Paris CDG Airport

I have used CDG airport for 3 trips within the last month. Overall it works well. It is busy but immigration control works well considering the crowds. Arrive early and be prepared for walking long distances. Signage is good as is access to Paris by train. I used Terminals 1 and 2E.

I have travelled through this airport having connecting flights driving to airport by train or car or staying overnight in one of the many airport hotels and using shuttle bus. Depending what your terminal is your experience can go from very poor to good or acceptable. Generally I have never had any problems with airport personnel they are usually always polite and willing to help. Maybe the people working for French customs in the train station could be less invasive and more discreet. Terminal 2f is old and once past passport and security check it gets even worse at baggage deposit. Terminal 2g is more spacious and more user friendly but difference between new and older 2g terminal wing is very obvious. Generally this airport has been poorly designed but once past baggage deposit passport and security you walk through an airport with poorly designed duty free shops and nearly no food outlets. Generally speaking this airport needs to rethink why it exists and how to service its customers faster and better. I am still travelling through this airport surely because I like this place but more because of schedules of airlines I fly with using this hub so lets hope for some drastic improvement in the future.

The problem with this airport is its existence. It's been built on stupid and inhuman principles and thus nothing works properly and the staff give the impression they hate their jobs. Even if they make an effort they're always depressed about it. Terminal 1 resembles a torture chamber' Terminals 2A and B are hard to access and a sorry mess. There's a rapid transport system that goes round the airport but carefully misses these 2 out. Terminals 2C and D are ugly badly served and depressing. Terminal 2E is an over the top opulent show off of a terminal where everything looks pretty and nothing (and no one) works. I believe Terminal 2F is being refurbished and about time too. Worst of the lot is Terminal 2G. Firstly it's not in Terminal 2 at all nowhere near any of the other terminals in a different part of the region there's one bus that leaves from one place only from all the others isn't properly sign-posted and when you get there you find all the planes are due to leave in bunches at the same time which of course means they all leave late. The staff seem to be even more depressed than in the other terminals and outside you'll find stranded passengers trying to work out where to go to next. Terminal 3's not bad.

Transit through CDG twice last month we arrived at terminal 1 and had to get an Air France flight at terminal 2G which does not appear on any map customer service was OK and quite helpful but the distance it was like we went to another town. The security refuse to speak in any other language except French. The whole place looks like a building site so much bare concrete! Buy as little as possible.

Travelling on Air France transfer between Terminal 2E/F and 2G is absolutely no problem. Good signage frequently running airside shuttle buses between the terminals and helpful (if a little harsh) personnel. Be prepared to walk for a while distances can sometimes be quite long. In 2E(L) quite a few shops/stores with however highly priced goods. Odd is the security check right after deboarding a plane in 2E(L) before entering the still airside area of the airport. We had absolutely no lines there so it took only two minutes.

The worst airport in Europe with lazy staff to match. Use it at your own risk. Especially if you transit you will be running for your flight - and still miss it due to long lines in passport control (4 officers to check 450 passengers). Long walk through terminals with bad signs.

Passenger transit to from international flight (T1) to domestic (T2E) took 2.5 hours including 2 buses and what seemed like several miles of walking. Bags never made it through a 3.5 hour transit time. No customs/immigration checks at all. Pity the old the disabled and the poor souls who speak neither French nor English trying to navigate this incomprehensible maze. Incredible that a wonderful modern country like France does not do better.

Flew MAN-CDG-JFK and back using Air France. The information website for transiting at CDG states that "if you are arriving at CDG from a non-Schengen destination and heading to a non-Schengen destination you do not need to undergo extra security/immigration checks you can just proceed straight to your flight." Furthermore the AF check-in at CDG remarked on how CDG is "the easiest place to transit." Well the info online was a complete pack of lies and the AF staff failed to mention that you're made to feel like a contestant on the Krypton Factor. The main stumbling block are the somewhat redundant security checks which are constantly under-staffed and over- crowded (in my case the officer just shut down a very long line without any prior notice) and officers lack even the most basic of people skills and the 90 minutes lay-over for my connection resulted in me sprinting to the gate of my flight to JFK (thankfully the perennial delays for the AF A380 to JFK for once helped my cause). The return experience via JFK was more of the same security line pain turning what (in other airports) a reasonable lay-over into a mad rush for the connecting flight to MAN. Avoid transiting here if at all possible.

Transiting from a domestic Air France flight into terminal 2 and leaving terminal 1 on Malaysia. Transit to Terminal 1 on train not too problematic. However did not have boarding pass for next flight. No service desk so had to queue as if checking in even though bags already checked through. Long queue even for business class just to pick up boarding pass. Extremely long line for passport control (took over 30 mins) and then the queue for security! What a terrible place to transit. Avoid it if possible: far too stressful even if you have plenty of time.

I've been through CDG 8 times in over the past 11 years. CDG is hands down worst airport I've ever been through and that's saying something since I've been through over 3 dozen airports. Each of them had more helpful and pleasant staff and the airport was better organized than CDG. A sad airport that should be avoided at all costs.