Originally Posted by respectable_man
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.
My attempts at humerous posts were intended as a poke at those who rail against, in general, situations Americans encounter overseas that are no different than foriegners encounter in the US, and specifically, the French. The prototype here is the overweight US woman in her 50s yelling at the Parisian bus driver, frustrated that he only speaks French.
Your posts seem more high minded. Yes, a lot of the staff at CDG have no concept of cutomer service. I find the service at IAD just as bad-try using United baggage services for example sometime. I question whether there are a higher percentage of English-only passengers going through CDG than non-English passngers through JFK, but I could be wrong.
Your complaint about langauge seems to say the French should have English services since so many customers speak English. So should major US airports do the same in Spanish? Of course AMS has English available, but not due to an effort to welcome travelers. The Dutch have taught four languages as mandatory classes in their schools since after WW2. It makes going to Holland a snap, but that hardly sets the standard for what others do, whether the others are the French at CDG or Americains at JFK. I think common sense says multi-language signage should be everywhere, and CDG could do a lot better.
I don't have problems with US customs or immigration personnel, especially since they stopped yelling at people about which line to go to. I've found the personnel polite, but I've never had a problem with French immigration either.
My only point is this: When suggesting what others should do, it sometimes helps to first ask "Do we hold ourselves to the same standard?" And certainly on languages at airports, the answer is no.