Changing Airlines at CDG?
 

I am arriving at CDG on UA and am considering taking Air France from CDG to Montpellier. In the past, I have had bad experiences at CDG trying to check in for Air France flights with bags to check when I can't check the bags all the way through to my destination. Now that everyone is in Terminal 2, I would hope that it would be easier to retrieve my bags from UA and check in on Air France.

Can someone with recent experience there give me some idea about what to expect? I would particularly appreciate any advice about do's and dont's to facilitate the process.

There's nothing special to know. UA won't check your bags through so you'll have to collect them and walk to 2F to check in with AF.

As long as you are traveling on two separate PNRs, it is your own problem. Better to buy a ticket on a single PNR in which case the first airline is responsible for all transfers.

Thanks - you have both confirmed my fears. I guess I can explore with UA whether they will check bags all the way to Montpellier. There is some anecdotal evidence that they will do that for 1Ks, so I can ask (but will keep my expectations low).

Anything you can share about checking with AF? I once missed a flight at CDG because the check-in line was so long and slow.

I really don’t see what I can share with you about AF. It’s like with other airlines. Check in counters can be crowded or empty, lines can be slow or fast. If you travel on separate tickets, you need to schedule ample time between the 2 flights (at least 3 hrs).

Just get a ticket on UA from your starting point to Montpellier. It is not rocket science, since airlines everywhere in the world work together for multi destination flights even when they are not in a marketing alliance. True, it might cost a bit more than getting separate tickets, but that is the price of a safe connection that will guarantee to get you to your destination even if you miss your original connection for some reason. It's better than completely losing the fare of the second ticket.