Contradancer

The EU is talking about banning nonessential travel from the USA again.
Can anyone post firsthand experience about what it was like to connect through CDG and AMS on nonessential travel when nonessential travel was banned previously? My understanding is that most of the time both CDG and AMS allowed nonessential connections with restrictions on length of stopover and where you could go during your connection.

Any firsthand experience? Were you able to enter the lounges in CDG and AMS? Were there additional administrative steps you had to take before departure or along the way? Or maybe I'm wrong and it wasn't allowed?

And no, I didn't try to search to see if folks talked about this already on FlyerTalk. Often the big impediment to me performing searches is figuring out what to search on.

mr_hoff

I've travelled through both AMS and CDG over the past year or so ... not stopping in the EU, though. In all cases, lounges were open and I was able to move about the "non-EU" part of the concourse. I haven't entered the EU yet, so I can't comment on that side of Passport Control. I am heading to the EU through CDG this weekend, So, I can report back later.

Apollosmom

Wifey (dual US/GE) citizen is connecting from ATL to MUC via AMS in mid-Sep…fully vaccinated since June…”should” be GTG, but we all know that “should” is always variable and dependent upon who is on duty that day!

MSPeconomist

GE = Global Entry? Or are you using GE as an abbreviation for German?

dcadwell

I (hope to) connect through CDG in late September and again in early October, so will be keeping an eye on this thread and any newly-implemented restrictions....

Contradancer

mr_hoff your post made me realize I omitted the fact that I'm asking about a trip where the final destination is not the EU.

So you connected through AMS and CDG on nonessential travel from the USA when nonessential travel to the EU was banned and your final destination was not the EU? That is exactly the experience I'm looking for.

flyerCO

Transit was generally allowed as long as could enter final destination country, including Schengen countries. You just couldn't exit the airport.

MSPeconomist

My *guess* is AMS should work for nonSchengen to nonSchengen transit on a single ticket. For CDG, it should work if both flights are also within the same part of CDG T2 (nonSchengen to nonSchengen on DF/AF/most of SjyTeam, essentially the 2K, 2L, and 2M gates), but not if connecting to another carrier that for example departs from 2C. However, CDG could be more problematic in that you're funneled through airport security when arriving nonSchengen and connecting (and of course passport control if you're connecting to a Schengen flight). It would be easier to institute a requirement if passengers are going through a checkpoint.

OTOH, it's not unknown to have officials stationed on jetways of arriving flights at AMS (or CDG) to check passports and other travel documents.

photojojo

I've been on pins and needles waiting to see what they were going to do. According to what I've read so far today, the restrictions are for "unvaccinated" American travelers. Which now begs the question; with the proliferation of fake cards, how do we prove we're inoculated?

xliioper

No, that's not what is being discussed. EU is now recommending member states ban non-essential travel from the US even for the vaccinated. However, it's not binding so it will likely vary by member state. There are currently a number of EU countries that accept the CDC card as proof of vaccination (or proof of recent recovery from Covid-19) and do not require a negative test result or quarantine if shown. As noted above, even if the Netherlands and France ban non-essential travel from US, they will likely still allow transit through their airports to countries (including EU countries) that have not banned it.

drminn

Last week my daughter flew from IAD to MUC, connecting (and entering the Schengen area) in CDG, non essential travel (not that it mattered). Ahead of time she filled out all the requisite forms required for entering France and Germany just to find out that nowhere was she ever asked about any of those forms, or her vaccination status for that matter.

andrewk829

For all the talk about "fake cards" (which a moderately talented 4th grader could produce on the family printer), I suspect a person would be far more likely to consider using a fake card to get into a local bar or restaurant than to use one for international travel. The consequences of getting caught in the former case are that you are politely turned away, and maybe a bouncer confiscates the fake card. The consequences of getting caught in the latter case would be potential detention and jail time and a fine in a foreign country. And, at the risk of making a classist statement here, I'd assert that generally speaking, vehement anti-vax types (ones who would go so far as to make or obtain a fake card) are not generally ones to engage in international travel.

I fully support the European Union if it decides to ban non-vaccinated Americans. And I wouldn't blame any country for re-instituting bans on Americans if America has not reciprocated the opening of their countries to American visitors. America's refusal to reciprocate Canada and the EU's opening is ridiculous, perplexing, maddening, and unfair as vaccinated foreign travelers with negative COVID tests are simply NOT a significant threat to the U.S. . . . while our own unvaccinated, untested citizens taking to the skies on domestic trips certainly are.

Contradancer

Recognizing that we are all guessing here my guess regarding the deterrent effect you write about andrewk829 would be that if someone has gone as far as considering getting a fake card then the potential punishment won't deter. I think I would agree with your guess that we are talking about very small numbers.

As for your second paragraph I don't disagree with any of it. I'm surprised we've gone this long without blowback from the USA's lack of reciprocation.

flyerCO

$$$ is why there's been no actual blowback. The US policy really only hurts the US. It's also easy to get around for those that travel regularly (fly to Croatia/ Romania/etc and after 14 days you can get in)

MSPeconomist

Not everyone can or is willing to spend fourteen days is Croatia or Romania. More significantly, I worry about the more usual path of first going to Mexico for those fourteen days.