Soft Top

Thanks in advance for any replies, (even those telling me we are crazy)! We are normally BA flyers but there is no sensible option to do this trip with BA and we're not averse to trying other carriers. We have already booked but the ticket does have some flexibility.

We are booked to go to Guadeloupe in June 2023 and currently, (without thinking), went for the fastest option door to door which is a reasonable 11hrs 35mins. Of course this gives us a 1hr 25mins connection time at CDG. It is the same terminal so we expect meets minimum criteria and is easily possible. Clearly, (unless told otherwise), this will be a bit of an issue if there is anything more than a 20 minute delay on the LHR - CDG leg.

The 11:30am we are booked from LHR - CDG seems to be the 3rd flight of the day so there is certainly a larger chance of delays by then. Luckily, (for such a small place), there are flights quite regularly to Guadeloupe and the day after we are booked there are 2 others - one from Orly and another from CDG. Not ideal but if we have to spend an evening in Paris we could be in worse places

We booked the fastest option on the return too but that has a 2hrs 40 mins connection and at that end there will be flights within a few hours after anyway.

My original issue was that I didn't expect there would be flights the next day so I am a bit more relaxed now but does the connection seem a bit crazy and, whilst there is no way to tell, does anyone have experience of regular delays on the LHR - CDG route?

thierryd92

Connection time could be tricky in CDG but in that case I would suggest the following:
- Book a ticket LHR-PTP not 2 tickets a.k.a. LHR-CDG then CDG-PTP. In case of delay on first leg, Air France will manage to rebook you on next available flight to PTP
- Avoid arriving to CDG from LHR and fly out of ORY to PTP. Because "transfert" between CDG and ORY is like "transfert" between LHR and LGW if you see what I mean

Soft Top

Thanks for the response. It is already booked as LHR-PTP so no issues with re-booking. I was super happy with the short connection as it means the overall process is shorter. I just realised now, (a few weeks later), that the original flight might be delayed so I might have been better having the initial leg as the 09:00 out of LHR.

Totally understand about CDG - ORY. That is only likely to be an issues if we miss the original to CDG - PTP. Also be less of an issue as we would have about a day to do it

dkeng

You�re not crazy - at least not totally.

You won�t need a bus or passport control at CDG, so that takes away two of the most common transit delays. You may or may not need to take the train between K/L/M gates at 2E. LHR flights mostly arrive in K, but you could end up in L.

There is a lot of padding in the LHR-CDG flights. Scheduled at 1:20 but flight time is usually 45 minutes or so. So you can absorb quite a lot of departure delay before it becomes an issue.

Still, if it can be done without negative impact (ie cost) it could be worth switching to an earlier LHR departure for some peace of mind. Delays do happen, and it would be a shame to miss out on a day of holiday.

irishguy28

Whatever your experience with other airlines, AF is not in the business of offering connections that have a high likelihood of failure.

They even increased the MCT at CDG temporarily earlier in the year when CDG was struggling (as most airports were) with passenger and staff numbers, and correspondingly had issues with timeliness.

There is no reason, especially from this remove, to be concerned with this issue. Barring a misfortune such as a diversion or mechanical issue, there is little reason to suspect or speculate on the likelihood of you missing your connection.

(I once made a 25 minute connection in CDG. And earlier this month I managed to make a T5-T2 connection at Heathrow after the BA inbound was delayed by over an hour by wind/weather, and the boarding of my onward flight had already commenced at T2 before I had even landed at T5)

A far more likely occurrence is that one, or both, flights will be re-timed between now and June.

Goldorak

This connection is perfectly fine. If problem happen, AF will take care of rebooking you and you have very good chances to make this connection.

Soft Top

Thanks for all the replies. Feeling a little more confident and as has been mentioned AF will sort the rebooking if needed.

Checked the change cost today which is �1500, (�750 each). I think we�ll risk it and let AF pay for a night in Paris if needed