Nightmare at Charles De Gaulle

Dear Friends,
Most of our posts on this blog have been positive. This is different. This is about a bad airport experience on June 30th. It started out okay, we got on our plane in Malaga, Spain and it took off on schedule. We had only 50 minutes between flights so thought as along as things were on schedule we should be okay. We then arrive at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, also on schedule so felt okay as our landing gate was 2-D and flight to Dublin took off from 2-E.

Alas, here is where things started to go south. Instead of pulling up to a gate, we were unloaded off some stairway onto a bus. The bus sat on the tarmack for over 10 minutes. We finally got to the gate about 15 minutes after arrival. Okay, we still have 35 minutes to connect. Alas, 2-E in not next to 2-D, but a long walk, about 1 1/2 miles and on top of that you leave the secured area. We arrived at 2-E with 15 minutes to go. We then had to check in through security. The lines stopped processing anyone for about 10 minutes. We finally got through with five minutes until the flight. By the time we got to the gate boarding had finished and the plane was backing out. The gate people sent us to Air France customer service. There things started to improve as finally one thing was set up for the convienience of the customer. The woman at customer service got us on a flight for Dublin leaving in a little over two hours. We finally arrived in Dublin 2 1/2 hours after our original schedule.

Our advice to all is to avoid Charles De Gaulle airport at all costs. Ask your airline to send you through another airport if you have a connection to make. It is not user friendly. Also, we booked through Expedia; challenge their schedule if they book your flights this close in a major airport.  A good part was that City Air, the Air France partner that we flew to Dublin, was as good as Air Europa that had flown us between Paris and Malaga was bad. Instead of nickel and diming us, they gave us our drink and a sandwich on our short flight to Dublin, where Air Europa was even charging for water. So much for our negative adventure. As we travel often, this isn't the first, but hope it will be our last. Lucily, both of us roll with the punches, but sill we really don't need the stress. Well, we are safely in Galway, Ireland and enjoying ourselves again, so this will soon be behind us. A few pints of Guiness has now caused frayed nerves to recover.