Charles de Gaulle or Amsterdam Schiphol airport for solo teen

Schiphol. AMS has just one terminal housed in an enormous build with a single corridor that connects the various "piers". 1 hour connection times are very doable. CDG has several different terminal buildings, making some transfers time consuming.

Thanks, that's good info to have.
Tim

Having recently been in both CDG and AMS, I would say that AMS is much easier and quicker to navigate. Better, more easily visible signage and more in English. I also found it to be an unusually fun airport. There were silly characters dressed up in hilarious costumes circulating through the terminal and really making people laugh out loud and stop for photos. A lot of people were smiling - an unusual site in an airport, in my experience. This was just a couple days before the Coronation celebrations and that could have had something to do with it, but it made my wait a lot more enjoyable.

To know if she is a "minor" at 16, especially in Europe, you should check with the airline issuing the ticket. You make her sound as if she is experienced enough to handle the complications, especially at Schiphol, which has the advantages the previous posts mentioned.

Oops! I cut myself off with an errant button-push (others may applaud...) From Columbus there will probably be an American stop too. I'd choose a ticket booked on KLM. For the trans-Atlantic portion, that would probably put her on a Delta connector flight to Detroit, and then across the ocean on Delta. Delta and KLM are effectively pooled on these runs and the terminal in Detroit is very easy to use. Luggage will be checked through so an hour minimum would do although 90 minutes would feel more secure. 90 is reasonable for Schiphol although I always prefer two hours for international connections. The KLM advantage is that it has well-informed agents in abundance at that airport who can help guide her along in English as good as is spoken in Ohio. Some of the coffee shops take US currency if she wants a snack, although not cheap of course. There's even a small art gallery. Your trust in her ability to handle this trip, with her documents in hand and her research on www.Schiphol.com printed out, will be as the advertising says, priceless. PS: For her new status as an adult, enroll her for frequent-flyer points. Might as well start them adding up early.
BUT: I am not an American so I don't know about her status at 16. A phone call to your chosen airline might be wise.

Please make sure she understands the criticality of handling her passport and travel documents with extreme care, as well as any purse or daypack she may be carrying. Teenagers can sometimes space out a bit about such things, especially if she's tuned out listening to her iPod or whatever, or simply distracted by being in such a complex and unfamiliar environment. A busy international airport is not the Mall in Columbus. Also, I saw posters all over Amsterdam showing a young woman with an iPhone in her hands and the caption "USE IT. LOSE IT."

Thank you for all of your comments. Delta has informed me that her UM status is optional at 16, but that they and their partner airlines (KLM and Air France) can provide an assistance service for a fee. They require at least 95 minutes connection time, though I'm looking for something closer to 2 hours to play it safe. My biggest concern is in Europe, so I'm on the phone waiting for KLM customer service just to double check what they will do for her. Best,
Tim

I've been through both and would highly suggest Schiphol, also.

Tim, I would also suggest using Schipol rather than Charles de Gaulle. As the others mentioned, it's a single terminal airport, albeit a VERY large one. Lots of walking will be involved. You might mention to her that when she lands, she will have to go through Passport control (first point of entry into the E.U.) and will have to go through security again prior to boarding her next flight. I've found that at Schipol, security can sometimes be right AT the gate, so passengers go directly from the scanners to their plane. I had a one-hour connection there last fall and it worked fine. However, if the first flight is late, that will change the situation. If she's flying on a code-share ticket, I suspect that KLM will make sure she gets to the destination. You indicated that "she's been to Italy and the UK on two different trips", so I'm assuming you were with her on those trips. Cheers!

Tim I have done both, and also suggest AMS. In fact I started flying by myself to stay summers with my French grandmother when I was thirteen . My parents routed me to Amsterdam where my grandmother came up to meet me. Previous trips had always been with my mom so we normally flew into straight into Paris.
Even my parents thought CDG sucked for an English speaking only kid to arrive at, lol