Connecting Flight in Munich to Paris

1) Yes, plenty of time
2) No

Thanks, there's so much anxiety associated with this being our first international trip.

Someone correct me if wrong. To clarify, I think you will have to go through immigration (passport control) first, to see if you're allowed in the country, then pick up checked bags to go through customs (to see if what you brought is allowed in).

Thanks Stan, that's good to know.

This is a double posted question. It's also posted in the France section.

Someone correct me if wrong. To clarify, I think you will have to go through immigration (passport control) first, to see if you're allowed in the country, then pick up checked bags to go through customs (to see if what you brought is allowed in).

Correct. And because United uses Terminal 2 and Air France uses Terminal 1, you still have to walk over to Terminal 1 (about 20 minutes), recheck your baggage and go through security.

Stan and Sla019, thank you both for this detailed information. it is good to know exactly what the process will be for my wife and I when we arrive in Munich.

Five hours should be plenty of time, Munich is a fairly efficient airport, not overly busy. You would even have enough time to stop at the brewery in the Airport, AirBrau, for a beer.

To elaborate on part of your question, immigration, since both Germany and France are party to the Schengen agreement, even if it were on one itinerary and bags checked through, you would still need to go through immigration in Munich, not in Paris. As for Customs, you may not even know you go through it, there will just be an exit with green markings for "nothing to declare", if you do have something to declare, you have to seek out a customs officer over in the red marked area. If you are doing good on time, since you will be outside security, like I said, you could stop for a beer, there are some nice outside areas at that airport as well to catch some fresh air and sun. In Paris, you will just head for the exit.

Thanks Paul for such detailed information; this will help me navigate the immigration/customs price in an expeditious manner.

Also a beer 🍺 during our layover in Germany is a great idea.

You have gotten some very good answers, but I'm just a bit curious why you didn't book it on one ticket. Or at least bought the Munich to Paris flight from Lufthansa, which is a Star Alliance member, just like United.

Hi Badger, I booked this flight with miles I earned on my credit card. Right now there’s a scarcity of available business class bookings from the US to Europe for travel this summer. Therefore, even though my ultimate destination is Paris, the fares I found for rewards booking in business class was Houston (my home Airport) to Munich. After that, the most reasonable booking I could find for a direct flight from Munich to Paris (which I also booked with miles) was SkyTeam member Air France. This is all certainly not ideal, but again the options for reward bookings are very limited for business class fares. The cash rate for the two Houston to Munich business class tickets is over $14,900 USD. In comparison, our out of pocket costs when booking with the miles is a little over $100. We are willing to jump through some hoops to realize that value.

Thanks for the answer! That certainly explains the strange routing.