There are major differences between major US entry points and CDG. First, the sociological reality is that English is the dominant language, and it happens to be the language in the US. Second, there is a geographical reality, which is that the number of non-French speaking passengers going through CDG is a much greater proportion of traffic than the number of non-English speaking passengers going through a US gateway.

Both of these make it essential to have clear multilingual signs everywhere throughout CDG.

Now, I do not expect everyone to be multilingual in CDG no more than I expect everyone to be multilingual in major US airports (or in any international airport for that matter), but there is a question of willfully ignoring the public you are meant to serve. My point is that, in CDG there is, IMO, an effort to NOT provide very many services in languages other than French. This is the only place in the world I know to do this. A simple comparison of CDG and AMS will show how things can be properly organized without giving up any of your local culture (as in AMS) and how putting your head in the sand can produce poor results (as in CDG). I can also point out that you will find many multilingual signs in US gateways (my favorite example is IAH, where a significant portion of the advertising is in Spanish!)

Next, there is the question of attitude. As a canadian frequently transiting through the US, I always make the point of looking for the very nice poster which declares, loud and clear, the mission of US Customs Agent. (I call it the "We are the face of the nation poster".) For all the bad things that are said about USCustoms, the process is businesslike and efficient; there is an effort done by the majority of Customs officers to be polite, patient, and as pleasant as can be. Customs officers are the first contact, and many wil do their best to explain the process of where to recover luggage etc. (YES! there are no doubt exceptions, but still, there is a mission statement and I believe an honest effort is made.) The same holds generally true of major international gateways. No so in CDG, where a general attitude of condescendence feeds a one-for-all atmosphere.

I absolutely dread CDG. I try to route my travels around it, but it is sometime inevitable that I go through it, and it is a systematic nightmare. Every day brings increased integration of KLM and AF and thus increases the likelyhood that I will have to transfer in CDG. My hope is that the management of CDG learn one lesson or two from AMS. CDG remains an example of what NOT do to.