Airport question re:changing planes

[Twitchly]

I’ve seen a few questions lately about changing planes in different airports. Here’s another one: we are changing planes in Paris next winter for our cruise. (USA to Paris to Florence.) What is the procedure when changing planes in Europe? Would we need to go through customs even though our final destination is not Paris? 
 

Ditto for the return to the US (from Greece), also through Paris. I assume we wouldn’t need to go through customs until we return home?

 

We only have an hour in Paris each time to make our connecting flight, so I’m hoping there are no hiccups.

Edited July 17, 2021 by Twitchly

[Hockeyump]

From my experiences over the years as long as the airport you start from checks your luggage through to you final destination you just transit through all connecting airports. Never been through customs en route in 20 years.

[trtog7]

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

I’ve seen a few questions lately about changing planes in different airports. Here’s another one: we are changing planes in Paris next winter for our cruise. (USA to Paris to Florence.) What is the procedure when changing planes in Europe? Would we need to go through customs even though our final destination is not Paris? 
 

Ditto for the return to the US (from Greece), also through Paris. I assume we wouldn’t need to go through customs until we return home?

 

We only have an hour in Paris each time to make our connecting flight, so I’m hoping there are no hiccups.

Hope you are going a day early. If there are weather problems you could miss your connection and miss the departure time. But then the the cruise line would have to look after you.

We missed a embarcation once and it was going to be 3 days till the ship docked again [ not Viking]. They sent us to a resort for the wait and also got some money for all our problems

Also 1 hour seems a bit short for Paris.

[Heidi13]

Every flight into Europe, provided our bags were checked to the final destination, we didn't see them until the final airport.

 

On all times we had a connection onto a domestic flight, we completed Immigration at the initial airport and at the destination our bags were on a separate conveyor from the domestic bags. Once the bags were collected, we cleared Customs, going through the red/green channels, or whatever arrangement was used by the local Customs.

[LakeSideKen]

People use "customs" in different ways. Technically, customs is only about movement of goods. If that is what OP is asking, OP will not go through customs in Paris (going or returning) but instead will go through customs upon arrival in Florence and upon return to the USA (assuming all flights are on a single plane ticket and luggage is checked through).

 

Immigration, often called passport control, is about movement of people. OP WILL have to go through passport control in Paris on her outbound trip because Paris is her port of entry to the Schengen Zone (basically meaning Europe) and will need to go through passport control in Paris again on her return trip because Paris is her port of exit from the Schengen Zone.

 

IMO, this need to go through passport control makes OP's two hour long connections in Paris hopeless.   

[alidor]

You definitely need more than an hour to change planes in Paris.

[molymoo]

7 hours ago, LakeSideKen said:

People use "customs" in different ways. Technically, customs is only about movement of goods. If that is what OP is asking, OP will not go through customs in Paris (going or returning) but instead will go through customs upon arrival in Florence and upon return to the USA (assuming all flights are on a single plane ticket and luggage is checked through).

 

Immigration, often called passport control, is about movement of people. OP WILL have to go through passport control in Paris on her outbound trip because Paris is her port of entry to the Schengen Zone (basically meaning Europe) and will need to go through passport control in Paris again on her return trip because Paris is her port of exit from the Schengen Zone.

 

IMO, this need to go through passport control makes OP's two hour long connections in Paris hopeless.   

True!  In fact OP stated that connection time in Paris is 1 hour so I would consider that an impossibility.  We have made tight connections in the past but it is not something you can count on.  We have managed to get through immigration / passport control in Frankfort in as little as 20 minutes but waited more than 2 1/2 hours in Brussels and more than three hours in Edinburgh!  

[Twitchly]

We are doing a pre-cruise excursion in Tuscany, so we won’t miss the cruise if we miss our connecting flight. But I’d hate to miss our Tuscany excursion. Maybe I’ll talk with our travel agent and see what we can do at this point.

 

It does seem strange that the airlines would let you book a connection that’s impossible to make. (This is all on Delta/Air France.)

[MSEm]

These minimal connection times from the airlines assume: A.  NO DELAYS, B.  walking through Passport control At 6:30 am etc.

On our June trip to Alaska we had a 4 1/2hr layover in Seattle. Airline switched us to a later flight from Atlanta with only  35 minutes to make our 9:30 pm connection to Juneau. We had our flight changed back to the 4 1/2 hour layover. If we did not make the connection the next flight would be the following night.

Going overseas I try for a minimum of 3 hours between arrival in Europe and departure for the connecting fight. You may also need to change terminals  between the arrival and departure flights.

[LakeSideKen]

Twitchly, when you talk to your travel agent keep in mind;

 

(1) Delta has waived change fees during the pandemic. So you could get new flights for only the fare difference, which might be $0.

 

(2) Air France currently has flights from CDG to Florence at 9:45am and 12:30pm. If you are now booked on the 9:45 just change to the 12:30. Eastbound problem solved. Simples.

