plane with you.

CDG isn't worse than anywhere else - we have a 3 hour layover at CDG in November for the Xmas Markets in Germany. We chose it over Heathrow and Amsterdam. It's really about your layover time more than airport choice. Your bags will go straight to Venice - you don't claim them. 5 hours in Amsterdam is LONG - but now a days - it may take that long - plus, you can get thru Border Control and sit down and have a great meal/pastry/chocolate/etc.

From what I am reading right now, I would pick CDG over AMS. But I agree with other posters that 90 minutes is too short for the connection time. Yes, Delta will get you on the next flight, but who needs that hassle if it's avoidable? Enjoy being in France for a couple of hours! And regardless of your transfer airport, be sure that each of you packs essentials in a small carry on bag! At minimum, medicine and a complete change of clothes (which teens might not view as essential). 😁

Last month my daughter flew from Minneapolis to Venice via CDG on Air France with a 90 minute layover. She said it was crowded but otherwise straightforward and she had no difficulties. However, she did not check any baggage and this was at least her 3rd time through CDG.

In general, when I have of choice of connecting thru Amsterdam or CDG, I choose Amsterdam. I feel that AMS is easier to navigate and CDG seems to be affected more by strikes. That said we've been to CDG a lot and have been able to navigate it without significant issues. I have been able to manage 90 minute layovers at both airports. I think it is a matter of personal preference. I would generally choose the shorter layover as long as my tickets are on the same airline and are connected, like yours are. If you miss the flight, is there another flight soon there after that Delta could move you to? Make sure to have an airport terminal map and the Fly Delta app so you can keep track of the gate you are landing at and leaving from.

In terms of which airport is more comfortable or "fun" for a longer layover, I'd pick Amsterdam.

When are you going? I think right now the choice of airports is a crap shoot. Both are having significant problems. We will be connecting thru CDG in less than 2 months and hope that things will calm down.

Is CDG a Bad Airport to Connect Through?

Yes

The Paris airport is north of the city, about an hour ride on the RER metro train from the city center. So, the “fun factor” is about equivalent to being in the Minneapolis airport - LOL!

Personally, I would choose the 5-hour layover in Amsterdam, so I know I would make the connection. If your first flight is running late, you won’t be worrying on the plane that you’re going to miss the connection. I’ve spent five hours in JFK; not fun, but I knew I would get to Venice as planned.

I second the recommendation to plan for a longer connection at CDG; both you and the kids will enjoy it more if you can be more relaxed. Here’s my recent CDG experience:

On July 9, 2022, my 13-year old granddaughter and I connected in CDG on our return to the US: Berlin-CDG-Seattle on AirFrance/Delta. Delta had booked us with a 1-1/4 hour connection at CDG at about 10:00 a.m. which made me very apprehensive; there’s only one AF/Delta non-stop CDG-SEA flight, I believe. We checked our bags in Berlin to make the transfer easier.

What I think is new signage made it “fairly” straightforward to walk from Terminal 2F to 2E and get through Immigration; Schengen and non-Schengen flights generally use different terminals. I’ve travelled into, out of, and through CDG many times throughout the years and know patience and observation are keys to my sanity there.

BUT, the airport is VERY, VERY crowded with a lot of folks traveling now. The good signage only moderately helped with that. Our flight from Berlin was on time, but if the flight to Seattle had not been delayed more than an hour we would not have made the connection. It took us just under two hours, walking as fast as we could through the crowds. At one point on this traverse we had to go around a pretty tight corner where I couldn’t see the signs (I’m height-challenged) and with lots of jostling and cross traffic—a MASS of people who mostly weren’t sure where they were going. Folks were transferring FROM the other terminal and the two streams were crossing; people who were pulling bags really added to the confusion (no criticism of carry-on since we did it on the trip over). Having a little more time would have made it less stressful for me.

You’ll likely need to do the same in reverse, transferring from 2E to 2F PLUS go through BOTH Immigration AND security for a US arrival. It may take close to two hours+/- for you, depending on the number of flights coming in when yours does.

