Thatcher Library

Several of us, booked separately and in different classes on UA 990 and UA984 in January were blindsided today with the cancellation of the non-stops. Wintry stops in EWR and ORD is all that UA has to offer. Inexcusable that we found this out by just happening to check the UA site. It was easy to cancel with refund and to book non stops on AF.

uanj

That is exactly what I have done for other countries whose entry requirements were a bit more gnarly than France's. The first two times I called reservations and both times was told if I was sure I had the correct documentation just check in at the airport.

Law Lord

I went from the United States to CDG on October 2 and returned a week later. I'd applied to transfer my CDC vax card to the French pass, but the application didn't finish processing until after I returned. I got into France with my CDC card and without a test without any problem; I'd uploaded it to UA already. The hitch was in getting from Paris to where I was actually going, Luxembourg. To board a train from Paris-Est to Luxembourg my CDC card was not sufficient. I had to obtain a rapid test from a French pharmacy. (One is conveniently located inside Gare de l'Est.) Neither that pharmacy nor the other one I went to would convert my CDC card to a French pass. To return by train from Luxembourg to Paris I had to get a second test in Luxembourg, which qualified as the equivalent of a French pass. Each restaurant in Paris where I ate indoors asked for and accepted the paper printout of the Luxembourg test as qualifying.

eng3

I think something is wrong with the system for much of Europe. I've had issues with TRC going to other europe destinations where it previously worked.
It was fine at the airport, you just have to be smart about getting in the best line so you arent held up forever waiting. Some lines take minutes while others could easily take an hour. At least that's the case at EWR.

As for the french pass, I guess I got lucky. I applied for the pass, but then my trip got delayed a few months. So now I have the pass (after waiting 2 weeks) and will be ready to go when I actually travel. Good thing is that it can be used for other countries in the EU. Strangely, my CDC card clearly says I got the Moderna vaccine, yet the pass says I got the Biontech one. At least the dates are correct.

1k-all-the-way

Bonjour all.... I haven't departed on UA since they moved to terminal 2. I am on the CDG-SFO 9 am departure in J, and a 1k with one bag to check. Thoughts on when to arrive? Do they give access 1 priority like they did in terminal 1?

Also, assuming there are no lounges easily available?

Merci!!

ContinentalFan

Check-in was pretty efficient. I think I got there just an hour before the flight. There is a dedicated area for business class passengers.

I believe there was an Air Canada lounge near the gate. It involved going down a floor.

stimpy

I too had trouble with the United Travel thing. I had to try 3 times to get it to work, but it eventually did for my CDG-EWR flight. At check in at CDG they did see my docs in the system so I didn't have to show anything other than my passport. No issues with the French app or getting a test.

UA is using the AC lounge all the way at the end of the terminal. It's quite a hike from security, but not too far to the UA gate. They have booze even at 7:30am, served by a bartender.

KevinMD

My wife and I recently booked this trip for our anniversary in November. It's been a while since we had flown internationally and wanted input on things to look out for. This was booked with miles. We are likely upgrading to Economy plus for the flight to Paris. For the transit from CDG to NCE we are debating on TGV or AF. Pricing is about the same, but TGV is almost 6 hours, compared to 90 minutes. What can we expect from LH in terms of service compared to UA? I saw that LH is retiring the A340 soon. What would it likely be replaced with? Finally, our layover in DEN is 1 hr 40 minutes, where we would clear customs. We've flown out of DEN many times, including yesterday. We don't have GE but do have TSA pre.

Tulsa, OK, US (TUL) to Chicago, IL, US (ORD - O'Hare)
3:07 p.m. - 5:10 p.m. (2h 3m)
UA 5622 | Canadair Regional Jet
United Economy (XN)
1h 15m connection

Chicago, IL, US (ORD - O'Hare) to Paris, FR (CDG - Charles de Gaulle)
6:25 p.m. - 9:40 a.m. (8h 15m)
UA 987 | Boeing 767-300

Nice, FR (NCE) to Frankfurt, DE (FRA)
10:35 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. (1h 35m)
LH 1059 | Airbus A320
Connection:1 hours

[size=13px]Frankfurt, DE (FRA) to Denver, CO, US (DEN)[/size]
1:10 p.m. - 4:05 p.m. (10h 55m)
LH 446 | Airbus A340-300
Economy (X)
Connection:1 hours and 40 minutes

Denver, CO, US (DEN) to Tulsa, OK, US (TUL)
5:45 p.m. - 8:22 p.m. (1h 37m)
UA 5214 | Canadair Regional Jet

cfischer

Take the TGV. Much nicer trip and between getting over to AF, checking (and paying for) bags, going through security and all of that and then arriving at NCE ... don't think that's worth it. But you'll have to take the RER into town and then take the TGV to Nice; there doesn't appear to be anything non-stop to Nice from Roissy right now.

LH service in Eco will be much better than UA. 1h in FRA is a bit on the tight side, although A --> Z connections are generally o.k. unless there are arrival delays. I would not worry too much about 1h40 at DEN.
Don't think LH will retire the 343 that quickly; they are just bringing 346s back from storage due to demand.

Hornetcoach

I presume you are staying in Paris for one or more days, then traveling on to Nice. Since you are already in the city, take the TGV. It will be much less aggravating.

lhrsfo

A340s are much nicer for a couple in E than anything UA flies because of the twin seats by the window through the whole section, plus the food in LH will be significantly better than anything UA serves. However, if you pay for E+ seats on UA you will have more legroom than UA can offer. The TGV is much nicer than a plane and, if you are going city center to city center will likely be faster.

mpw81

Clearing customs in DEN is usually pretty painless. We did this exact same flight flying home from BCN last year. We do have GE, but we walked into an empty entry hall (we were one of the first 10 people off the plane and walk briskly). Actually, I can't remember the last time I walked into the entry hall and it wasn't completely (or nearly) empty.

When flying with others without GE, we just have them use the CBP Mobile Passport app, which has proven to be quick and convenient IMO.

Added bonus for you having pre-check is that DEN international arrivals will dump you right into the North security checkpoint you'll need to re-clear.

HNLbasedFlyer

I'm surprised people would consider LH E over UA E+, it isn't even a fair fight in my opinion - the extra legroom makes a huge difference especially on a long haul flight.

lancelot21

Flying versus TGV to Nice: It seems like we need to hear from the OP whether they're actually spending time in Paris. The post is titled "Advice on trip to Paris", so it's reasonable to assume they're going to Paris itself, not just transiting CDG.

If they were just transiting, not stopping in Paris, I'd probably lean towards flying. That said, I'd consider instead flying to FRA or MUC and then connecting to an LH flight to NCE. Unless there's a train from CDG itself, getting to Gare de Lyon (where I think the TGV to Nice departs from) is painful on the RER or by taxi...and would itself require a considerable buffer of time.

If staying in Paris, even for one night, then the TGV seems like the no-brainer. Way less stressful than getting back to CDG or Orly and checking in and flying.

Synapseturquoise

If not connecting directly to Nice and staying a couple of days in Paris, as others said, take the TGV. I've done this route and it is long but not too bad for a train ride. However, if you are going straight to Nice, I would say take the flight. If you are not traveling on the same ticket, just ensure to give yourself a lot of time between flights. CDG is not an easy airport to transit.