I am booking AirFrance flights from NYC to Malaga. On the return, I have the choice of a 50minute connection in CDG, or a 4 hour layover/connection time. Which would you choose?

YUK! What a choice! I would take the four hours because I think 50 minutes is simply not enough time. CDG was a zoo yesterday and we encountered a security person with a Napoleon complex trying to head up to passport control that forced us to check a bag which was clearly legal. Had it been a 50-minute connection, it clearly would have been a missed flight.

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Thanks Flyboy. I hate to sit at the airport for 4 hours, but I think I must.
My understanding is if the arriving plane is on time, and you somehow get stuck in the airport trying to make the connection (ie meeting Msr.Napoleon, it is your fault, not the airlines, correct?

That is correct. (Of course, now that I've told you this, you will probably arrive early and find that you could have caught your next flight at an adjacent gate.)

We had the same choice last summer. Bordeaux to CDG then on to US. Picked the long layover. We laid over & laid over. We literally laid down in the cavernous, infamous 2E. A few days later, BOOM, all fall down.
So, we would have had plenty of time with a <1hr layover, but I get too nervous to plan such.

Hi cruis,

I would take the 4-hr layover, especially if you arrive in CDG1 and leave from CDG2.

There are a lot of places to window shop. You can spend an hour or two having lunch and people watching.

I have to get from 2C to 2D (or the other way around)if that adds any information.

While I normally would err on the side of caution and say go for the longer layover, if you're going from 2C to 2D, that's not far. The airport is shaped like a figure 8 lying on its side, and 2C and 2D are just opposite one another. I'd call the airline and ask what they'll do if you miss the first connection. If they tell you they'll get you on a later flight, I might actually do this with a wing and a prayer. I've done some amazingly short layovers at CDG, some even involving changing terminals in under an hour, and made it. It wasn't fun, mind you, but I got there.

i just did the 50 minute connection between flights.. had to go to terminal 2D from wherever we entered at passport control. shockingly i made it.. had my boarding pass already from USA.. was no one at passport control early in morning..no lines at security.. but it was a very LONG fast walk to that terminaland my gate area.
was surprised i made it.. and more surprised to see both my bags turn up at destination.

the flight took off late although it wasn't reading late..the bus sat and waited for any stray passengers i guess before bussing us out to faraway tarmak.
the problem at cdg is that so many of the flights are parked soooo far away from any terminal that you lose a lot of time waiting for the bus to fill and get going to the terminal when you land.

however..if you were unfortunate and missed connection, as many would in that case, i imagine you would be booked on next available flight.. but hard to know if you would have a seat.

i would probably take the legal 50 minute changing time and travel light and go for it.

they DO measure carry-ons MOST of the time.. careful with that like last poster stated. lots of people having to re-check bags.