After all this, in the current air travel situation, I STILL recommend CDG and hope this helps with your planning. Also, I applaud the employees who work there every day and deal with the mass of passengers, speaking so many different languages. Our bags arrived when we did. Yay, CDG baggage handlers!
Here’s a link that may help you beforehand as it did me: https://easycdg.com/passenger-information/transit-connecting-flight-connections-paris-cdg-airport/

Look at Miami to Madrid and a separate flight the next day from Madrid to Venice. I have entered Europe in Madrid several times because it is much cheaper than CDG from Miami.

I’ve transited through CDG many times and try to avoid it when I can. In my experience, 90 minutes will be cutting it close. Remember that the 90 minutes is from touchdown to takeoff, so you really don’t have 90 minutes. The layout of CDG is terrible. I’ve always said that CDG is made for architects, not for the traveling public.

Certainly not my favorite airport in Europe. Even the waiting rooms are hot in Summer. I didn't find the airline workers the most congenial around either.

I remember when my wife had to go to the restroom, and she asked a guard where one was. She didn't realize she was breaking security by coming back thru the door she went out. They cleared out the entire wing of the airport including all security workers and 2 airplanes waiting for the doors to close--and all the luggage too. Everything and everybody had to be rechecked, and it put us 3 hours late getting home.

There certainly are better airports for connecting flights. My favorites are Munich and Zurich. CDG is about average, on par with say Frankfurt, but all else being equal, I avoid CDG and Heathrow as a transit airport between home and Europe. This summer it is bad all over Europe from the news reports, something to consider. AMS has really had a bad go of it lately.

And 90 minutes layover in CDG is really cutting it too close for comfort based on my experience. The layout of the airport with distant separated terminals is part of the issue; when the plane lands, depending on the terminal, it can take 20 minutes for the plane to taxi and park at a gate, so you don't even get off the plane until the 30+ minute mark of your layover, and if you have to switch terminals, it can be a really long slog. I would rather have a 3 hour layover for safety, and then enjoy the airport, duty free, etc., to pass the time.

One more negative thing about Amsterdam airport. When we have had a layover there, when we got to our gate for the next flight there were very few seats for those waiting to board. We had to stand or sit on the floor for a long time. Not so with CDG.

I fly through CDG often on my Seattle to Europe trips. I’ve grown accustomed to it and have at least a little sense of where I’m going as I change planes. But I never accept Delta’s 90 minute transfer offer. The next one is 4.5 hours and I just go ahead and take that one. I hope to never find myself running through an airport, trying to get a tight connection, and so I’ve resorted to taking those 4 hour layovers. I relax, clean up in the lounge, and have some food. I much prefer it that way but opinions vary:)

My experience at CDG was pre COVID. We thought 3 hours would have been plenty of time. No, we spent 3 hours in passport control. Most of our layovers from SeaTac have been at Schiphol. It’s been a 3.5-4 hr. timeframe for us. If traveling now I would choose the 5 hour layover in Amsterdam considering the current challenges now.

Amsterdam is having huge problems. If you are checking a suitcase, I'd avoid it. In normal times, Amsterdam was the easier, small airport, but these aren't normal times.

90 minutes is too short IMO, even in normal times.

I've connected through CDG a number of times. In 2019 we would have missed our 2 hr 10 minute connection because of long immigration lines. Thankfully they held the flight because 40 people were delayed in the line.

We went to Spain a few months back and Delta offered a 1 hour 50 minute connection at CDG or a 6 hour connection at AMS. Under 2 hours wasn't reasonable to us so we chose AMS. We even left the airport for 2 hours to go into the city. But that was before all of this summer craziness hit, I doubt I'd chance leaving the airport now.

Go with AMS and the 5 hour layover. CDG can be difficult at the best of times but with 90 minutes, you will essentially be racing from one end to the other, and there is a good chance you will not make it. Your kids will NOT think it is fun, believe me.

