Warning - changing planes at CDG

I don't think anyone here would recommend a connection time of less than two hours at CDG. Your experience sounds entirely predictable. If anything, you were very lucky to make it. What if you hadn't arrived early or on time to CDG? You'd have even less time to make the connection. I'm not sure if you had the right expectations going in, but such tight connections in one of the world's busiest airports are just a recipe for stress or disappointment.

I had a similar nightmare connection at CDG--my first trip to Europe, so I was totally rattled by the epic milling confusion upon arrival, no idea where to go or what line to get in. I had the good sense to ask an employee and she magically whisked me into the security line and I ran through the terminal in my socks to catch my plane--they were waiting for me, after I entered the door slammed shut. I think this happens a lot at CDG so I won't ever do another connection there. Subsequent direct flights into and out of went smoothly.

I could be wrong but I can't image this scenario happening at AMS.

We've had similar connections several times there with no issues, but I guess things have changed since in the past few years.

I'll go with AMS next time, since I've never had a problem there, but I posted this on another travel board and someone replied that they had trouble at AMS recently. But at least there it's all in one building and last time we were there they had lanes for those with tight connections.

It's annoying that airlines can sell tickets where a connection is so hard to make. But getting there is certainly not any part of the fun these days :-(

Sorry Tom, your are wrong - it happened to us in AMS about two years ago just prior to Christmas. We got to the gate nearly 20 minutes early but it had closed because they were busing to the planes on the runways. It can happen anywhere, anytime.

OK, but AMS is one building and has a bypass lane for passport control for upcoming flights with short connections, posted on an ongoing basis and passengers waived through. CDG (T2) has multiple buildings and buses between terminals, even buses to other buses, and no passport waive through process.

Who uses apron busing at AMS? Not Delta/KLM/Air France I hope.

We were "apron bussed" arriving at CDG for a connection. We arrived on time with 90 minutes and were the last to board before the door shut on on connection departure.

Arrived CDG and unloaded onto apron for bussing to a remote passport control and re-screening. Waited for bus to take us to our departure terminal. Bus to terminal must have looped past every other terminal before our departure terminal.

PS. The passenger ahead of us with 80 minutes to connect found out that yelling at French airport workers does not get them moving any faster or speed up the arrival of the terminal shuttle bus.

I pick AMS over CDG whenever possible. And it looks like the new security system speeds up transfers over the old
AMS layout.

....Who uses apron busing at AMS? Not Delta/KLM/Air France ......

At least Air France did. Came in on a KLM flight at a gate and ticketed to departed on Air France to Strasbourg with apron busing. Later re-routed through CDG and the flight to Paris from AMS was bused.

I normally try to use FRA for transfers to my final destination in Europe. While it's a huge airport, it seems to have very efficient procedures. I've made connections there as short as one hour although I normally prefer allowing more time.

My experience at AMS on 9/21 was excellent. I started worrying about a 2.5hr connection time but the onward flight was to CDG on KLM so I knew they had flights hourly or so. The KLM flight arriving from SLC was nearly an hour early, border control was literally less than 10 minutes ( and there was a diversion lane for quick connections with the outbound flights listed and updated plus 2 helpful guys managing the line) and with a comfort stop I was from the plane entrance to the departure gate in 25 minutes.

I had not been thru there in a few years so was happy to see there was not another security checkpoint right after passing thru border control into the Schengen area.

I am sure there are times it doesn’t work this well but I would take that flight connection again with the 2.5 hour transit time. I generally like 3 hours when having to navigate Immigration.

France has that state of emergency thing going on since 2015 where everyone even those flying within Schengen have to go through passport control. I flew from Bordeaux to Brussels recently and there were long lines and most passengers were stressed had French passports. The other airports cited above in Europe do not have as high a volume of passengers as CDG.

The other airports cited above in Europe do not have as high a volume of passengers as CDG.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic
Passenger volume 2016:
CDG 65,933,145 a 0.3% increase
AMS 63,625,534 a 9.3% increase
FRA 60,786,937 a 0.4% decrease

AMS and FRA are within 10% of passenger volume of CDG and seem to handle connections with less drama. Perhaps more of us should avoid CDG to help them by reducing their passenger count

AMS was a nightmare this past June both coming and going. Long lines and confusion and some lazy workers (not all). Passengers at the back of the line were attempting to muscle to the front because "they're" flight was going to leave without them...well guess what - so was everybody ELSE's flight so chaos and tempers flared! Morons.

Long lines and confusion and some lazy workers (not all).

Same basic nightmare with Border Control. Huge line and 3 windows. Didnt ask me any questions. Looked at my passport and then laughed and talked to his neighbor officer, clearly returning to their own going conversation.

It sounds like low morale at airport security and border control everywhere not only CDG, AMS et al. My friend works at Transport Security Administration (TSA) at O'hare (very stressful) and says the pay is not equal to the responsibility (looking for things that could endanger the flying public) and that there is a high rate of absenteeism i.e. people call in sick all the time leaving the others short handed (but the job pays a living wage and unionized so hard to get fired). He believes the flying public is apathetic (not following directions and getting an attitude when informed of them or ask to) and generally do not respect airport security personnel.

I'll make a pitch for Iceland. My last three trips have been one stop flights to Paris (3 into CDG, 2 returning from CDG and one from Orly). The one stop is in Iceland (two on WowAir and one on IcelandAir) and I've been happy with them. The durations are short for one stop flights, the connections have been between 50 minutes and an hour and a half.
The nice things: It's not out of the way because the normal flight path takes you over the north Atlantic. You can have a short connection because the customs/immigration line is always short, well staffed and fast. Because you are in Schengen when you get to Iceland, your arrival in Europe doesn't require a stop at immigration (unless you are going to a non-Schengen country). If you have no checked bags, you can head straight to transportation.
The not so nice thing: Because the stop is in the middle, you can't get a good night's sleep on either leg - so you just have to try for as much sleep as possible on both.