 

(3) There are also other options operated by KLM that Air France code shares departing CDG at 12:20, 2:30, 4:40 and 5:50. All make a stop in Amsterdam (KLM's hub). Not great, but better than missing your Tuscany adventure.

 

(4) I don't know enough about your return date/destination to say much,  but consider:

 

(A) Keep your present Florence to CDG flight and move your CDG to USA flight to the next day, enjoying a night in Paris. 110% safety on this 25 hour connection.

 

(B) Take a train from Florence to Rome or to Milan and get a return plane ticket from either of those airports. The problem is that Florence is a tiny airport with so few flights that it seems almost impossible to make a safe connection at any European hub to a once-daily flight to the USA. Rome or Milan would have lots of nonstop flights to many USA cities.

 

Again, Bon Voyage 

 

 

[Twitchly]

3 minutes ago, LakeSideKen said:

Twitchly, when you talk to your travel agent keep in mind;

 

(1) Delta has waived change fees during the pandemic. So you could get new flights for only the fare difference, which might be $0.

 

(2) Air France currently has flights from CDG to Florence at 9:45am and 12:30pm. If you are now booked on the 9:45 just change to the 12:30. Eastbound problem solved. Simples.

 

(3) There are also other options operated by KLM that Air France code shares departing CDG at 12:20, 2:30, 4:40 and 5:50. All make a stop in Amsterdam (KLM's hub). Not great, but better than missing your Tuscany adventure.

 

(4) I don't know enough about your return date/destination to say much,  but consider:

 

(A) Keep your present Florence to CDG flight and move your CDG to USA flight to the next day, enjoying a night in Paris. 110% safety on this 25 hour connection.

 

(B) Take a train from Florence to Rome or to Milan and get a return plane ticket from either of those airports. The problem is that Florence is a tiny airport with so few flights that it seems almost impossible to make a safe connection at any European hub to a once-daily flight to the USA. Rome or Milan would have lots of nonstop flights to many USA cities.

 

Again, Bon Voyage 

 

 

Good ideas, thanks. I will check with our agent about the later Florence flight.

 

The return is trickier; it’s from Athens and has an even shorter connection in Paris (1 hour 5 minutes or something). But I’m a bit less concerned if we miss the flight home — assuming they put us up somewhere overnight. 

[Cienfuegos]

Zurich or Amsterdam may be the smoothest points of entry / exit, but just an hour for passport control in Paris would freak me out. Big, sprawling airports like Frankfurt require walking, train, and multiple checkpoints in multiple terminal buildings.

 

On our 2019 trip to Oslo, we went through Frankfurt passport control, took escalators up to train level, took the train to another terminal. Took elevators down two levels.  Lined up for carry on bag search, walked to gate 999,  took a bus out to the aircraft on the tarmac. Both flight legs were on Lufthansa.

[duquephart]

4 hours ago, LakeSideKen said:

Twitchly, when you talk to your travel agent keep in mind;

 

(1) Delta has waived change fees during the pandemic. So you could get new flights for only the fare difference, which might be $0.

 

(2) Air France currently has flights from CDG to Florence at 9:45am and 12:30pm. If you are now booked on the 9:45 just change to the 12:30. Eastbound problem solved. Simples.

 

(3) There are also other options operated by KLM that Air France code shares departing CDG at 12:20, 2:30, 4:40 and 5:50. All make a stop in Amsterdam (KLM's hub). Not great, but better than missing your Tuscany adventure.

 

(4) I don't know enough about your return date/destination to say much,  but consider:

 

(A) Keep your present Florence to CDG flight and move your CDG to USA flight to the next day, enjoying a night in Paris. 110% safety on this 25 hour connection.

 

(B) Take a train from Florence to Rome or to Milan and get a return plane ticket from either of those airports. The problem is that Florence is a tiny airport with so few flights that it seems almost impossible to make a safe connection at any European hub to a once-daily flight to the USA. Rome or Milan would have lots of nonstop flights to many USA cities.

 

Again, Bon Voyage 

 

 

 

Make reservations at D'Chez Eau. You can thank me (profusely) later.

[duquephart]

36 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

Make reservations at D'Chez Eau. You can thank me (profusely) later.

 

D'chez Eux

[Twitchly]

Thanks to the good advice I received here, I worked with our travel agent today and changed our outbound tickets to Florence. We’re now flying through Amsterdam with a 2-hour layover, which seems more doable. Arriving only an hour later in Florence. And we upgraded to Delta’s Premium Select, so we should be a bit more comfortable. (Has anyone flown this class? One step up from Comfort + but not First Class.) 

 

Return flight through Paris is unchanged. Same 1-hour connection. But I’m not quite as concerned about missing that one. 
 

Thanks for the great tips, everyone!

[K9pal]

My advice is to avoid CDG (Paris) if at all possible.  Very large, very confusing, English not widely spoken.  One hour is definitely not enough.  But if you do have to go through CDG, be as familiar with it as possible before arriving.  Know your arriving and departing gates, and where they are located.  There's a good website called 'Easy CDG' with a lot of good advice on navigating the airport.  Good luck!

