Paris CDG Airport

❎ Unverified | Absolutely terrible trying to get Navigo recharged at the airport on arrival. Huge queue's for ticket machines for Paris area tickets. At least on this occasion was fast through passport control. There appears to be more vending machines for coffee and food than ticket machines for the train, clearly thought on how the space should be used. Hopeless.

❎ Unverified | Worst airport experience in over 30 years of traveling. Automated systems for check in baggage tags and boarding pass was completely inefficient. Elderly travelers were confused and frustrated, with no help or support from airport staffers. This congested the queue of 50 to 100 people just to get your baggage tags and boarding passes. Once that process was completed we then had to line up in a bigger line to weigh and place our bags on a conveyor belt. After both long waits we then had to line up to go through customs, this line had aprox. 800 to 1000 people. Many people were completely distraught and stressed out in fact a family of seven from the UK were denied access to the EU passport line and made to wait in the international passport line where they were told by the airport staff to 'just wait' even though they were boarding in 30 minutes. After waiting in line for an hour, we saw them at their gate when we finally got through to our gate and they had consequently missed their flight by 4 minutes and had to purchase 7 new tickets. Ridiculous and obseen. I should also mention that the announcements (made in English only) delays were due to security reasons but when we got the border security neither myself nor my wife were asked a single question. We got stamped and passed through. Overall it was a horrible experience that created frustration and anxiety for many people and actually never want to go back to CDG again.

✅ Verified Review | This is one of the worst airports I have encountered. Not only are the signs missing of what terminal and gate you currently are and how to get where you need to be, but staff are nowhere to be found. If someone is found to help you, they are often clueless as how to help customers find out their destination terminal/gate. Extremely frustrating experience!

✅ Verified Review | Avoid CDG at all costs - worst Border Control in the world! I had the misfortune to transfer through CDG on an Air France trip from Milan Malpensa to San Francisco. The Border Control staff are the absolute worst. Huge queues that were completely chaotic, surly ground staff, and only 2 windows open for 1000 passengers all attempting to make connecting flights. I had a very tight connection, which Air France staff had assured me would be no problem to make. After waiting in line for 30 minutes with very little progress and with 20 minutes until my gate closed (and I still had to take a shuttle bus after Border Control to even reach the gate), I asked a CDG staff member who was literally standing around doing nothing if she could help me get to the front of the line. She cackled at me and said that was too bad and that “everyone has to wait.” Zero regard for me or anyone else making our flights. Other passengers mercifully let me go ahead so I made my flight with a minute to spare. This is my second horrifying CDG experience in the past 6 months (the first had me in Border Control for 2.5 hours, that time, I had a much longer layover and still had to rush).

❎ Unverified | I try to avoid this airport as much as I can, because of the staff who I find impolite, cold, very formal and not helpful. 3 weeks ago I was transfering, arriving from Sao Paulo, departing to Seoul. I arrived with LATAM and was transfering to Asiana. In Sao Paulo I was told that I should pick up my luggage in Paris as I was going to fly with a different airline. But another person I asked said I wouldn't have to (just make sure that your luggage is actually with you in the same plane) So I arrived in Paris, head to transit and ask 3 people about the luggage. I couldn't get a clear answer. I was like a ship in fog. Anyway, I went to immigration, prepared to go outside, pick up my luggage and check it again since I no one could give me a clear answer. While I was waiting I asked one more time and was finally told that I don't have to go outside. Staff showed me the gate where I should go and said that my luggage would be sent. Was it 100% convincing? No, but airport staff don't know such things, who does? Luckily, my luggage was there in Seoul waiting for me. Overall, avoid if you can. Staff cold and impolite.

✅ Verified Review | A lot of people dressed in orange not serving at anything. At the border police control, 2 offices open from 30. Everything is electronic, no human at the counter desks, but dozens of people dressed with orange ties not doing anything just talking between them. This is one of the worst airports I have ever traveled to and from.

✅ Verified Review | Worst experience ever. I got to the airport more than two hours before departure. The luggage drop was okay, but the border check was horrible. The line was huge with hundreds of people and there were only three staff members in the border office. Three staff for hundreds of people! What was worse was that it was time for my boarding and I asked a staff member to skip the line to get through for boarding. The staff member told me I had enough time and I believed him. After I went through the security check, I had to run to get to the gate. After I got there, my flight had departed without me. I complained about the security check waiting time, but the airline staff member acted like that had nothing to do with them. Worst of the worst.

✅ Verified Review | I thought I had the worst arrival experience ever but reading other reviews it appears I was treated relatively well. Massively long walk from M gates of Terminal 2E. Signage was adequate. Immigration police were a nightmare. Lines were 100m+. I joined the 1 access line. This was moving even more slowly than the regular line. 2 booths for EU were completely empty. By chance I was directed there. The staff working there did not even acknowledge my existence, in fact she did not even break off from the fatuous conversation with her mate. Signs to baggage were, at best, confusing. After my bag arrived, moving through the final check, some people were randomly stopped - fortunately I wasn't. Trek to TGV station was long. Signage started well, but petered out and then it was "folliow-your-nose". I am not looking forward to my departure. I think I might try arriving at AMS in future. Total time from gate to TGV - 100 minutes when it should take about 20. Shameful!

❎ Unverified | CDG is just too big for the average traveler using it to connect to another flight. We arrived in the American Airlines terminal and were shocked to see it was a 35 minute walk to our connecting flight on Air France. The signage was poor overall, and the scarce number of bathrooms made for a bad experience. We literally walked 15 minutes through the terminal before catching a bus with another 10 minute ride barely making our flight back home. I can't understand how Air France domestic and international terminals can be on the opposite side, as far as possible from each other. We drew more bad luck arriving and departing from the furthest gates in both terminals. The CDG authorities need to demolish the old and used terminals and consolidate remote operations closer together. I will not be back, it was much to stressful rushing like a maniac through this huge airport.

❎ Unverified | Horrible transit experience - I arrived at 9:15am in the morning from Belgrade in transit to Beijing. The shuttle bus was confusing and the staff weren't helpful as they barely spoke any English. After I got to Terminal 1, there were nobody at the transit counter. I asked 3 people where I can print my boarding pass as Air Serbia weren't able to print an Air China boarding pass at Belgrade. Nobody was able to answer my question nor were they able to tell me where to find the airline's counter or staff. So I proceeded to the gate, and found Air China's counter. It was 11:50am. I asked the staff about my boarding pass, and they told me to come back in an hour as they were staff for another flight. I came back at 12:50 and asked about my boarding pass again, only to find that the flight was oversold and I couldn't get a seat because I hadn't checked in yet. Thus I were not able to get on a 2:10pm flight to Beijing. I got in CDG at 9:15am, and had all the time to check in for a 2:10pm flight - unfortunately Paris CDG was such a transit unfriendly airport and the staff were helpful at all. I travel quite often and never had such an unpleasant transit experience. Very disappointing!