I have to agree, since I have polished my French, it is easier to get around, get information and get upgrades. French crews seem more responsive and very helpfull when you speak to them in French, or at least you try. As far as transfers in Paris, I found it much easier and faster to clear customs and imigration and walk to the other terminals rather than take the bus.

I have flown into CDG numerous times. In general, I have no problems with CDG at all. My only gripe is that there is the typical morning congestion (with all the transoceanic flights arriving) and sometimes the lines get REALLLYYY long.

I would MUCH rather fly into CDG than LHR.

Agreed. And, in the same vein, I think the NJ Transit conductors on the Penn Station-EWR trains should make their announcements in French as well, in the interest of complete reciprocity... :)

I agree - just as in the France outside CDG, speaking French makes an incredible difference in the way one is treated. I also agree about preferring to walk between terminals rather than take the crowded busses.

I flew CO11 yesterday CDG-IAH, and here's a new reason (to me) how flights are delayed.

Scheduled departure is 12:55pm. When I got to CDG 2 hours prior, the 772 was already parked at gate, A43. People were gathering around the gate (some construction going on, little place to sit) at around 12:10pm, when it seems like boarding is imminent.

Then a AF744 pulled in to A41, the adjacent gate, to unload passengers. If you know CDG2A, you know that deplaning passengers have to cut through some gates (A43 & A45 in this case), to get to immigration. So, there's nothing we could do, but just stand there - including the gate agents & all the passengers on the concourse side; secondary screening agents in the jetway - for the next half hour.

Didn't get the gate area clear for boarding until 12:40, and with the secondary screening, it took 35 minutes to board everybody on the 772 with about 60% load in coach. [I was last one to board.] We arrived IAH half an hour late, exactly the amount of time wasted because of the ridiculous architectural features of CDG2.

My experiences
 

I transited once and once CDG was my destination this year. I HATE riding those buses to all the remote boarding areas. I was in Busines Elite on the transit and literally we were RAN from one terminal to the other to make the AF connection (came in on DL) At least AF had the good sense to escort the 20+ people but I felt bad for some of the elderly pax who could not keep up.

On my CO BF flight this summer again it seems like the bus to the main terminal was via the Champs d'Elysee. No advantage of BF getting off first as everybody gets on the same bus and waits till its full. On the return we literally sat on the bus, in front of the plane for 20 minutes. No announcements in either French or English. Never did get an explanation.

My only other gripe is the Arrivals Lounge for BF (which is the AF lounge) is practically hidden in a corner of the terminal. That being said, j'adore Paris & les Francais.

Cheers

Arriving at CDG on CO is always a strange experience for the reason you describe. It's quite bizzare to step off a 777, CO's flagship aircraft and a paragon of commerical aviation technology, onto a set of stairs and onto a bus. It's like deplaning from a CRJ and is especially fun in the winter.

It's not only CO; at least with CO, usually 2 of the 3 flights get a gate with a jetway at Terminal 2A. Both DL and NW never get jetway gates because they operate out of 2E (the collapsed terminal) and virtually all (except for CVG and DTW) of AF's US-CDG flights now will also not get jetways at all because they have been moved to 2E as well.

I've flown to or through CDG four times this year. Here's my scorecard:

1) Took 15 mins to attach the ladder to the plane. The bus we were crammed into almost drove right in front of a taxiing plane.

2) Abandoned luggage or some other unspecified event closed down part of 2D.

3) Post-8/10, security screening on the jetway delayed departure by 1h. The carry-on hand check wasn't even all that thorough. According to the official schedule, my layover was 2.5h, and my checked bag didn't make it through.

4) Due to delayed arrival in, I had a 50min layover. Once the door opened, ground staff called for me and told me I'd miss my connection, and to get a new boarding pass from AA. Went to the AA counter at 2A, who told me they couldn't issue a new boarding pass, and told me to go to the Finnair counter at 2D. (At this point, had about 25 mins to my original flight's dept.) There, I was told to go to my flight's check-in to get the new boarding pass. Finally, at check-in, the agent told me I could still make the original flight! (Had about 5 mins to schedule dept.)

On trip 4), bag didn't make it through again, but wouldn't have expected that with any airport considering the short connection. However, of the 4 flights CDG-HEL, I was on the first one and my bag on the last one. :p

I, for one, will go out of my way to avoid this airport. Too many other options. As another FT'er said, what we are after here is 'drama free' . My experiences there are certainly not 'drama free'. What I mostly have no tolerance for is any airport where there is no semblance of a queue. I mean, if there is a queue, and it is long, you at least know how long it is and what you're dealing with. I have never been in another European airport where the security 'line' was a complete free-for-all complete with pushing/shoving and all the Darwinian elements. (only the strong survive). With a 72-year old husband, this simply doesn't work for me.

I'm not even going into the 7 hours on the ground/on the tarmac/never left the ground/wait 2 hours to get your luggage back/show back up at the airport the next morning and go through it all over again.

And how about trying to get to your gate when you encounter the situation where you have to go up the stairs and over to keep proceeding down the corridor. (again with a 72 year old husband).

No, we won't be doing this airport again.

Has nothing to do with french/speaking French/or anything of the sort. Just a poorly designed and incompetently run facility.

I would make all the same statements about JFK. An airport I avoided for about 15 years, then flew out of again last fall, thinking..... oh, surely it must be better. No, in wasn't better. and I will be avoiding this airport at all costs.

Too many choices. Don't have to do these things.

But, there's no choice if one's final destination is Paris, unless one flies to another European city and connects to Orly.

;) If business takes me to Paris, I will fly into either Amsterdam or Brussels and then take a train. It might take more time, but I do not have to put up with the silliness that is CDG.

AMS is a much easier airport to use in most cases.

Shuttle service?
 

Traveling to Paris next week with my dad and two brothers. We are looking for a car/shuttle service to take us to the Hilton Arc de Triomphe? Don’t want to break the bank and are willing to share a ride. It would be nice to have someone waiting for us when we arrive. Any suggestions?

There are several threads on the Hilton board. The most recent one can be found here

I'd highly recommend these guys...used them to shuttle my entire family from CDG to the 1st arr. back in May. Book RT and you'll save a bit.

CDG Shuttle