Air France Transfer at CDG
 

Hello fellow Fodorites. Flying from Washington Dulles to Venice via Paris-Charles de Gaulle on Air France (love Air France). My connection time is about 40 minutes between flights.<BR><BR>1) will my luggage make it; and<BR>2) will I go through French customs or upon arrival in Italy?<BR><BR>Thanks for any responses!

Check your ticket to see that you're departing from the same terminal that you arrive at (it will say CDG T1 or CDG T2). As you are going straight through on Air France, I presume that you will arrive and leave from Terminal 2. You will not go through customs as your bags will be checked in straight through to Venice at Dulles. You will also be given a boarding pass for the Paris - Venice leg in Washington.<BR>As for whether your luggage will make it, well sorry but my experience of CDG Airport (and Air France through there in particular) is that there is a very good chance that they won't. I am transiting Paris on Wednesday and Thursday this week and am so fed up of not having any luggage that I am taking hand luggage only (as I am only away for 1 night). I realise that you can't do that.

Well, we were on that same flight 3 weeks ago and the bags did not show in Venice for 2.5 days later. They also missed on the way home with 1:20 between flights. Plan accordingly and see my trip report named: Navigating in Venezia----&quot;. We had to change terminals and almost missed the connection ourselves.

<BR>You won't make it and there is NO chance your suitcases will arrive at your destination. I had such bad experience with Air France and CDG in the past therefore I try either to avoid CDG or never agree to less than 2 hours of connection.<BR>AA

I fly AF to CDG from Dulles myself quite a bit and have occasionally transferred elsewhere in Europe, so -- my experience is that you will make it (I always have with same connecting time) as long as your flight is not delayed on takeoff. My luggage has not made it with me twice, one was a regular connection when they had at least an hour, but the other was probably not their fault--the plane was delayed by the FAA in the US on takeoff and I talked myself into getting on the next plane about to take off, but my bags couldn't. I guess I've always made it, my bags delayed 25 pct of time. The bags ALWAYS showed up the same day by night, however.

Thanks for all your responses. I'm familiar with Roissy CDG and arrive at 2F and depart from 2D so it's not that long a walk. I guess the 40 minutes will be cutting it tight though if the plane is delayed even a few minutes. In any event, if I miss the connection, will Air France then put me on their next available flight out to Venice? In the event my luggage does not arrive with me in Venice, will Air France then deliver it to my hotel? Thanks for all the information. You people are great!

the same thing happended to me in July. 40 minutes is not enough time at all. Be prepared to wait and then they will fly you to Venice on the next flight, whenever that is. Your luggage will be delivered to you at the hotel. But we waited 3 days to receive it. Alos waited 3 days on homeward trip.<BR><BR>