Originally Posted by rkkwan

davidcalgary29 - You flew through T3, which is a little terminal next to the RER station. That's not the vast majority of passengers use.

T1 is a crowded, dark place that is pretty much like a 3rd world country. Lines everywhere, the place stink, no seat to sit down, long elevator lines just to get up to the parking garage, and require a shuttle bus to get to the RER station, or a different shuttle to get to the TGV station at T2.

T2 is basically 6 terminals (or 7 if you count 2F1 and 2F2 as two seperate ones) with no airside connection among them. One either wait for shuttle bus or have to get into France (even if connecting non-Schengen to non-Schengen) and walk. Many planes, including widebodies, use remote gates that require busing between the terminal and the planes themselves. Immigration and security lines can be ridiculously long. The shuttle bus stop at the TGV station serve all terminals and hotels with JUST ONE SINGLE LANE for all transfering passengers. All that when the roof wasn't collapsing on you. During busy times, passengers who arrive at CDG 3 hours prior to an international flight often can barely make the flight, or the flight has to wait for them.

Another example. A month ago, my CO flight from 2A was delayed for near 40 minutes. Why? Because of the design of the terminal. An AF 744 pulled up at an adjacent gate to disembark its passengers. They have to block all the gates between that gate and the immigration hall during that time. It's absolutely ridiculous.