Air France Frequence Plus - Connection in Paris-- enough time?

I am going to book a ticket from IAD to Madrid via CDG. The online booking engine (both Orbitz and through AF direct) gives me flight with a connection of only 45 minutes in CDG. Is that enough time, or should I take another option with a 2+hour connection? I get the feeling that that's rather short..

I would go with the later flight.
Remember that you have to go through the passport control, since are entering the Schengen union. Also, you will probably change terminal.

You could also take the chance that you can make it. They would anyway put you on the next flight if you miss the connection.

Bon voyage!

very unlikely - depends on the terminals - if you have to take a bus you probably wouldn't make it.

I would take 2+ connection since I do not want to worry whole the way from IDA to CDG.

Passport control usually does not take a time but who knows.

If you have a time, you can check out shops at CDG.

BTW, what time is the arrval at Madrid either way? Around noon?

thanks everybody for your help. the last time I took AF through CDG it was fine-- I was connecting to London (ie- no passport control in paris) and everything went smoothly.

kc-- there are two options-- if I take the 5:05PM flight from Paris, the short connection (50 minutes) would get me in at 9:20, the long at 11:50. If I take the 10:35 flight from IAD, I would get in at 2:40 if I do the 45 minute connection, 4:15 if I do the longer one..

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by jasoncrhdc:
thanks everybody for your help. the last time I took AF through CDG it was fine-- I was connecting to London (ie- no passport control in paris) and everything went smoothly.
</font>

United Kingdom is not in Schengen, so you would not go through the passport control in France.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by GrapeDane:


Also, you will probably change terminal.

Bon voyage!</font>

I believe that both IAD and MAD flights arrive/depart from terminal 2F. You will have to go through immigration and customs, though. If you take the later flight, 45 minutes may be enough but if you take the earlier one, you may need more time since you will be arriving in the morning.

Remember, flight connections at CDG are much smoother and can be done in a shorter time than those at LHR.

While you might be able to make it in 45 minutes, your baggage probably won't. On at least three occasions in the recent past either my girlfirend or the both of us got to our destination ahead of our bagagge when flying AF via CDG. Even with longer connection times than 45 minutes.

Still, if you wouldn't mind getting your lugagge a day later or so and would be happy to forgo the hassles of handling your baggage in MAD, you should be fine. (I always try to see things from the positive side http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif)

[This message has been edited by yogimh49 (edited 10-25-2002).]

[This message has been edited by yogimh49 (edited 10-25-2002).]

What about arriving from New York at 0600, and connecting to Geneva at 0700?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Concerto:
What about arriving from New York at 0600, and connecting to Geneva at 0700?</font>

That should be fine as Switzerland is not part of the Schengen region so you will not need to clear immigration and customs in CDG.

With even 2 hours connection time between PRG and JFK, my bags don't make the transfer 3 of 4 times. In Prague, AF gives you a phone to call about your bags which is NEVER answered- not even a machine. I tried calling at least 100 times over 3 events. Quite a joke... The phone just rings and rings.

Just got back from JFK-CDG-MAD and wondered the same thing when booking the tickets. We opted for the 2 hour layover. We didn't check bags and were some of the first of the plane we were actually through customs, passport control and on our way to 2F in about 30 min. So, without having checked luggage we probably could have made it... but why rush? I'd opt for the long layover again.

AZJ

okay, probably against my better judgment, I booked the ticket with the short layover... like 40 minutes...however, the agent told me that my arrival from Dulles is in 2F and my departure is from 2F as well, so I'll cross my fingers that my bags and I get there. if not, I'll take the next flight. at check in I'll tell the agent that I have a REALLY tight connection and ask if there's ANY way to sit as close as possible to the front door...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by doug:
With even 2 hours connection time between PRG and JFK, my bags don't make the transfer 3 of 4 times. In Prague, AF gives you a phone to call about your bags which is NEVER answered- not even a machine. I tried calling at least 100 times over 3 events. Quite a joke... The phone just rings and rings.</font>

Sounds very familiar to me, except that in my case it was JFK and the phone was busy the whole time. Because I wanted to move on the night of my arrival I had to go back to the airport in the afternoon of the day to get my stuff. I did not even get one of those nice cosmetic bags they handed out to some of the other passengers http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif.