WAW - BLR. Tight connection on AF. Possible?
Nov 6, 2012, 6:54 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 18
WAW - BLR. Tight connection on AF. Possible?
I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this but here goes..
So I'm flying NYC-WAW-BLR-NYC in two weeks. I used the Multi City search on Kayak and the best option for me would be to fly Air France for close to $2800. Everything's good except that on the WAW-BLR(Departing Dec 1) leg, I only have 1.5 hours. I'm flying in on Flight 1247 from WAW and flying on Flight 192 to Bangalore. I've been reading horror stories about connections at CDG and I do not know if I will make the connection. I do not know what terminals I fly into/out of. The only other AF option has a 16 hour layover in CDG and that is a little too long for me. So here are a few questions that I have.
1. Will I have to clear customs at CDG? I am an Indian citizen travelling on a Schengen Visa.
2. Assuming my incoming flight arrives on time, but I still miss my connection because of long lines at security or customs for example., what would happen? Would I have to wait 15 hours for the next AF flight?
3. I am paying for premium economy tickets on my flight. If they did put me on another AF flight, what would happen if there were no Premium Economy seats available? Would they seat me in Economy? In that case, would I be offered some sort of compensation for the downgrade?
4. Are there any other options I have in terms of flights? The next best option on Kayak costs almost $2,000 more(Lufthansa. I cannot fly BA because I do not have sufficient time to apply for a visa to transit airside at LHR).
Thanks!
P.S. I have not booked my tickets yet. I will be booking it at work in ~12 hours
So I'm flying NYC-WAW-BLR-NYC in two weeks. I used the Multi City search on Kayak and the best option for me would be to fly Air France for close to $2800. Everything's good except that on the WAW-BLR(Departing Dec 1) leg, I only have 1.5 hours. I'm flying in on Flight 1247 from WAW and flying on Flight 192 to Bangalore. I've been reading horror stories about connections at CDG and I do not know if I will make the connection. I do not know what terminals I fly into/out of. The only other AF option has a 16 hour layover in CDG and that is a little too long for me. So here are a few questions that I have.
1. Will I have to clear customs at CDG? I am an Indian citizen travelling on a Schengen Visa.
2. Assuming my incoming flight arrives on time, but I still miss my connection because of long lines at security or customs for example., what would happen? Would I have to wait 15 hours for the next AF flight?
3. I am paying for premium economy tickets on my flight. If they did put me on another AF flight, what would happen if there were no Premium Economy seats available? Would they seat me in Economy? In that case, would I be offered some sort of compensation for the downgrade?
4. Are there any other options I have in terms of flights? The next best option on Kayak costs almost $2,000 more(Lufthansa. I cannot fly BA because I do not have sufficient time to apply for a visa to transit airside at LHR).
Thanks!
P.S. I have not booked my tickets yet. I will be booking it at work in ~12 hours
Nov 6, 2012, 11:51 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,928
Connections on AF at CDG have greatly improved and 1.5 hrs are certainly OK. If your incoming flight was delayed, it is frequent to have AF agents waiting connecting pax to speed-up their transfer. It will be a 2F to 2E connection. As you are flying Premium Economy, you are entitled to use fast track lanes at immigration and security. they are labelled "SkyPriority / Accès N°1". This should save you some time. Here are some answers to some of your questions :
1 - not customs but immigration, as you'll leave the Schengen area in CDG.
2- probably. Unlike DEL or BOM, BLR is not a destination with a high frequency of flights whatever the airline.But again, use the fast track lanes for immigration and security.
3- normally yes
1 - not customs but immigration, as you'll leave the Schengen area in CDG.
2- probably. Unlike DEL or BOM, BLR is not a destination with a high frequency of flights whatever the airline.But again, use the fast track lanes for immigration and security.
3- normally yes