Paris’ Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) Terminal 1 is an antiquated, poorly designed, poorly maintained, ten-floor high terminal. It’s the worst terminal building I’ve used in the last decade.
While coming into France via this gateway is OK, leaving is a horrible, frustrating, unpleasant experience, which leaves many with a very bad taste in their mouths about France.
Coming into Paris, once in the terminal, we found immigration easily. It was well manned. The officer was pleasant, quick and professional.
Our luggage arrived in the baggage carousel within minutes of arriving at baggage claim. The signage, directing passengers to the cabs at Terminal 1 was awful. They direct you well past the right door. We had to walk back several doors to get a cab.
Trying to fly home from CDG is a frustrating, time consuming experience filled with slow moving lines, too much running around the airport, poor signage, poor facilities, poor management, and outrageous security personnel.
If you take a taxi to this terminal, you’ve got to tell your driver which airline you’re taking and hope they know at which door to drop you off. The signs outside the doors are useless. If you’re at the wrong door, you might be in for a very long hike to your airline’s check-in. At our entrance, there was no mention of US Airways, even though its check-in lines were directly inside the door.
We entered the check-in line. After questioning, we checked-in our luggage and got a “boarding chit,” not a boarding pass. We had to go to another line to pay our French Exit Fee first.
We traipsed to the Exit Fee line. When it was our turn, we had the Euros, but you had to pay with exact change. We paid by credit card. Why the exit fee can’t be included in the price of the ticket, I have no idea. They gave us our boarding passes.
With boarding passes in hand, it was time to visit the VAT office to stamp our refund form. You can’t get your form approved until you’re leaving Europe. You’ve got to have your purchases at the office in person and your boarding pass to get your form stamped. That means you can’t pack your purchases in your checked-in luggage. Finding the office via signage was impossible. I had to get directions from two people because the first one sent me to the old office which is closed.
Once the form was approved, we went right over to Amex to get our money. Another line, but at least Amex was next to the VAT office.
With boarding passes in hand, and a VAT refund in our pockets, we proceeded upstairs to immigration. This is accomplished by going up a spongy, dangerous conveyor belt. One was closed. They’re so steep it’s a problem. An older person behind us lost her grip on a carry-on and it almost hit the man behind her. Fortunately, he was able to catch it.
Immigration was a breeze. We were now at a cross-roads. Duty free shopping was on our right and surprisingly empty, and the airport lounge we had used in the past was above. The problem was, it had taken and hour and a half to get to this point, but we still hadn’t gone through security, which had been moved to the gate area since the last time we were at CDG. We had an hour before boarding, but didn’t know how long security would take. We headed down the long conveyor belt to security.
At our gate area there were three wide bodied jets leaving within 15 minutes of each other, yet security only had one line open. There were about 60 people ahead of us. It took 45 minutes to get to the head of the line.
I put my liquids’ baggie, shoes, cell phone, jacket, hat, and photo vest, etc. in trays, and my computer in a separate tray. Before going through the metal detector, they made me put my passport, boarding pass, paper money, and wallet loose in one of the trays. I thought that outrageous. Even so, the metal detector went off, as it did for everyone. They wanded us all. They gave me a full pat down and got way too friendly between my legs. At least I was through then.
Total time from arrival to the gate — 2.5 hours. Ridiculous!!!
At the gate, at least 10 to 15 percent of the passengers were standing. All the seats were taken. There is clearly not enough space for passengers to sit if more than three of gates in the area are in use.
The French need to replace CDG Terminal 1, post-haste. They need to improve signage throughout the airport, and they need to drastically improve airport security management.
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I’m beginning to think that the message that ConsumerTraveler.com seeks to deliver is this: Everything about travel is terrible, and no one in their right mind would do it. If you have the option, stay home.
As for myself, I budget a little extra time and enjoy the discovery of a new environment. And, more specifically, I flew out of CDG Terminal 1 for the first time in my life just last month. I found the architecture amazing and the process reasonably efficient. The things you rode on are called “moving sidewalks,” not “conveyor belts”; while there are strong similarities between the two technologies, it doesn’t inform your audience to put an aspect of your complaint in the subtext by referring to them with the wrong name. And it is true that they are a bit spongy, and reflect a different era of architectural design, it is an overstatement to call them dangerous.
