Charles Degaulle question

Old Jun 28th, 2016, 04:05 PM
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Charles Degaulle question

Our 17 year old son is flying alone into CDG and then connecting to Toulouse. He's flown several times (with parents) into Paris but never with a connecting flight. I'm sure there will be lots of guidance at the airport, but he would like some knowledge, beforehand, of what to expect. Will he have to claim and recheck his luggage after customs? Will he change terminals? Any other advice?

Thanks in advance.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 04:23 PM
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Is it two different airlines, two separate tickets?
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 04:28 PM
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If he's flying on the same ticket, same airline, his luggage should be checked thru to his destination and he'd go thru customs in Toulouse. You should be able to find answers to a few of your questions by looking his ticket(s). Also you could google CDG airport and get the layout which would help him.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 04:37 PM
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The crucial info missing is the answer to the first response: which airlines and if they are two segments of the same itinerary.

You can find out terminal info on your own.
http://www.parisaeroport.fr/en/passe...ights/airlines
tells you which terminals get usually used for various destinations.

You can also find out where the same flights are arriving and departing right now at http://www.parisaeroport.fr/en/passengers/flights to verify the "usual" terminal info.

CDG is an enormous airport. Get an ideas of where the terminals are located. http://www.parisaeroport.fr/en/passe.../terminals-map

The airport site, which is always the first place to go for airport question, gives connection info. http://www.parisaeroport.fr/en/passe...ecting-flights. You enter which two terminals you are connecting.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 04:38 PM
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I don't believe that wunderbar2 is correct. You go through customs at your first international destination and collect your bags there. So he would claim his bag in Paris, go through customs (and security) and then checkin for Toulouse.

Good idea on CDG layout. If his ticket does not have the terminal he arrives and departs from, you could check the same flight for today or tomorrow and it would probably have it or againat some airports, internationals arrive at one terminal and domestics depart from another.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 04:38 PM
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I don't believe that wunderbar2 is correct. You go through customs at your first international destination and collect your bags there. So he would claim his bag in Paris, go through customs (and security) and then checkin for Toulouse.

Good idea on CDG layout. If his ticket does not have the terminal he arrives and departs from, you could check the same flight for today or tomorrow and it would probably have it or againat some airports, internationals arrive at one terminal and domestics depart from another.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 04:49 PM
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Does he already have his ticket? If not, he may want to consider flying through AMS instead of CDG. CDG doesn't get high marks in the ease of transfer topic.

I booked on KLM through Delta last year for that route. AMS is big but easy to navigate. I had a one hour layover. Both my luggage and I made it to TLS at the same time. Since it was all booked on the same ticket, luggage was checked through to TLS. My return was a non-stop from NCE on Delta.

Loved Toulouse!
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 04:53 PM
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I flew Delta from JFK - CDG - Toulouse, all on one ticket. My luggage was checked all the way through so all I had to do at CDG was go through security and get to the gate for the connecting flight to Toulouse. Unfortunately my flight from JFK was late so I miissed the connection to Toulouse. Fortunately, I got on the next flight and made it to Toulouse and so did my luggage.

Just make sure your son has enough time to makes the connecting flight as CDG is a big airport.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 05:01 PM
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He is on one ticket from ATL-CDG-TLS. I know that international passengers arriving in Atlanta and connecting must claim their baggage and recheck it right after customs and before connecting.

I will check out the airport map. Thank you
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 05:28 PM
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Hope I haven't led you astray however on connecting flights we've done on the same ticket and airline, our luggage is always checked thru to the destination, if you have a question why don't you call the airline and ask, it will give you peace of mind and clarification.

The only time we've had to reclaim our luggage and recheck was on our return arrival in the US from another country. When returning to the US you do have to do the above at your first arrival city.

Good luck. You're getting lots of good info here.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 06:43 PM
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>> You go through customs at your first international destination and collect your bags there>Hope I haven't led you astray
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 05:52 AM
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janisj, thanks for verifying. One reason I was certain on this....my husband ALWAYS has to ask when we check in, I think it's part of his 'pre-flight ritual' of which he has several
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 06:21 AM
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>>of which he has several
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 07:54 AM
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Thank you all. This is very reassuring. He knows to ask if he has any questions as I am sure there will be plenty of assistance and monitors greeting the flight from ATL. From what we have gathered, he is flying into 2E and departing from 2F. We've looked at the airport map and it looks easy.
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 09:23 AM
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>

No you don't, this hasn't been true for me on any flight in years that I can recall to Europe and I am almost always making a connection--but I book on the same airline. I think it may be true if you are landing in Schengen and then going to a non-Schengen (or vice versa), but not sure, as I haven't done that in a long time.

In any case, within France, it definitely is not true on the same airline.
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 10:10 AM
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I don't see where you have said how long he has to make the connection - which is a huge factor.

Upon entering Schengen in CDG he will first have to go through Immigration. If his time is short he needs to try to get a seat at the front of the planes an make sure he moves as fast as possible to get to Immigration (some of the other passengers on his flight will be jogging or even running to get to the Immigration line as soon as possible.

After that he needs to be sure to stay airside and get to his new gate as soon as possible, and be prepare that there may be another round of security to go through.

He does not need to worry about checked luggage, which he will get in Toulouse. But he should be sure to have one change of clothes in his carry-on - just in case there is a delay.
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 02:24 PM
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A few weeks ago I flew into London and out to Copenhagen: Here's why my reply was as it was:

Customs and passport checks are two different things. Here are the gory details. It all ruled by 3 things.
Have you got a through booking to the final destination, or two separate tickets?
Are both countries in the EU?
Are both countries in Schengen?

1) If you have a through booking, your luggage will be booked through to your final destination, you won't see it until then and you will only go through customs after you collect it at your final destination. If you have made two separate bookings (usually not recommended), then you need to collect your luggage at the first destination, go through customs, and then check it back in again.
2) There are no customs within the EU. Flights within the EU (London - Berlin or Amsterdam - Berlin) have no customs. But they know which bags originated outside the EU (different luggage labels).
3) There are no passport checks within the Schengen Area. Most EU countries are in Schengen, but the UK is not.
If you fly Somewhere --> Amsterdam --> Berlin, Amsterdam --> Berlin is a Schengen-internal flight, no passport control, so you will go through passport control at Amsterdam, that will be your entry point to the Schengen Area, then no passport control at Berlin.
But, if you fly Somewhere --> London --> Berlin; the UK is non-Schengen, so you stay "airside" in London, never enter the UK and have passport control into the Schengen area in Berlin.
That is of course assuming you have a through booking, if not you have to enter the UK (passport + customs) and check in again, back out through passports.

From Lisa on Rick Steves site
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 02:34 PM
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jan47ete: >>Customs and passport checks are two different things.IN Schengen so all your experiences re London, ex- Schengen, whatever are irrelevant. Why muddy the waters? The info you provided in your original post was incorrect. (not a great advertisement for the RS website )
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 05:48 PM
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He should still make certain in Atlanta that the clerk has checked his bags through to Toulouse.
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 08:40 PM
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He is on one ticket/one airline all the way through. He has a two hour layover. I really hope that's enough time. I will make sure I check that his bags are checked through all the way. The change of clothes in his carrying backpack is a good idea. Thank you. nytraveler, what does "staying airside" mean?
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