hopingtotravel

I'm getting ready to book my April flight and am still considering this route. Having never transferred in the Amsterdam airport, I have some questions. If I buy the ticket all in one piece, i.e., final destination Paris, do I go through customs in Amsterdam or Paris? In other words is an hour or hour and 1/2 on the ground time to change planes? My flight in would be NW operating as KLM (I think merged w/Air France). My flight to Paris would be KLM operating as Air France. Anyone know if that means the terminals would be in close proximity? There's nothing that works up a sweat like trying to run madly through a strange airport with a carryon on your back on no sleep!

ira

Hi hop,

It is close but doable.

Also, if you book the flight on one ticket, they will have to put you on the next available flight if you don't make the connection.

Boots

Amsterdam is a very large airport, and sometimes the departure gate is a long way from the arrival gate. You will not have to do anything with your checked luggage, but you will have to go through passport control and put your carry-on through the machine. Sometimes there are long lines. But, as Ira said, there are several flights to Paris from AMS and I'm sure you would be put on a later flight. There is a map of the airport in the NWA World Traveler magazine. You might familiarize yourself with that before landing. If you have a choice, you may want to have two or three hours in Amsterdam. The airport is quite interesting with many shops, restaurants, a museum, etc. Boots

LoveItaly

Hi hopingtotravel. You will be fine.

But to help you here is the website of Amsterdam airport. It is www.schiphol.nl

Wishing you a beautiful trip.

sandi

Schiphol airport is big and getting bigger all the time, but I've found it to be one of the most civilized airports to navigate. There is excellent signage, moving sidewalks; it's amazing how much ground one can cover in a short amount of time. But while I would have been comfortable with 1-1/2 hrs prior 9/11, no more. Besides having to clear customs here, as mentioned about, you'll have to go thru a security check for your ongoing flight. Check to see when the next flight leaves from AMS to CDG (unless you're going into Orly) and either book that or at least know there's another flight should you miss the connection you are presently considering.

lincasanova

"besides having to clear customs"..
you will be checking your bags to your destination, paris, which is where you will "clear customs" with the bags.your cases will not need to be collected at first port of entry like in the USA.

so if your flight arrives on time, you will just be going through passport control and off to get your next flight. Doesn't look worrisome to me.

ira

Hi hop,

There is not difficulty going through Customs in Europe, just follow the sign that says "Nothing to Declare".

It's Immigration that holds you up.

Travelnut

Just curious(nosey?) - why do you have to connect in Amsterdam for Paris...?

Gardyloo

You will go through passport control at AMS as it is your first Schengen stop, and fetch your bags at CDG. An hour and a half is ample time, but not for extensive shopping at the mall which is Schiphol.

Travelnut, it's because there's no nonstop from Seattle to Paris, only N/S service to London, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. And Moscow sometimes, sometimes not.

Robert2533

I hate to throw a wet blanket on this regarding clearing customs in Amsterdam. Since Schiphol is your main point of entry into the EU, you will have to clear both passport control and customs when you arrive. Then you will have to make sure your bags are rechecked for your flight to Paris, regardless if they were checked through to your final destination. The flight from Amsterdam to Paris is considered a domestic flight (within the EU). Customs is always handled at your Port of Entry.

And yes, Schiphol is a very large airport with a fair amount of distance between the international arrivals terminal and the domestic departure terminals. It's also a very busy airport with a number of daily flights to the Mid-East and Asia.

You'll be better off flying from Seattle to the east coast (JFK, NJ, Philadelphia) or Chicago for your flight to Paris. There are flights from Portland and a number of direct flights from San Francisco to Paris.

hopingtotravel

Robert, thanks. Wouldn't you have to fly back over the pole if flying from San Francisco? Plus, San Francisco is often fogged in. My trip originates in Alaska, so it's logical for me to go through Seattle. I could fly Alaska Air to Boston, then Air France to Paris, but per hours of flying that would mean another night layover in Boston. NW is a travel partner to AK. However, while I've been researching this, I discover several posts from people who say their NW/KLM planes from Seattle are VERY old. NW leaves Seattle early in the afternoon. If one flies BA to London, the flight doesn't leave until evening then to go to Paris I think you leave from Gatwick or Stansted. Anyone here done the SAS through Copenhagen to Paris? How many hours does that take?

repete

Do you need a leg on Alaska Air? If not, you could go ANC-MSP-AMS-CDG on NW/KLM.