Don’t forget the best part of some of the CDG gates; when you get beyond the slow-as-molasses security lines, some of the waiting areas do not have bathrooms.
Joe, thanks very much for your comment. I appreciate your opinion about CDG Terminal 1, especially as you’ve been a recent user of the terminal.
You brought up an interesting point about what I called conveyor belts. Actually I chose that term carefully, differentiating the belts in the tubes to move you between floors versus the moving sidewalks which move you out to the gate areas from the central building. The latter are the classic moving sidewalks, while the belts are made of rubber, are very spongy, and steep. I called them dangerous because in my opinion they are.
At the entrance to use the belts to move up to the floor on which you see immigration, there are agents who check to see if you have a boarding pass. They also decide if you can use the belt, or if you have to walk over to the elevator. I saw them refuse several older travelers use of the belt because they said it was too dangerous for them to use it. Moreover, it’s steep enough to require a significant grip on a roller carry-on in order to keep a hold of it. As I mentioned in the article, one woman couldn’t hold on to her bag and it shot down the belt. Fortunately, no one was hurt. A less agile person standing on the belt behind the woman could have had their leg broken by her bag shooting down the belt.
I always leave 3 hours aside for the airport for International travel, even though it should really take half the time. Whether the architecture of the building is great or not is personal taste, but I don’t personally see how anyone can call the process there for a passenger even “reasonably efficient.” We did nothing unusual. Our bags were ready and below weight and size limitations. We understand the check-in and security procedures well and followed them precisely. Our passports were at the ready, our tickets were in order, our forms filled out in advance, our Euros ready for payment. Even so, the process took 2.5 hours and required us to go to 7 different locations in the airport, and pay a fee which the French government should allow one to pay when you buy your ticket.
I write about both good and bad with regard to travel. I write to inform travelers about travel so they can make their experience as rewarding and pleasant as possible. Watch for my upcoming article in the next couple of weeks praising Hertz for the fantastic job they did after my rental car was involved in an accident and became undriveable.
I do use often the CDG1 with United UA-943 flight to Chicago ORD but never hear of the French Exit Fee.
Thanks for the tip of E Wolf about the toilets. I will make sure to use the toilets in the Business Lounge before go to the gates (satellites). Some Business Lounges are after the security line: Lufthansa.
All gate at CDG2 have toilets after the security lines.
A bit journalistically exaggerated perhaps, but the comments on the signage are exactly true. The worst part of my recent CDG ordeal is that if you do not speak French, as far as an airport staff is concerned (or at least the six staff I interacted with) you are relegated to the lowest levels of humanity – ti is the plain rudeness that gets me.
Agree that CDG needs something.
The signage has been improved since my first forays in CDG, but the walks can still be much too long.
And after security, in addition to few/no toilets, very little to do. Our gate had one overworked food/drinks service with tables brimming with used dishes and glasses. And mediocre choice in a sity known for food. A wholly unpleasant experience – again.
As for not enough seats at the gate: don’t they teach the students at airport architectural schools to provide insufficient seating? I’m trying to think of any airport other than Washington Dulles or, believe it or not, DFW, that has adequate gate-area seating. Or maybe it’s a new health benefit approach: have people stand before their flights to reduce DVT risks caused by too much sitting.
“Why the exit fee can’t be included in the price of the ticket, I have no idea.” It is my guess that if the exit is included in the price of the ticket that jobs will be eliminated and given their economy, high unemeployment and etc.,
I will not stay home until I become a consistent burden to normally patient travelers and will try to help others who are struggling. I will make the best of a situation and I appreciate a ‘heads up’ such as this to allow more time or to take extra care, knowing it may or may not be as bad for me.
I agree that CDG-1 is one of the worst airport terminals in the world! The circular design may have been innovative in the 1960s, but it certainly was not conceived with the traveler in mind. Frequently you must walk nearly all the way around the terminal to find your airline counter, taxi, or whatever you are looking for. The signage is awful.
On the bright side, the new terminals in CDG 2E and 2F are stunningly beautiful architecturally and more importantly, the are very well thought-out for the traveler. They are a vast improvement over Terminal 1.
So if Dang never pays the French Exit fee, why do you have to Ned?
I feel I should never speak ill of the French — but here goes. I love Paris. But I do not leaving the city via CDG’s Terminal 1. It’s a mess and ever though there are renovations taking place, they aren’t happening quickly enough.
