martian

Hi all,

On Wednesday I'm arriving on a BA flight from LHR at ~11am and then leaving CDG on an Air China flight at ~7pm. Do you know if there is any way for me to transfer from one to another without having to leave a secure area? Or will I need to leave the airport and check back in to get a boarding pass etc? (I won't be checking a bag).

Thanks in advance :-::-:

Tamino

Whenever I have flown from London to Paris, immigration and customs were completed in London. You will not arrive at CDG in a secure area.

Upon arrival, proceed to the normal check in counters for Air China.

stut

Is it one ticket or separate tickets? Will you have checked luggage?

If it's one, then I believe BA and CA have an interline arrangement, so it's possible your bags can be checked through. In this case, you can use the airside shuttle bus (from T2A to T1) but you will still have to go through security checks. If you have no checked luggage, and have printed an online boarding pass, you may also be able to use this route.

If it's separate tickets, or BA refuse to interline your bags, then you'll need to leave, change terminals (there are buses and an automated people mover) and check in again. You'll go through immigration at T2A, security and emigration at T1. You may find that the check-in counter isn't yet open if you get there about 2pm or so.

martian

Thank you. It is two separate tickets and I won't be checking bags. Do you have any sense of when the Air China checkin would open? I'm really unfamiliar with CDG, so if I arrive at 11 do you have any good suggestions of where I can sit to get some work done (power/wifi/coffee)?

Thanks again :-:

stut

Oh, you arrive at 11? Ouch, that's a long wait.

Looking at the website, you don't have the option to print your boarding pass for Paris departures - you can check in online, but need to pick up the boarding pass from a dedicated counter. Unfortunately, I don't know the opening times.

So that means you will have to enter France. In which case, if you want to get some work done, the Sofitel in T2 is generally a good bet. There are also Regus offices in Roissypole (the business area - linked to both terminals by a people mover), so if you have business lounge access for Regus, you could use that (search this site for details of how to get it for free, in some cases).

Personally, with 8h between flights, I'd be off into central Paris in a shot, but if you've got work to do, I appreciate that may not be an option...

martian

Thanks this is really helpful! I'm a UA Premier member - so seemed to qualify for some sort of Regus membership - but am not sure if they'll actually let me in on Wednesday without having received the physical membership pack.

If not, will Sofitel just let me sit and hang out for a day?

If this isn't too much of an imposition, I'd also welcome any suggestions on a good alternative of somewhere to hangout in Paris itself for the day.

Thanks yet again.

Tamino

For some time now, the only hotel at Terminal 2 is the Sheraton. Mercure, Hilton, Novotel, CitizenM, and Ibis all have hotels on the airport.

British Airways uses Terminal 2, Air China departs from Terminal 1. There is a free rail shuttle between the terminals. Called CDGVAL, it takes about 10 minutes to make the trip.

If you wanted, you could go into Paris but I would plan on being back at the check in desk no later than 3 hours before your planned departure time.

Edit: There is a Star Alliance lounge with access on the departure level of Terminal 1.

stimpy

3 hours? He said he has no bags and elite status. One hour before would be just fine.

As for Regus, you can print out your membership card online. I too would take the RER into the city and use a Regus there, as well as have a nice meal and walk around.

As mentioned above, there is no Sofitel at CDG. Maybe the poster meant Sheraton. You could sit in the lobby, but I'm not sure you can capture the free WiFi signal there.

stut

I did mean the Sheraton. Big chain hotel beginning with an S, they all blur into one for me...

martian

Thanks so much everyone. You're so helpful!

One more question if you don't mind. I've been scouring the internet to try to figure out what time the checkin desk actually opens for Air China in Paris - as I don't mind hanging out in the *A lounge once checked in. But can't figure it out. None of you know do you? Thanks again.

stut

I don't, I'm afraid. From a couple of TRs, it seems that they're quite heavily in use 3h30-4h before departure, but I couldn't say for sure. You could try asking them on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/airchina

stimpy

In my experience at CDG T1, check in desks open 2 hours before the flight. But as an elite who doesn't check bags I rarely ever arrive that early. Maybe its 3 for Air China, but I doubt it would be earlier than that.

Calchas

You mean, completed in Paris, I assume?

Yahillwe

[QUOTE=Tamino;24478541]Whenever I have flown from London to Paris, immigration and customs were completed in London. You will not arrive at CDG in a secure area.
/QUOTE]

Whenever I have flown BA (only airline that I fly from LHR) to Paris, I have to go through immigration and customs. At both Orly and CDG.

But flying in from other EU countries no immigration nor customs.

Haven't flown AF from LHR-CDG. So can't comment on them.

stut

All UK-France flights have immigration on arrival. France-UK has emigration on departure and immigration on arrival. Strictly speaking you don't go through customs (as in, you're not subject to customs checks) but you still go through the normal channels in France (there is the blue channel in the UK).

Eurostar does have immigration on departure.