I'm not sure about the advice that you'll have to pick up your bags and re-check at your first European stop. That's what I expected, but on my most recent trip (August), I flew IAD-LHR on one ticket and LHR-FCO-ATH. Virgin checked my bags all the way to ATH despite the two tickets and I only had passport control at LHR.

Whatever route you go, I wouldn't worry too much about Schiphol. I've never had any trouble there and found it to be a fairly efficient place (although I might be in the minority.).

It used to be so much easier out of ANC when it had all those flights stopping between Europe and Asia out of the old international terminal. I did an ANC-AMS-GVA that was one of the easiest trips I ever made. London was a short hop over the pole in those days.

hopingtotravel

Repete, I don't have to have a leg on AK Air. It's just habit. NW is an AK travel partner so I'd still get some miles. If they fly a polar route from Minneapolis, that might be comparable to flying from San Francisco. However, wouldn't they be using the same old DC-10s they use from Seattle? Yes, we lived up here when BA and SAS flew direct from Anch to Europe--couldn't afford it back then, darn.

repete

Any chance of getting the Alaska non-stop to Chicago and doing ANC-ORD-CDG?

repete

Yup, I think you're right. MSP-AMS is on the old DC10's. Hate 'em.

repete

Don't know if you use this site, but on more complicated trips, I like it because it breaks down the stops and total travel times pretty well.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/

You can set up an account or log in as a guest.

baglady

I just did that flight the end of Sept. No problem with the flight over (I had 65 min between flights), but the return was an experience (1 hr 15 min between flights). As other posters have mentioned, Schiphol Airport is very large and the flight from Paris arrived at one end and the departure flight left from the other end. I started walking and ended up running through the airport to make my connection as there is no other means of transportation other than your legs! Another poster said there was a moving walkway, but I sure didn't see it and I was looking for one. I didn't think I would ever get to the gate.....and all those wonderful shops that I couldn't go into!

Robert2533

If you are going to fly through Schiphol, and don't want to worry about missing your connecting flight to Paris, why not take the train from Schiphol to Paris instead? You board the train right there in the station and will be in Paris in four hours. You should be able to order the ticket and arrange to pick it up when you arrive at Schiphol, or have them delivered. We did this last December. It was an interesting trip and we didn't have to rush to catch our connecting flight and then transfer in from CDG, since the train stops at Gare de Nord, Paris.

beaker

Hey to Hop,

Your Seattle to Paris via AMS on NW/KLM is the fastest way to get there. I have made this same run a number of times, and looked at all other options. You will likely make the connection, but if you do not, the worst outcome is that you enjoy shopping or a cold beer for an hour or two, awaiting the next flight.

lincasanova

first port of entry customs???

i have flown for years from ord-cdg-vlc/mad/bcn and NEVER gone through customs in paris.
also flown from USA through frankfurt.. to vlc/mad/or bcn.
our luggage has ALWAYS been transferred to final destination as ticketed .
(Just did this this august, so unless this is some NEW THING, i believe you are wrong about that, robert 2523.
if you have continuous tickets should be NO REASON for luggage collection at transfer point.)

immigration is another story.

in fact. the passenger wouldn't even be able to FIND his luggage if he looked for it. it would be sent directly to next flight and waiting at customs area that airport.(unless the spanish connection system is totally different, which i doubt. otherwise, pardon my "rectifications&quot

besides.. even if you had three hours between flights.. who is to say your originating flight isn't delayed and you miss the connection anyway?
this is something i just never worry about.