[Clay Clayton]

On 7/21/2021 at 6:54 PM, Twitchly said:

Thanks to the good advice I received here, I worked with our travel agent today and changed our outbound tickets to Florence. We’re now flying through Amsterdam with a 2-hour layover, which seems more doable. Arriving only an hour later in Florence. And we upgraded to Delta’s Premium Select, so we should be a bit more comfortable. (Has anyone flown this class? One step up from Comfort + but not First Class.) 

 

Return flight through Paris is unchanged. Same 1-hour connection. But I’m not quite as concerned about missing that one. 
 

Thanks for the great tips, everyone!

What you will encounter in Premium Select will all depend on what type of aircraft you are on. Delta is in the process of upgrading their 767 cabins with Premium Select (The Points Guy just had a feature on the first one). I think their A350s have this cabin. The seat in Premium Select is basically like a domestic First Class seat. More legroom, wider, a little more recline. 
 

I know you say you aren’t concerned about missing the return but I am not sure how Delta handles it if you miss your return due to a delay in immigration. I know I wouldn’t want to have to rush through an airport after a cruise and then miss my flight home. Then have to deal with finding a place to spend the night or hoping to get my same cabin class on a future flight.
 

If you haven’t been through Paris you really can’t imagine how spread out it is. We had three hours there once and missed our connections as our flight arrived late, deplaned at a remote station on the tarmac, rode a bus to the terminal (via germany it felt like) then walked (at least to Italy) where we then went through Immigration and then boarded another bus to go to a different terminal (in Luxembourg it felt like). By the time we did all that, we had missed our connection. Because our flight was late arriving, we were put on Air France’s next flight to Athens and because we were in Business we got to spend the six hours in the Lounge.  But if this has happened on the way back to the US we would have been in for an overnight stay. 
 

I seriously recommend another call to your agent. 

[TERRIER1]

I concur with the others. One hour to connect in CDG is way too tight and bordering on the impossible. Planes are flying full so if you miss the connection who knows when the airline will put you on the "next" flight out.

[aungrl]

Just to pile on, one hour to connect through CDG is impossible.  There's just no way that will happen.  Everything Clay describes happens more often than you'd think - although that experience was pretty bad! - and with the current state of air travel, I wouldn't risk it at all.  

[MSEm]

One time we toured CDG by taxing from gate to gate. We spent 40 minutes going from gate to gate before we got off the plane.  If I could not get the flight changed to something with at least a 3 hour layover I would plan on an overnight  with hotel reservation for a connection for the next day

[Twitchly]

Hm. We’re connecting within the same terminal, 2F to 2E. Most descriptions online say 30-40 minutes. Sounds like that’s rather optimistic.  
 

We’ve got 1 hour and 20 minutes, as it turns out. 

[Clay Clayton]

5 hours ago, Twitchly said:

Hm. We’re connecting within the same terminal, 2F to 2E. Most descriptions online say 30-40 minutes. Sounds like that’s rather optimistic.  
 

We’ve got 1 hour and 20 minutes, as it turns out. 

30-40 minutes is the time from gate to gate. Let’s presume that’s right and that you land on time. 

 

If it takes you 15 minutes to get off the plane, then 45 minutes to transit, that leaves you 20 minutes to board….but lots of international flights close the boarding process 15-20 minutes before the official departure time so….you you might make it to the gate but not be able to board. 
 

For me, that’s cutting it too close  and counting on everything going just right but YMMV and I hope for you that it does. 

[Twitchly]

Well then. Delta just cancelled our return flight and moved us onto another that split our trip into two days. I realize we needed more layover time in Paris, but not an entire day and night.

 

So our travel agent now has us flying from Athens to JFK, with a 4.5-hour layover there before heading home. 
 

My next question: will we have to get our bags at JFK to take them through customs and then re-check them? I vaguely remember having to do something like this once. Or can they be checked all the way through from Athens to home?

[janetcbl]

4 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

Well then. Delta just cancelled our return flight and moved us onto another that split our trip into two days. I realize we needed more layover time in Paris, but not an entire day and night.

 

So our travel agent now has us flying from Athens to JFK, with a 4.5-hour layover there before heading home. 
 

My next question: will we have to get our bags at JFK to take them through customs and then re-check them? I vaguely remember having to do something like this once. Or can they be checked all the way through from Athens to home?

You will have to go through immigration,  claim your bags at JFK, go through Customs and then put your bags in the area (or on the  luggage belt) marked for connecting flights. You tag the bags to your final destination when you check in at your originating airport. (Unless, of courses  things have changed since COVID.)

[Twitchly]

1 minute ago, janetcbl said:

You will have to go through immigration,  claim your bags at JFK, go through Customs and then put your bags in the area (or on the  luggage belt) marked for connecting flights. You tag the bags to your final destination when you check in at your originating airport. (Unless, of courses  things have changed since COVID.)

I was afraid of that. Good thing we’ve got those 4.5 hours, then. 
 

Thanks!