Layover Times - is 1 hr 35 min enough time for an international layover?

You will only need to go through immigration at CDG because you are exiting the Schengen zone. Customs is a US check that would occur as part of the entry into the US.

My experience in connection through CDG is that 95 minutes can be marginal even if you arrive substantially on-time. Don't plan on doing anything at CDG other than getting from arrive gate to departure gate. However, if you are on the "same ticket" from Italy to the US, you are the airline's problem should you miss the connection.

http://easycdg.com/passenger-information/connecting-flight-connections-paris-cdg-airport/

Too close for comfort.

Are you looking at a specific airline site or something like Orbitz? If the latter, you could be looking at separate tickets being 'bundled' into a single transaction.

As Edgar noted if you are on a 'single ticket' the airline has to get you on your way should you miss the connection. (However there has to be seats available on a later flight)

If you have separate tickets, you have to buy a new ( likely very expensive) ticket, if you miss the flight connection.

Know what you are buying.

If you heard the news today, all USA bound flights will have added security checks... questions or forms to fill out, added luggage checks... We have had those security questions (at the gate or at check in), but I'm not sure what this Additional security checking will entail. The airlines are saying you should get to the airport 3 hrs. ahead. We have observed that starting your flight in Europe and connecting to a US bound flight stills entails that added security questioning.

I would contact the airline you are flying from Paris to the US and question them.

Seem a bit too tight for my comfort level. Think I'd add another hour due the the increased security procedures that have just been implemented.

Thanks, all, for the great info. I found that by changing my itinerary a bit and flying out of another airport, I was able to find a flight with a 5 hr connection in Amsterdam. It's about $200 more for the both of us but well worth the piece of mind, in my opinion. I did hear about the new security measures this morning and am even more convinced 1 hr 35 mins wouldn't have been enough time in CDG. Also, I am booking directly through the airline's website so will be on "one ticket." Although, I wouldn't have minded being stranded in Paris! ;-)

September 2016 our "layover" at CDG was less than 2.5 hours. We ended up in a massive line for immigration and almost missed our connection back to the US. Fortunately their were several of us on that connecting flight and Delta held the plane. Never again! Short layovers seem to be the sign of the times.

As far as Customs, we had a 3 hour layover at JFK last month and almost missed our plane. We had to run to the other side of the airport. Agents told us this is happening 24/7!

Hate to see it happen, but layovers are notoriously unpredictable and (IMHO) getting longer (with extra security etc.) You have 2 choices, worry about making your plane or having a longer layover. I take the longer (and longer and longer) layover to make sure I don't miss a flight (and a few are still close.) Good choice taking the flight out of Amsterdam.

I don't like cutting it close.

Optimum layover time decision is a risk tolerance and risk consequence assessment decision. If you construct a "risk matrix" considering the probability of an event and the consequences of success-failure, you can better rationally assess the risk of your layover options.

The "legal connect time" is what the airlines considers the minimum time between scheduled arrival and departure of the connecting flights. If your connection meets this requirement, the airline accepts this risk of getting you to your final destination, not necessarily on time.

In deciding on an acceptable connect time, you the passenger need to evaluate both the probability of delays beyond the "safe" connection time and the consequence of success-failure.

My bottom line is that I will typically accept higher risk of a missed connection on my return home and seek to minimize risk outbound at the start of travel. Now that I'm retired and typically do not have critical time sensitive activities returning from travel, a missed connection homeward is an acceptable risk especially if the alternative is an excessively long layover. An example would be my return flight from Helsinki two winters ago where I accepted the 50 minute connection as an acceptable risk. The alternative would have been a overnight stop in CPH (although there are worst alternatives than spending a night in Copenhagen).

On the other hand, if getting to a scheduled event on time with all my stuff is important, I will typically plan on arriving one or more days ahead. I use the extra pre-event time as both a risk minimization time cushion and time to adapt to time change.

The answer to the 95 minute CDG connection on the return flights would be dependent on likelihood of a missed connection (a "possible" risk) and the consequence of missing the flight. Only you can answer what would happen if you missed the flight?