Advice on CDG airport please | ExpatWoman.com
 

Advice on CDG airport please

287
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 10:47

Hi,

I've possibly got the chance to take my 2 children (8 and 4) to the south of France for the Easter holidays but we'd have to fly Air France and change to a domestic flight to Marseille. Last year we flew through the UK but time and money restraints mean that's out this year.

Every time CDG airport is mentioned it's followed by people telling me what a nightmare it is. I don't normally shy away from unfamiliar situations but I'd be getting off a night flight from here with 2 very tired children and having to get us and our luggage to wherever the domestic flights go from.

Has anyone done this? Is it really as bad as people make out?

I really need to book if we're going, so any info is gratefully received!
Thanks

287
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 21:07
Thanks all, rather what I'd feared. I'm having a look at KLM but it's a bit hard to justify nearly Dhs 9k for a 2 week stay! SalsB, I looked at the EK flight, but we'd be staying an hour the other side of Marseille and EK is at least Dhs 3k more, even to Paris, unfortunately! breteuil, thank you for the very kind offer but it's looking less likely that we'll be going, unfortunately! I hope you have a great time though.
15
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 18:49
My only advice is "avoid". The staff are beyond unhelpful - when arriving on a delayed Air France flight, no efforts were made whatsoever to help those with connecting Air France flights off the plane in a timely fashion, nor to transport them from one gate to another. The outcome was that I arrived at the gate for my flight to Antananarivo seconds after it closed - after having to queue behind all other passengers to get off the plane (rather than being helped to make a quick escape, as happens with other operators when they are aware that their passengers are in danger of missing a connection) and running through a crowded airport for 10 minutes, following a lengthy bus experience. The flights to Antananarivo depart every two days. This was for my honeymoon. Yes, it began with an unscheduled stay in a nasty airport hotel in the outskirts of Paris, rather than one of the best hotels in Madagascar, for which I had already booked and paid. And it was all so, so avoidable - we would have comfortably made our connection had we not had to spend 20 minutes disembarking the plane, or if CDG could have organised a buggy or escort to take us straight to our gate, rather than us independently running a far greater distance than necessary and having to follow the arcane and ridiculous bus system necessary to go a very short distance. The staff at CDG just shrugged. They could not care less about customer service. I have never experienced anything like it and will never go to that airport again, nor will I fly with Air France ever again. My French husband was furious and said that he was ashamed of how his country's national carrier and airport 'look after' their customers. So, avoid!
90
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 12:02
Also make sure you have an euro coin with you, as you'll need it for the trolleys.
108
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 12:00
Hi JHM, It should not be difficult for you. You will land at CDG and Air France has buses every 15/20 minutes which will take you to Orly, to take your domestic flight. Orly is easier than CDG. Ask the hostess in the plane, she should be more polite that parisians which are not really helpful... Give me you dates, we might be in the same plane and i will help you !
1403
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 11:52
I also had a nightmare experience at CDG. The airport was VERY confusing and I have traveled through many international terminals on my own before. I was lost, plain and simple. NO ONE wanted to help me at all. Airport staff were the rudest people I've ever encountered. I needed to get to the domestic terminal but had no idea where it was or how to get there. Asked one staff member and his reply was "Does it look like I have an 'I' on my forehead for information?" Another staff member yelled at me as she 'hadn't signed on for her shift' yet. Seriously, I could go on and on!!! Someone eventually took pity on me (I was sick and upset by this stage) and showed me the way to the domestic terminal, where I missed 2 flights due to being lost. UGHHHH! This was the day after they found out they lost their bid for the Olympic Games... so I live in hope that they were just an angry bunch of people. We are going to Paris in May and I am hoping the people there are lovely as they were in Toulouse.
2725
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 11:40
EK now fly direct to Nice!!!! Is that an option for you. Should of mentioned I avoid CDG had a bit of a experience going thru the airport 2 years ago, Ive try the Munich and Amsterdam routes alot better. <em>edited by salsB on 13/03/2011</em>
5400
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 11:26
I'm sorry, I think the last time I was in CDG was in 1981, so things have probably changed since then. I used to hate going to Orly from CDG, although I suppose there must be transfer buses. KLM seem to manage transfers within CDG which I would think would be easier, and quoogle gives me at least 1 AF flight which does not require you to change to Orly for the domestic flight. It is slightly more expensive than those which take you via Orly, but might be worth it for the peace of mind. I put in some dates just to get an idea: http://www.airfrance.ae/cgi-bin/AF/AE/en/local/process/standardbooking/FareAction.do
511
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 10:57
I managed many airports alone since I was a teen and I can honestly say CDG was the worst. To transit was very confusing. I avoid it if there is another option (KLM is a much better option as Schipol is such an easy airport and they are usually the same price as they merged) However since you are actually going domestically in France, AF might be the only option. If the price is that significant and I was making a big saving then I would just do it.
117
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 10:50
Used to travel through there on way to central Paris... main issue was not so much the airport but getting into Paris from there as the peripherique (spelling?) was a nightmare but haven't done a transfer there so can't advise on that.
 
 

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