A few weeks ago I asked if a little over two hours is enought time to make a connecting flight at Charle DeGaull AP in Paris. We just returned from our trip and, to answer my own question: Absolutely not! We were on a flight with 40 or 50 college girls on a Study Abroad program or programs. Passport control at CDG was staffed by five people, but only two were handling 90 percent of the arriving passengers. The others were for the few VIPs and Eurozone residents. These two gave a cursory glance to us old folks but flirted with every young girl for up to five minutes each. By the time we made it through their line, rushed from Terminal 2F to the far end of Terminal D and went through security, our flight had departed. Fortunately, we were able to book a flight to Luxembourg for two hours later. If I fly though CDG again, I will book at least a three-hour window.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7559 posts
Well, while some airports may have good or bad reputations, I find the experiences random enough to not let it affect my travel plans. I have connected through CDG several times, with the expererience ranging from nothing unusual to coming in on a late flight and receiving a personal escort by Air France through Passport Control and to my connecting flight, which they delayed slightly. I usually figure that if the airline is willing to link flights at two hours, then they will guarantee I get to my destination. Now if I were landing in CDG (or LHR or FRA or any airport) and switching to an second airline that I booked separately, then totally different story. I would be hesitant to allow anything less than 4 hrs and would even consider a next day departure.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
Roy, Thanks for the info. That's a huge difference with the situation I encountered last year with a connecting flight in Frankfurt. I was through Immigration and at the boarding gate for the next flight in 20 minutes! The fact that I was at the front of the plane and able to disembark quickly likely contributed to the short connection time.
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
Thanks for the update Roy! I hope that the rest of you trip went great! Keep us posted--we'd love to hear about it!
Posted by
Atlanta
1357 posts
Sometimes it's just lousy luck. We've breezed through Frankfurt passport control, and other times there's been this huge cluster of people (for as methodical as their autobahns are, the Germans can't seem to form lines to save their lives) that's taken over an hour to get through. We also fly direct whenever we can. Not always possible, but then we have a list of the next flights and a couple of contingency plans just in case. Comes from years of flying standby. I hope the rest of your trip went better!
Posted by
OP
Auburn, Alabama
1064 posts
I probably titled this wrong, since my final point is not so much to suggest that everyone avoid connecting flights at CDG entirely but to let people know that a two-hour window is no guarantee that you will make the connection. Many people now advise that you arrive at the airport three hours early for departing flights. I plan to use that strategy in the future for booking connections, as well. Still, I will not book another connecting flight through CDG if I have other options. The delay led to some expense for a taxi instead of the bus in Luxembourg to make up for part of the lost time, and it threw my schedule off for the first couple of days, but these were not serious problems. Overall, we still had a great trip.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4407 posts
Sounds like the CDG I know and love ;-) When they're good and ready...