AMS is having lots of problems but most of the problems are affecting travelers who are beginning their flights there and going through security. With 5 hours for a transfer, you should be okay.

Based on current information I would chose the 5 hour layover in AMS to the 90 minutes layover in CDG ... my minimum for CDG is 2 hours. You can get a hotel for 5 hours at AMS if you need to rest. AMS is usually very efficient but as everywhere in the service industry airports are struggling.

Not sure what would be "fun" about any airport it's not like you get to see Paris

Curious as to whether people think the airline makes a difference in the amount of time needed for a connecting at CDG. For, example, I am connecting thru CDG at the end of September and both flights are with AirFrance.

CDG has experienced nowhere near the same amount of meltdown as Amsterdam lately - with the notable exception of a luggage handling disaster over the first weekend in July - so these days, all other things being equal, I would pick CDG. But 5 hours in Amsterdam is safer than 1.5 in CDG.

Based on what I'm reading. I'd choose 5 hours in Amsterdam and try to stay inside of security. Unless there has been significant improvement in the last few weeks, people were getting "stuck" in line for security for hours at Schiphol.

Charles de Gaule can have a very long passport line, most of the time 90 minutes isn't going to be enough to get your passport stamped and make your connection. I believe there are special lines for first and business class. If you are flying one of those, it's probably possible to make it. It's infinitely better to have a little boredom with slip time than sheer terror without it.

Either way, don't worry about getting into town and back. You don't have enough time for that. Each time I've flown into CDG, I went via Iceland and had my passport stamped before I arrived. I was carry-on only so zero wait for bags. It took just about one hour to get off the plane, through the airport and buy a train ticket. And just about another hour to take the train (from the time it left CDG) into Paris. My only Amsterdam experience was being picked up by a driver from my car lease company. It still took a couple hours before we were in our car and "on our way".

Big fan here of CDG. Good food courts and the people are helpful. Maybe some concern if your flight is delayed leaving enroute to CDG. Be careful with the pastries as the sugar content is high, leading to a crash as you're trying to overcome jet lag. Beware the Schengen changes. Also, if you can jog it will make a huge difference. We fast-walked a jogged between two CDG terminals in half the time of our previous just-walking trip. Also, it woke us up a bit and got us going!

it took us 1.5 hours to get through passport control & security to get on our flight home last Wednesday at CDG in Terminal 2A. We were not transiting, but if you were switching terminals/from Schngen to non-Schengen, I think you would have to go through the same. It would have been faster without kids (could go through the auto machines) but since you also have kids, that won't help you. If your only option is 90 mins in CDG< I would pick 5 in Amsterdam and not check bags.

I just connected in Amsterstam, 2.5 hours a week ago, and 5.5 hours yesterday. I'd booked this well before the airport chaos with the hopes of actually hopping into town for Rijstrafel, but with the way things are now, we did not leave the security area.

Pre-chaos, Schipol was my favorite large airport. They are definitely understaffed right now, so some restaurants aren't open and those that are close early. This sucked for us on our flight in, as we were arriving at our destination too late for dinner and was hoping to have dinner at the airport, instead we got premade sandwiches. On the way back, we were transiting earlier in the day and got not one but two different bitterballen experiences at the Heineken Bar at Het Palais respectively. We had to wait about 30 minutes at passport control both times despite traveling between Schengen countries (Germany to Ireland) - that was weird.

That said, even with all this, I would be nervous about doing CDG in 90 minutes in normal times. I mean, I often try to avoid connecting in certain airports in normal times and CDG is one of them. I would try to avoid it now. Schipol has shopping and a "library" area and again, Bitterballen - the 5 hours went by pretty fast.

Go into training and prepare for a fast walk, jog, or run. Hurrying to catch a flight is among the most invigorating and exciting things I've ever experienced, other than getting shot at. It's easy to fly past the duds on the movable sidewalk, looking lazy and sad, and it gives you a jolt of confidence, optimism, and superiority.