Originally Posted by
bodory
2B is a nightmare.
Arriving there the other day, I went to the immigration desk where I was told I was not on the right place and had to use another desk at the opposite of the terminal. There, believe me, there was only one desk open whereas two flights were arriving on this friday afternoon : one AF from Algiers and LX from Zurich. Total chaos as usual : people complaining, queues for immigration crossing with queues for check-in, old steel pillars in the middle of nowhere hampering people (these one are dangerous, I mean, really), absolute lack of signals, no one at the custom desk, dirty floors...
Leaving from 2B is just even better : you have to go through immigration before check-in. Of course, if you do not carry the paper printout from your e-ticket, the police won't let you come in and you will have to go to the airline ticketing desk. What is the point of an e-ticket in CDG then?
And you would better not need the toilet while in the boarding area because there is no bathroom after security !!!! AF lounge is also located between immigration and security.
Who on earth has designed this place called an airport? Shame on ADP : CDG is really the worst place to enter Europe.
2B is the first hall in CDG2 scheduled for renovation by ADP. And I fully agree this is overdue, especially as it was designed first and foremost as an O/D hall. The confusing check-in/immigration configuration, the security check per group of two gates and the two separate baggage retrieval areas make it a supbar experience. The AF lounge is not the best (and is hated by BA pax) but it probably has the best selection of French magazines in CDG !
As to the difference between the two locations for passport control, it (currently, as it might change with the implementation of the Schengen area on March 30th, and a possible reversal to mixed mode operation, Schengen and non-Schengen) makes a difference if you have checked luggage to retrieve, as each of these immigration checks leads to a different group of two baggage carrousels.
I am usually able to switch from one to the other, either on departure, when it does not make any difference, or upon arrival, when I only have carry-ons and explain it to the
Police aux Frontieres officer.
The only improvement I have seen in 2007 in 2B, and it is a very welcome one ^, is the central check-in area for premium and elite AF (and Skyteam) passengers. I no longer have to wait until the specific AF check-in desk is open between 1h30 and 2 hours before the flight. Check-in desks for BA pax, on the other hand, are restricted to elite and premium passengers. Other passengers have to use the kiosks and only have access to baggage drop desks after immigration
.