Terminal 1 was constructed in 1974. It was considered an architectural masterpiece. But it can no longer service the traffic that comes and goes.
I’ve arrived at CDG only to find the rolling sidewalks NOT functioning. I won’t discuss the luggage claim process because it’s probably no worse than at other airports; UNLESS the baggage handlers are on strike. Then the fun (sic) begins.
Leaving CDG can be a nightmare. Getting through customs can take so long that I’ve joked about asking for wheelchair assistance so I may be whisked through. No I wouldn’t – but I’ve been tempted.
Fining your way to the satellite where your plane is departing is a pain in the neck. Yes, the directions are poorly marked. Then, having to have your carry-ons screened and performing a minor strip act can make anyone nervous.
Ned – I am curious about the exit tax. Were you flying on a free or upgraded ticket? If so, passengers are being required to pay it — actually, it’s call the Africa tax – a legacy of Chirac when he was leaving Presidential office . The airlines used to absorb the cost. But in the world of nickel and diming, that appears to longer be the case.
I could go on forever but won’t. I question whether or not there’s such a thing as a “perfect” airport. I’d wager there are ones that are pretty darn close. But, CDD – Roissy (and especially Terminal 1) isn’t one of them.
Hi Karen,
I too love Paris, and my experience at CDG isn’t going to stop me from coming back next year. I also find the French in general, and Parisians in particular friendly and warm. During our stay in Paris and the Normandy region this month people consistently went out of their way to help us.
Nevertheless, the French Government needs to do something about CDG in general, and replace Terminal 1 as soon as possible. I’ve used Terminal 2 a number of times, when I’ve flown Air France. It’s a very good terminal, but it still suffers from poor signage, and very poor management of its security.
One of the worst parts about Terminal 1 is the placement of security, now at the satellite areas at the gates.
Karen, to answer your question about the exit tax, we were indeed flying in business class on an upgrade. I travel so much, mostly on business, that we get free upgrades or use miles upgrades all the time. We never seem to run out of miles. It’s been rare that we actually have paid for FC or BC seating. I think both this year and last it’s only been once each year. Even so, the airlines, and US Airways in particular still make plenty on me.
I have no problem paying an exit fee (tax), and no problem with the airline not absorbing the fee. My problem is solely that it should be included in the final cost of the ticket when I pay for the ticket, whether it’s an upgrade, a “free” ticket, or a fully paid ticket. I don’t want to have to waste the time to pay it in the airport.
It also shouldn’t take 2.5 hours from the time you enter the terminal until you get to the gate. In speaking to others in the BC cabin, their times were similar, ranging from 2 hours to 2.5 hours. That 2.5 hours included no break of any kind, no bathroom visit, no shopping and no eating. The 2.5 hours was strictly taking care of business as an airline passenger.
The reason there isn’t nearly enough seating at the gates is because they moved security to the gate area, while it should be in the main terminal, immediately after immigration. I’d bet the move to the gate area has cost the duty free shops big money. When I looked at the shopping area there were very few people there. People are concerned that if they get to security after shopping and the line is long they will miss their flight, so they are skipping shopping. I asked a number of folks on our flight about that. They all skipped duty free shopping solely because when they got there, they realized they still hadn’t gone through security. Even my home airport PHL has its lounges, restaurants, bars, bathrooms, general shopping, and the duty free shopping area after security.
If they want to save Terminal 1 they’re going to have to make massive changes. I personally doubt it’s worth it. They’re going to have to improve access to the check-in lines, mark the entrances clearly, make it easier to get by the check-in lines, replace the people conveyor belts in the tubes with escalators, have clear signage in multiple languages, make announcements in multiple languages, have security located directly after immigration, before the lounges, shopping, restaurants, gates, etc., add many more bathrooms throughout the terminal, and so much more.
I went through this airport about 4 years ago and I still remember it with dread. I travelled regularly for business around Europe and it was a place that completely confused me. I couldn’t work out where to go to do what and felt like I walked around in circles for ages.
I was flying to Copenhagen and due to weather there the plane was delayed in France by about 8 hours. We weren’t able to go to another part of the terminal (or so we were told) and there were barely enough seats in that section to fit half the passengers on. Food and drink wasn’t readily available (I have a vivid memory of staring at the last small selection of soggy sandwiches and wondering if I could get any of them down). There were no staff anywhere to ask directions or questions of, and I couldn’t work out how to get out of there, find food, and get back in.
