Paris Flights

It's very important to know on which terminal you're coming and from which terminal you're flying back home. The airport it's huge but it's easy to follow the signs.

On your way back just check the monitors and your check-in desk...go to the gate and after that find the appropriate desk for check in...you can always ask the staff..they are very friendly and willing to help...

If you're in company of people who departing from different terminals (for example 2ABCD..) and still want to grab a coffee with your friends...do it in some of the bars between terminals...which are easly reachable from all terminals.

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There is a distinct disadvantage to flying Business Class on Air France. The food is good on the Miami to Paris portion that you tend to overeat.
soon as the plane takes off Champagne: Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve is handed out. Other wines tasted on this trip: Cotes du Rhone Villages Vinsobres Les Cornuds 2005 Perrin et Fils
Dinner
Bloc de Foie gras de canard, chutney aux fuits secs
poulet Braise a la provencale
la selection du maitre fromager
sorbet et petits fours secs

the breakfast was:
crepe aux oeufs brouilles au herbes, pomme paillasson et tomate cerise

A very pleasant meal, seat 1 D, no one sitting on the seat besides you, listening to the best collection of world music on AF and friendly and attentive service but not intrusive or servile.

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I am writing this from the arrival Lounge of Air France at Terminal 2 at CDG. Friendly welcome, hot shower, with amenities comparable to a five star hotel: occitane accessories!
cappuccino and of course hampagne if you feel like indulging this time of the morning
newspapers and very quiet atmosphere
THE FRENCH DO IT WITH STYLE

Hotels a Roissy-CDG
Formule !* 0 891 705 369 www.hotelformule1.com
Band B** 01 34 38 55 55 www.hotelbb.com
Ibis** 0149 19 19 19 www.ibishotel.com
Etap Hotel 0 892 683056 www.etaphotel.com
service de navettes vers l'aeroport dans tous ces hotels.

Hotels a Orly

Formule1* 0 891 705375
Ibis** 01 567050 50
Kyriad*** 01 69 38 30 00 and 01 41 80 75 75 www.kyriad.fr
services de navettes vers l'aeroport dans tous ces hotels

Transfer times
CDG1/CDG2/CDG3 30 minutes
CDG to ORLY 2 hours
CDG to Paris 1h 15 min
Orly to Paris 50 min

Informations cars air france
www.cars-airfrance.com
0892350820
SNCF
informations and reservations
3635 (0700-2200) charge
www.sncf.com
informations RATP
lundi et vendredi 0892687714 (0700=2200). sam et dim (0900=2200)
www.ratp.fr
Aeroport de Roissy the main international airport for long haul flights 01 48621212(7am=9pm) www.aeroportsdeparis.fr very helpful site renseignements des vols: 01 48 62 22 80
aeroports d'Orly sud/ouest 0149755252 (7am=9pm)
renseignements des vols 0149751515( 0600=2300)

Arrive well in advance of your flight. When I flew out of CDG the check in and security queues were absolutely horrendous.

Bring a good book or something. For a major airport, it is remarkably dull and post security we were pretty much locked in a cage and unable to move around.

For Paris transfers, the RER connects the airport via line B with the city. There are two RER stations at the airport - one at Terminal 2, the other at Terminal 3. If you are meeting someone there, make sure you are waiting at the right station :)

IMPORTANT: If you're flying into Beauvais Airport, you will probably end up taking the shuttle bus service to Paris (now €13 one-way). On your return, it is recommended that you arrive at the Porte Maillot bus park 3 hours 15 mins before the departure time of your flight from Beauvais.

If you need to buy a ticket at Porte Maillot, for the bus journey back to Beauvais, I would recommend that you get there at least 3hours and 30 minutes before. There is a new ticket office at Porte Maillot (good map at http://www.hotelsreviewed.com/paris-porte-maillot-bus-metro.html). It is no longer possible to buy your ticket on the bus. So you have to queue up. If you're running late - you still have to queue up (and miss the bus, if you can't convince others in the queue to let you ahead).

If you miss the bus, a taxi will cost about €120!!!

It has taken me this long to think, let alone talk, about the trip "of a lifetime" to Paris in June-July 2005.

1) Having arranged our flight with Orbitz, including hotel reservations, we found - despite e-mail confirmation from Orbitz AND the hotel - that no such reservation existed.

2) The attempted return by Air France turned into a disaster when due to a missed rail connection from Hanover (fault of Deutsche Bahn leg), we missed our flight. We sat in one of the halls all night in hopes of getting on stand-by the next morning after being told by a sympathetic employee to check our luggage early. It was our 30th wedding anniversary that we had planned to spend with our family in Detroit

But we were refused boarding when another couple - without any luggage - was given preference.

Checking with the Customer Service desk, we were told that it was in their power to keep us on stand-by for the next ten days. If we wanted to return to the States before then we'd have to pay full fare again. This more than doubled the already paid fare but now we wished to leave this country at any cost - and paid another $ 1,100.00 under duress.

We spent the second night at a nearby hotel to take an early shuttle to our flight out. Before checking our bags a second time, I took care to remove the tags from the previous aborted stand-by flight as proof of having checked in legally with the approval of a now disavowed AirFrance employee.

To add insult to injury, the full fare coach seats assigned to us were directly behind the economy ones we had paid for in advance at half the cost of the original return tickets which had amounted to just under $ 1000.-.

Although the month-long trip through Europe had been one of joy, the troublesome exit from the continent has made us vow never to return. It was also the first one since I left Germany 58 years ago.