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questions RE: CDG, Amsterdam connection

Posted by (Washington DC) on

Please forgive me if these questions seem obvious - this is my first trip to out of the U.S. and I'll be travelling alone so I want to make sure I understand everything.

I have an 8am KLM flight out of CDG to Amsterdam and then on to Dulles (Wash DC). I'm scheduled to arrive in Amsterdam at 9:20am and my next flight (also KLM) leaves for Dulles leaves at 1:15pm. Do I go through any other checkpoints in Amsterdam or should I be fine to just switch gates? Based on my understanding, my checked luggage should go straight through to Dulles. Do I need to do anything at Amsterdam as far as entering the US or does all that happen at customs once I'm at Dulles? My flight to Paris is nonstop and I didn't consider any potential issues with international transfers before I booked my ticket.

I will be staying in central Paris the night before my departure and plan on taking a cab to CDG. I had planned to have a cab meet me at 4:30am but after reading a few horror stories about lines and general confusion at CDG I am wondering if that is too late - should I go for 4 am or even earlier than that? I assume it won't be a problem for me to get a cab that early in Paris?

Posted by
2092 posts

Nothing is obvious and the only thing that stays the same is change! Traffic from Paris to CDG should be light so early in the morning, so I would figure 1/2 hour to get to the airport. I also allow close to 3 hours before flight time out of CDG just to be on the safe side. a couple of days before I let the hotel know that I'll be asking for an early taxi for the day of departure and that I'll be paying my bill the night before.
For connection time at AMS I prefer a minimum of 1 hours and being assertive (and running) is necessary for that close a connection (I've done it)! AMS requires you to go through security at each gate. Your cargo baggage should go through to your first arrival city in the US where you will go through passport control and customs.
Hope this helps!

Posted by
2724 posts

If you don't get a boarding pass at CDG for your AMS to Dulles flight, make sure you stop at a "Transfer Desk" before you head to your next gate to get your boarding pass (I learned this the hard way). The transfer desk is listed on the info screens posted around the airport. Make sure to get a snack before you head to your gate (no food there). Also, check out the small branch of the Rijksmuseum (it's between piers E and F).

This was my experience going through security for a Northwest flight to PDX: You go through security at the gate. They were VERY thorough (many, many questions, close scrutiny of your passport). You get interviewed then you pass through metal detector. Once in the gate you basically have a restroom and that's it (thus get snacks first, but not liquids you can't get past the metal detector with them). The boarding time was about 2 hours before the flight left, because of all that detail. You will go through US customs at Dulles. Your bags should be fine checked through.

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