1hr 10min connection at GDG do-able?
 

Hi all,

Well I'm going to Naples for 1 month this summer for school, and this is a lot of first for me... I've never been out of the USA, only remember being on a plane once, and have never been more than a few hours away from my family for a few days at the most. I'm traveling alone (19 f) and while my family helped me book my flights, they haven't traveled internationally before either. I only speak English.

I have a Delta flight from MSP to GDG with a 1hr 10min layover before my Air France flight to NAP. I'll have 1 checked bag. I was doing a little googling and have seen a lot of horror stories and now I'm totally scared.

Will it be possible for me to make my flight? What should I expect? Will I have to go get my checked bag? What if I miss my flight? Basically, help! :d
Also, any tips for a young female traveling alone would be much appreciated.

Unless your incoming flight is terribly late, that's a good amount of time to make the connection. AF runs a pretty tight operation but my experience with those times is I still end up spending 20 boring minutes in the "commuter" terminal.

Keys to being comfortable with the connection are to look up your departing flight terminal on the television monitors as soon as possible after getting off the incoming plane. From there, directional signs are all in English; just follow correctly and you should be ok.

If the incoming flight is late or you do miss the connection, they are really good at doing whatever they can to get you on the next flight out.

Oh, you do not have to collect your bag; it will be transferred for you. But to be safe, just check at your initial departure airport when you initially check the bag to be sure it is indeed checked all the way through.

Things usually go according to plan in air travel, but the key is in understanding what to do when things do no go according to plan.

It will take you some amount of time to get off the plane (people sitting in the back of the plane can underestimate this), and you will have to line up for and go through immigration before getting to your connecting flight. Still, 1:10 is usually enough time to make that connection, but you don't have a lot of time to dawdle.

However, if you DO miss the flight from Paris to Naples, your best bet is to contact Delta Airlines. If you have a phone that works in France, call Delta's French number; if you don't have a phone that works in France, find Delta's service counter at the CDG airport. Then, have Delta arrange for you to get on the next flight to Naples. If this happens, it is entirely possible that your luggage will not take the same flights that you do. In that case, you'll have to stop and fill out some forms when at the lost baggage office in Naples. While you'll almost surely eventually get your luggage, you might be without it for a day or two -- be sure to take enough essentials in your carry-on to account for that possibility.

Is this trip all under one "booking" or did you book MSP-CDG separately from your flight to Naples?

Either way, you will need to pass through customs/passport check upon your entry to the EU, and most likely will need to go through security again. It will be tight, but you may be able to do it.

If your flights are on 2 separate bookings, I'd say switch your second flight, as you'd need to do customs, pick up your checked bag, recheck and go thru security again- not possible in 1.10.

You'll arrive at 2E and depart from 2F. The two halls are across from each other and connected by passageways. In between you'll go through passport control and security. Your bag should be checked through to NAP. In case of misconnect at CDG, Air France can also rebook you on their next flight. Delta has a counter at 2E but does not have a presence at 2F.

Here's why I suggested that the OP contact Delta in case of misconnect: The OP's current reservation is almost certainly the Air France flight to Naples at 9:45am. That's AF's only flight of the day to Naples. Alitalia has the only other flight of the day to Naples among members of the SkyTeam alliance, and they have both a non-stop (in the evening) as well as connecting flights via Rome or Milan during the day. So, in case of misconnect, OP surely wants to be on an AZ flight and not have to wait for the next day's AF flight. Given that the ticket is likely to have been written by DL, and given that the misconnect will have been due to DL, the problem is likely to be easier to sort out by DL for someone who's new to dealing with this type of situation.

AF does have an evening nonstop to NAP, AF1578. It wasn't clear to me from the OP who the issuing carrier is but in any case, I've had AF rebook me on other Skyteam carriers with DL issued tickets. It may very well be easier for the OP to deal with DL. I've never tried that route.

You're 100% right Patty -- my eyes failed me. In the event of misconnect, OP should do as Patty suggests and contact the AF desk.

I would contact your air carrier - hopefully the booking is all with one issuer - and see if there is an earlier initial departing flight or a later connecting flight. One hour and ten minutes is not that long of a time to get off the plane, collect your bag, get through immigration, get through another security check, and find the gate for the next flight.

Especially since you have said that you are a relatively inexperienced traveler, why make this so stressful? Find a different itinerary with a longer layover, and if you end up with some down time, read or just relax and people-watch!

There is no need to collect your bags, even if the flights were purchased separately. Delta and AF are skyteam partners - your bags will be tagged all the way through to Naples.

J62 beat me to it. Even with separate tickets your bags will be checked through.

My mistake - I was thinking of how it is reentering the USA with a checked bag, regardless of whether the continuing flight's airline is the same for both flights. Sorry.

Even so, I think it's a crapshoot as to whether the OP would have a stress-free experience with such a tight connection.

We have flown into CDG on both Delta and Air France with very tight connections and have made the flight each time. I would think Delta or Air France will help you get on another flight if you miss the connection, but hope you don't.

Thanks so much everyone! My trip is under all one booking and was purchased through Delta. I'll be sure to Delta contact information on hand along with knowing that they have a counter just in case anything goes wrong. It is espeically helpful to know what gates I'll likely be going through so I can look at some maps of the airport and whatnot. There is in fact another flight a few hours later that day to NAP incasae I do miss my flight, but hopefully I won't. I don't want to change to that later flight because I'm being picked up at the airport by the people I'll be working with (but never met) and I want to get there as early as possible and avoid it getting dark in case I have to make my way to my accomodations an hour or so away by myself.

Since Delta made this entire booking, you should be fine. Otherwise they will take care of you. Have a wonderful adventure!