Paris CDG Airport

Arriving in Paris was easier then departing. Terminal 2A is hard to maneuver through Finding the American Airlines Ticket counter was hard. I was a wheel chair passenger so getting through the lines was easier then having to walk through them my partner was walking behind us. Getting through customs was easier then I thought. The distance to the gates is very long. All the gate area's are closed till 1 hour before boarding. I was taken by the American Airlines Admirals club so I was able to do a little last minute shopping. The airport seemed clean but very congested. The gate areas seemed very old and outdated.

Having seen many airports big and small this is definitely the worst. To be avoided at all costs. It's dirty chaotic terribly inefficient with the longest queues I've been in toilets are hard to find and often cleaned simultaneously (so you can't "go" anywhere for a while) interesting shops/eateries/bars are either rare or absent airport staff and store employees are unfriendly. PA announcements are in French and English but the English version is often incomprehensible. On the upside baggage handling seems relatively efficient. Probably the best thing about this airport is leaving to never ever return.

CDG airport takes the lead in Europe with respect to its total indifference to passengers. Connections between terminals are simply a nightmare for passengers with short transfers disabled people parents with children aged people. Current practice: you are supposed to arrive terminal 2F but for some obscure reason you arrive terminal 2E then are asked to use a narrow metallic staircase at the extremity of the gateway then take a bus that following a maze-course will drop you at terminal 2D. From where if you have a connection you may have to return to 2E on foot (shuttle buses might have a quite low frequency between terminals !) or even worse use another bus to reach an obscure terminal 2G right in the middle of nowhere.

Connecting was rather difficult as there is lots of walking but unlike other posts I found the signs to be adequate in getting you in the right place and they have machines stationed all over that you scan your boarding pass and it tells you what terminal you are supposed to get to. Security lines understaffed and long. If you're a business class passenger you can get through them fairly quickly with preference. The food was overpriced inside the terminals inter-Europe flight gates in 2F were crowded and many via bus gates and toilets are downstairs and hard to find. When I left directly from Paris I found terminal 2E nice. It was crowded and check-in lines were long but through security the terminal was large airy and had enough shops and eating options to occupy time until departure.