my sister and i are coming from different parts of usa and plan to meet in charles de gaulle (CDG) airport on the same day we'll arrive in paris? where is the best place to meet in that airport? will the luggage pick up area be a good choice? please help!

I take it you are flying on different carriers and possibly arriving at different times. You may even be arriving at different terminals. In any case, I wouldn't suggest the luggage pickup area. If you are arriving at Terminal 1, there is a coffee bar just as you leave the luggage claim/customs area. It's a better place to hang out than baggage claim.

Hopefully there is not a LOT of time involved between your respective arrivals. If you provide your carriers and arrival times, there will be people on this board who can provide you with more specific advice, based on the terminal(s) involved, etc.

If you are taking the RER train to the city, perhaps at the booth where you buy the tickets? Only one place.

Enjoy your trip!

Mike

There are two big terminals at CDG. The first thing you need to determine is if you are arriving at the same one - terminal (aérogare) 1 or 2. If it's terminal 1, meet at the coffee shop opposite gate 34, where you are likely to exit Customs. If it's terminal 2, meet at a certain door, like door (porte) 5, where the Air France and RER shuttle buses leave from. If one of you is arriving at one terminal and the other at the other, make a plan for one of you to take a shuttle to the other, and pick a spot at either terminal to meet up.

Take a look at the website for CDG airport at adp.fr. Click on the "welcome" in the lower left corner to get the English version. There is a part of the site called "Flight Schedules" where you can enter the arrival flights and they will tell you the terminals they will arrive into. I find this to be abut 99.9% accurate most of the time. The site also has maps of each terminal.

Once you know what terminal the flights will be arriving into, you can make your plans accordingly

If you will be arriving in the same terminal at around the same time, it might be easiest to meet at baggage claim. However, some of the terminals at CDG have a separate baggage claim area for each gate, so there isn't one large area where all the luggage arrives. You need to find out your arrival terminals and then take a look at the maps or post another question here for suggestions on where to meet.

The information given by StCirq is not really correct. There are actually 3 terminals at CDG, and Terminal 2 is divided into 6 separate sections, letters A-F. The terminals are linked by a shuttle bus. In Terminal 2 is, it is quite a long walk from section A to F, so keep you luggage cart with you if you have to walk between sections of Terminal 2.

If you can't locate the CGD site, there is a very helpful website with a guide to all major airports worldwide at http://www.worldairportguide.com/airports/cdg/cdg.asp

If one or both of you are flying Air France or one of their Skyteam member like Delta, you will arrive into Terminal 2 Section E. There is a large baggage claim area here where you could meet, or you could meet just outside the exit doors from the baggage claim area.

If all else fails, have a contingency plan that if you haven?t met up within X time of the last person to arrive, you will get to your hotel separately and meet up there.