We have a one-hour layover at Charles DeGaulle. Arriving from Genoa at 3pm and departing to Atlanta at 4pm on Delta. Is this too tight? All of the flights have Delta numbers, if that makes a difference.

To me it is. CDG is to me one of the worst airports for connecting. If you can get a longer connection time it would be better.

I've connected through CDG several times, and an hour is not enough, even on the same airline.

it is very tight for CDG ( I leave myself more than 2 hours at that nightmare place) If you are even 15 minutes late , it can be a no go.

This is not nearly enough time. It's very unlikely you will make this connection - and almost sure your luggage won't. Can you change to a flight that will give you more time?

You will make it ONLY if Air France (the Delta Partner) assigns someone to walk you from one gate to the next. Any checked luggage will NEVER make it.

CDG is a nightmare. I would never go there again if there was a connection I HAD to make,with less than 2.5 hours.

They force you to check in/scan bags etc passport control all that even tho you never leave the area. They have hellish busses that circle around the place, stopping constantly to open and close gates. Nobody will acknowledge speaking ENglish even if they are at the INFO desks. You are ON YOUR OWN.

I agree. I recall we had to go through security twice also. Not fun.

Doubt seriously you can make it. Last year I had a 3.5 hr connection and I'm glad I did.

Another thing,

We walked to the other terminal. I was advised here that it would be faster than taking their transfer buses and I think it was. It is a very confusing airport and as mentioned previously, people at the "information" booths are not eager to help. .

The connection is tight, but I've personally had lots of luck connecting at CDG (it's heads and shoulders above LHR!). For connecting onto a North American itinerary, you should probably try to arrange for an earlier arrival from Geonoa unless you want to take the chance at a night in Paris (not a bad thing in my opinion). If you're transferring from a non-Air France flight, the transfers will be more difficult and time consuming. However, I've found transfers to/from Air France to be fairly easy.

When you get off your flight, follow the signs to transfers (not passport control) and get on one of the transfer buses. They only take a few minutes to get you to the next terminal. You will need to go through security again (but this is fairly common at all EU airports) and typically, I find that the majority of these lines are not too long.

However, CDG is possibly the worst airport when it comes to transferring bags, irrespective of how much time you have there, so it pays to carry-on anything that you can't do without.

Hi M,

Some people have reported making 0:45 hr connections at CDG.

If you do make the connection, it is highly unlikely that your baggage will.

>All of the flights have Delta numbers, if that makes a difference.

Tell the boarding agent in Genoa and the flight attendant on the plane to CDG about your connection.

They might expedite your transfer.

If you have a single ticket from Genoa to ATL, they will put you on the next available flight.

Pack a change of undies in your carry on.

It is highly unlikely that you will make the connex, so don't bother running from security line to security line to boarding gate.

You might get lucky, and your flight to ATL will be delayed.

Good luck.

I can't help myself....I've gotta comment. I love the French...really I do, but CDG is French culture exemplified by the bureaucracy (sp?) needed to simply trade planes. A two hour connection is tight there. And my bags still didn't make it! The most frustrating part is getting off on the tarmac, taking a bus to the terminal with a ride that I swear lasts 15 - 20 minutes. Then you get out...go through security all over again as well as passport control, (PP control tho is in all European airports for connections). After getting through security there will be a long walk involving stairs,several twists and turns, lasting maybe 15 minutes; good luck finding a bathroom. Finally, you arrive at the gate and guess what? The door you originally went in when that bus left you off? It is right next door to the gate you are about to exit to get onto your next plane! I will still retire in France one day and I can't wait.

I tell this story so often that I should have a shortcut for it! We were on Air France from Rome to Boston w/a connection at CDG---same airline!! There were at least 15 people on our flt going the same route. First plane was late---delayed on ground in Rome---but we still just made it to gate a couple minutes late in Paris. Plane to Boston was still at gate but they had closed doors and would not let all those people board!!

I would never change at CDG with anything less than minimum of 2 hours.

It's certainly possible to make a 1 hour connection even without an escort. I've made connections shorter than that going both Schengen to International as well as International to Schengen in the past year.

Transfers involving connections to/from 2E at CDG have become much more efficient since the opening of S3 last summer and the re-opening of 2E main terminal in April.

That said, if you can still change your flights without penalty now, I'd go ahead and do it.

Your flight from Genoa will land at 2D. There's now a <b>direct</b> bus from 2D to 2E (this is not the same shuttle that circles the terminal). The first stop will be for 2E main terminal (gates E21-E47) and the second stop is for S3 (gates E51-E76) so check the departure gate of your Delta flight. You will go through passport control to exit Schengen at 2D and security check at 2E.

Check this transfer site for more info (it's designed for AF to AF transfers but transferring to DL is the same) http://correspondances-aeroports.air....fr/_index.php

Good luck!

PS - If you're flying in business or have Skyteam elite status, you can use the Acces No. 1 lanes at passport control and security.

Are the tickets alreaady purchased? Are they a single ticket issued by Delta? Or two tickets you bought separately?

I don't think 1 hour is enough to make a connection and transfer at any international airport anywhere these days. It's not just CDG or the French ;-)

I have made 45 minute connections twice with Air France. My checked baggage made it too. I have no idea how that happened but sometimes it does.

If I could make a change without penalty, I would.

IF Delta sold it to you as a legit connection then they apparently think you can make it ) (but that doesn't mean a whole lot does it?)
I'd be nervous about the connection. Am wondering if your flight originates in Genoa(or comes in from another city).(possible delay getting away from Genoa)
Sounds like you don't do passport control in Paris,,but in Atlanta,,,and you will be in the transit area. (&quot;might&quot; have security again! or might not). IF it doesn't work out then the airline will put you on the next flight OR put you up over night. (happened to us one time at CDG, Air France,,,and mechanical problems AFTER we had boarded the plane and sat for 45 min.)

CDG isn't the best place to have only 1 hour layover...but it &quot;could&quot; work. I'd call and ask Delta their percentage of connection accuracy for these flight, and exactly what would happen if you did't make it. Who is responsible. These rules might have changed since OUR adventure! It sounds to me,as others have mentioned, that your checked luggage would have a hard time making the connection.!!!

The minimum connecting time at CDG an hour for international to international. There are plenty of airports in the world that have an hour MCT or less. Airlines do not want the hastle of rebooking passengers on missed connections and they do not want the expense of paying for an overnight hotel.

mari5,
The OP has to go through passport control to <b>exit</b> the Schengen territory. This is a concept unfamiliar to most Americans because the US does not have outgoing passport control.