I finished my reservation with Delta last night and fyi they now fly Prague to Atlanta non stop, thus alleviating the need to have a layover at CDG.

Hallelujah!

You know, I keep reading about all these bad experiences about CDG, and in 25 years of flying in and out of that airport, I can never recall one problem; this past trip in September I changed my ticket TWICE in Paris at the Air France ticket office at Opera, and then the larger one at l'Invalides (which is where they have a Delta counter inside as well) and they could NOT have been more pleasant, and more helpful-really, really helpful, because my itinerary had gotten all messed up due to the cancellation of my Alitalia flight, and the substitution of a Lufthansa flight instead. They straightened it all out, and emailed my new itinerary to me later that evening-I didn't even have to wait around for them to do it-they told me to go, and they'd handle it- and that's exactly what they did.

I was at CDG again in September, and although there's a fair amount of construction going on, I didn't find it unpleasant at all-FAR, FAR better than Frankfurt-where I have have to make murderous minimum connection times, frantically running through terminals and up exit stairwells because of Lufthansa minimum connection times from Terminals 1 to 2. awful, awful-will NEVER do that again-and their airport doesn't even have the nice little cafes/eateries that CDG has, either.

Hi, I vote for the longer layover. On our last three flights since 2004 with Air France we've had to dash through the terminals. Also the ongoing construction has caused the AF planes to park far on the tarmacs necessitating shuttle bus rides that seem to go on forever. Yes. It's best to while away your time with a longer layover than to stress out with a shorter one.

Call me crazy, but I don't mind hanging around airports for a few extra hours, I don't understand the big problem people have with it.

I'd rather have a few cocktails in the bar any day and avoid "airport/flight anxiety" syndrome.

I agree with suze -- I don't mind a few extra hours in an airport. And when I am a paying passenger (which I am more and more often as 'airline employee travel' becomes more and more difficult), I am delighted by the various compensations that one gets when missing a connection due to another airline's fault. So I always make sure that I have an extra day of vacation for the return portion in case something goes wrong.

that said... i don't mean the 5-12(!) hour kind of layover that i read some people choosing (without realizing by mistake in planning, is my usual impression).

but that 3-5 hour range is OK by me. Airports are world-class people-watching. Throw in a little shopping and reading, some drinks and a meal. I'm sure it might be different for traveling for business, but since I'm always on vacation when I'm in airports, it's all part of the fun imo.

That's exactly how I understood it.

I don't mind long layovers either.

The hallelujah was for getting a direct flight. That's a bonus no matter which airline you use, but in the case of CDG, Delta is relegated to the outer limits of the airport. Even though they use Air France gates to check you in, the good gate slots (the ones actually attached to the main building) are used by AF.

With the collapse of the new terminal a couple of years ago, it's a real challenge to get from one flight to another if you're using Delta. Once you check in at the gate, you get on a bus. The bus may or may not leave as soon as it is full and it may or may not let you get off once it reaches the plane out on the tarmac.

Last year, we waited on the bus for an airline employee for what seemed like forever. Then after we finally got driven out to the plane we waited over 30 minutes while it was being serviced. They wouldn't even open the door.

WOW...LynnieD: All these ideas! and what a wonderful "suprise" to find out that on May 2, 2007 Delta will have a non stop flight Atlanta to Prague and return. And you are going in October, so that should work out perfect. What a bonus to your trip!!! Will certainly make things easier.
I notice they have a few other non stop flights to Europe.
The flight to Budapest is still through CDG, but it will work out fine, I'm sure.
I know you are glad to have your ticket "under your belt"....I guess you got the FF points you wanted.???
Congratulations!

I've posted this before but for those people who have never had a problem at CDG consider yourself blessed. We flew to Rome through there once and coming and going it was a comedy of errors. Heads up on the putting you on the next flight. We were told they needed at least 2 hours to transfer out luggage when the door to the plane was slammed in our faces. Then the luggage never made it anyway! Don't even get me started on the connection home!

Thanks all,

Linda, yes I am thrilled to get the business class tickets at the 90k miles on the exact flights we want. For some reason I don't much care about being hung up in Paris for a few hours or even having to catch a later onward flight to Budapest on the way there. On the way home, I know DH will get very grouchy if things don't go according to Hoyle, so I'd just as soon take no chances.

Happy Days for Lynnie!!!!

We returned from Prague in May on what I think is the same flight through CDG. It was a nail-biter. The shuttle goes all... the...way... around... the... airport if you know what I'm saying. It takes forEVER. We did barely make it, but someone else on the shuttle said he never had made it. I would definitely rather make it a leisurely wait (I'm not psyched about being in the airport longer than required either) than take the risk. BTW, do you really think Delta knows what they're doing?

Our shuttle took so long driving around that passengers new to this were asking if they'd be taking the shuttle to their destination.