Getting on the plane that late, cold night almost made me cry in relief – a real chair! Water! A snack! I’ve often wondered whether it was just me who had a real problem with that airport but having read many articles since then it might be more widespread than I originally thought. Eastern European airports have been easier to navigate than this one.
Ned: When it comes to CDG – you are preaching to the converted. There was some discussion about building another international airport (as they did in Tokyo). But space is a problem in the Paris area. Plus, I believe Paris has the greatest number of planes landing and deporting than another other airport in the EU. Many of the passengers never leave the premises and are transferring.
Ideally, Terminal 1 should be torn down. I sincerely doubt it will be and perhaps (one of these days) the ADP will get its act together.
As for extra charges – isn’t that the norm these days??
I visit Paris 3 times a year and I have never paid an Exit Fee? Was there one put in place within the past 6 months, since my last trip? I’ve never heard of a boarding chit that’s gotten before a boarding pass.
Also, it’s very well known that you must do you VAT paper work before you check in. This is so that in case they need to ask you to see a particular purchase, you have your bags with you and can show it to them. Actually, there ARE signs telling you to do you tax refunds before checking in. I’ve never needed a boarding pass to get my paperwork stamped, just a copy of my eTicket.
I agree that the terminal is a mess, and the most frustrating thing is arriving and not knowing exactly which terminal your plane will leave from, because I know from one miserable experience of driving around with the meter on, as we checked each and every one!
Over the last few years, I’ve had several very bad connections through CDG. So bad that this summer, I decided to pay an extra $500 for direct flights to and from Rome so I wouldn’t have to change planes at CDG. I am by no means wealthy and $500 is a lot of money to me. However, missing a connection or getting stuck in Paris were not chances I could, literally, afford to take. The security situation for US bound planes is atrocious. I’ve almost missed connections because of it. One time, not realizing how far the business class lounge was and how long the security lines were, I made my flight with just 2 minutes to settle in and buckle up! No thanks to the snobby lounge attendants and security personnel who never clue you into this as a simple courtesy! Thank goodness the airlines realize what a mess it is and hold planes at the gate to wait for passengers stuck in the security lines. I have started to avoid CDG if possible. And let’s not get started on Air Farce (err… France). There’s no telling when one of their unions will go on strike! I got stranded in Guinea once because of that! Never again!
I must agree with most of the contributors of this thread that the signage and the language barrier cause the unsatisfied experience at CDG1.
That, you haven’t experienced yet a union walk-out or a luggage irregularity. The VAT return is a tourist trap to me. I still have a 20 year old check of the VAT return for souvenir because to collect the money on the check, it must cost 95% of the amount of the check. So I keep the check to remind me never fall again to this tourist trap.
My Swiss brother-in-law swear that he would stay home if he have to connected via Paris CDG.
I have a very good tip for travelers want to go LYON Satelas Airport. Never connect by Paris CDG. Go rather to GENEVA GVA, there is schedule buses go directly from Geneva GVA Cointrin Airport to Geneva Cornavin MainTtrain Station and continued to LYON Satolas in less than 2 hours (it almost the minimum connection time in CDG). and vice versa. The BUS beetween GVA and LYON take reservation but you don’t have to pay in advance. Pay the LYON or GENEVA Airport counter or directly to the driver.
Actually, you can access the CDG Terminal 1 and all other terminals layout at the following website:
http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/en-GB/Passagers/Access-maps-car-parks/Paris-CDG/maps/
My experience at Terminal 1 this week was nothing like what Ned Levi describes. I had read his description beforehand and was quite apprehensive about what would transpire. When we informed our apartment rental agent that we were planning to leave for CDG at 6 am by the RER train for a 10 am flight, he said it’s too early and recommended 7 am. We left at 7. The total travel time including walk to the train station, train to the airport, shuttle to the terminal, and through ticketing was one hour and twenty three minutes. Perhaps we got lucky but there were no long lines and we had plenty of time to stop and have a coffee and croissant and even time to change money if we wanted to do that. We flew Swiss Int’l Airlines, got a regular boarding pass with seat assignment and checked our bags through. There was no departure tax, there was no stopping for a VAT refund since we hadn’t bought much of anything. All in all it was about as smooth a departure experience as one could hope for.