Didn%26#39;t see any other mentions of this, so I thought i%26#39;d throw it out there...
There is some major construction going on at CDG... apparently they%26#39;re building a new terminal (or maybe redoing an existing? i don%26#39;t know...). some of the terminal 2 gates require you to get to the plane by a shuttle bus... (we were terminal 2 E, all of the %26quot;E%26quot; gates were definetely shuttle only to plane) ... Unfortunately this adds about 45 minutes to the boarding.
We flew Northwest roundtrip... on our flight in to paris we taxied to somewhere that looked like a big concrete lot (no terminal buildings next to it, just a maintenance garage) and got off onto the tarmac itself... then there were two buses (but still ... 2 buses for a flight of 300 people? come on...). they packed us into the bus like sardines and then we drove another 10 minutes to the terminal. it wouldn%26#39;t have been bad had they had more buses, but standing in a bus for 25 minutes with 2 suit cases is actually painful after awhile...
on the return flight, we took the RER in and arrived at the airport almost exactly 2 hours early... after quickly getting our tax free receipts stamped at customs, we went to check in... after waiting in line to check in we got our boarding passes... the gate agent didn%26#39;t point it out, and we didn%26#39;t notice it until we were mid-security line, but it said on the bottom of the pass that %26quot;Many terminal 2 gates require a shuttle to get to the plane. You must arrive 45 minutes prior to the BOARDING time%26quot; ... (yes, 45 minutes prior to the *boarding* time, which is 55 minutes prior to the departure time..) So they%26#39;re saying you need to be at GATE no later than 100 minutes prior to departure. After getting through security, we RAN to the gate so we could board the shuttle. luckily, the incoming flight came in late so our flight was delayed. had it not been delayed, arriving 2 hours prior to departure would not have been enough time and we probably would%26#39;ve missed our flight. For this flight they packed us into 3 buses, and we happened to be the third couple in line to board the second bus so we got seats, so we were slightly more comfortable.
So in short, if you%26#39;re departing out of terminal 2, find out what terminal letter it is (%26quot;A%26quot; %26quot;B%26quot; %26quot;C%26quot; %26quot;D%26quot; %26quot;E%26quot; etc) and make sure its not one that requires the shuttle bus to get to the gate... The 2 hour rule is no longer enough for this.. I would allow yourself at least another 30 mins, more if you hope to do any duty free shopping..
|||
Just FYI, the construction is to rebuild the terminal that collapsed a couple years ago, AFAIK. 2E collapsed less than a year after it was opened, I think.
|||
Many airports use %26quot;hardstand%26quot; aircraft parking. Dulles was originally designed for such a system using specially engineered vehicles to shuttle passengers to aircraft. Due to the high cost of maintaining and operating these special shuttle vehicles, airports use them to a much lesser extent. However; when gate space is not available, they still serve a useful purpose and CDG has a gate shortage.
Airline schedules include estimated shuttle times were applicable. When shuttles are used, the departure time printed upon the ticket represents (in theory) the last shuttle departure, not the actual aircraft departure. It is not incumbent upon the passenger to determine whether or not a shuttle is to be used and adjust his arrival accordingly. Boarding times themselves are very subjective and can vary greatly depending upon number of jet ways used to board and the overall number of passengers. The problem is that some people try to “push the envelope” and arrive at the last minute. If enough people do this, the departure is either regrettable delayed or they are left behind. Hence printed boarding times tend to error on the conservative time (earlier than may really be required) and every effort is made to keep the departure on time and accommodate everyone. Isn’t this just the way we would all operate if we were the ones making these decisions?
None the less, though arriving 2 hours in advance of an international departure may seem early enough, I should consider this a minimum amount of time, particularly if you have duty free paperwork to file, airline security at check in, growing lines at airport security, and long walks to departure gates. If holiday/high season crowds are included, I should think 2½ to 3 hours would be a more comfortable time margin. I also like to arrive at the gate as early as possible, just to be sure.
|||
This whole parking lot thing is due to the collapse of 2E as mentioned by the other poster. Once 2E is rebuilt (who knows when), the busing to jets should go away again. I was supposed to be in terminal 2E about 2 hours after it collapsed!
|||
Is everyone saying here that Northwest Airlines will be using CDG 2 and then Terminal E? or do they use other terminals and CDG 1 and 3...?
|||
There is renovation on-going over at CDG #1 and as previously mentioned, they%26#39;re sill trying to put Humpty-Dumpty back together agian at CDG #2-E. But the %26#39;scissor-lift%26#39; buses to and from aircraft are nothing new at CDG.
Since CDG #2-C, E %26amp; F are used primarily by Air France and its %26#39;Sky Team%26#39; partner airlines (Delta, Alitalia, KLM/NW, etc), these are the flights that will most likely may be effected.
|||
Welcome to the club...we had the same %26quot;greyhound%26quot; bus experience as you. It was very annoying. If the booking agents had explained this procedure (we traveled with Air France) we could have planned this in our time frame. Now for any future trips to Paris I will allow MUCH extra time to get to the gate.
|||
KDKSAIL,
Do you think arriving 3 hours before departure time at CDG is sufficient for an AF flight? In the US I usually arrive 3 hours before an international flight because I don%26#39;t want to feel rushed. I%26#39;d rather sit and read or people watch, knowing I%26#39;m at the gate with plenty of time to spare.
|||
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Do you think arriving 3 hours before departure time at CDG is sufficient for an AF flight? In the US I usually arrive 3 hours before an international flight because I don%26#39;t want to feel rushed. I%26#39;d rather sit and read or people watch, knowing I%26#39;m at the gate with plenty of time to spare.%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
I don%26#39;t enjoy sitting around in an airport having my backside re-molded to the shape of a departure lougne seat...but these days there are simply too many unforseeable difficullties that can arise. As examples, raising the VIGIPIRATE security levels a fraction of a notch or a %26#39;wok action%26#39; can slow things to a crawl at airports. And it%26#39;s also worth noting that Air France has a smoewhat %26#39;spotty%26#39; reputation for customer service. We%26#39;ve never encountered a problem with AF...but we%26#39;ve heard too many %26#39;horror%26#39; stories%26#39; involving AF over the years to discount all of %26#39;em. So plan to be there AT LEAST two(2) hours in advance at an absolute minimum....and three(3) is NOT too early.
|||
I always arrive 3 hours before departure at any airport. - this allows you to get to the head of the check-in queue and get those valuable exit row seats.
You always have to allow for security stuff. On one memorable trip to GCD everything was held up for an hour while a bomb disposal squad blew up someone%26#39;s suitcase which had been found. Unfortunately (no - it wasnt one of ours) they wouldnt let me take photos....but seeing all that underwear flying was fun..............
I find that at CDG the floor is more comfortable than the seats. If you use a travel cushion, blow it up and have a last hot chokky in France, is my advice.
|||
So... let me understand this. This is Terminal 2E ONLY or is 2B affected?
No comments:
Post a Comment