We just did our first two non-alliance transfers with checked luggage for J&E- we took Delta flights to get to and from our local airport to Turkish Airlines US gateway cities (ATL and JFK). I allowed a tad under 3 hours at each. We may just have been lucky, but it worked like a champ. Outbound, our arrival gate in ATL wasn't far from baggage claim so we were able get there quickly, collect our our bags and hop on the shuttle to the international terminal at the far end of the airport. I can't say for sure, but I think the shuttle went via New Orleans! It seemed like it took forever. Once there, the check-in at the Turkish counter went quickly. The lounge Turkish uses wasn't great, but at least we didn't have to wait in terminal seating. All in all, it took less that 1.5 hrs from landing to taxi, deplane, get bags, transfer to the international terminal, and get fully checked in for our transatlantic flight. Coming back thru JFK was even quicker. We have global entry and had nothing to declare, so made it through arrival processing in a flash. We had to wait a bit for our bags. I didn't know beforehand, but discovered Delta had a satellite re-ticketing and baggage drop right in the terminal where we arrived and our departure terminal for the Delta flight home was only a 2 min. walk away. When the agent told us that, we were skeptical, but it was true- we walked out one door and after walking less than 100 yards, walked into the departure terminal. It took almost no time to go through security since we have TSA PreCheck!
All that being said, I don't think I would ever attempt a non-alliance, non-alliance partner, or non-interline connection overseas with anything less than 3 hours.
mil
JohnS ,Hi
My suggestion ...
Ask when checking in @ Seatac for assistance on arrival @ CDG. they will shuttle you through immigration & directly to the gate. CDG > is not an easy airport.
Mil
Thanks for the suggestion. We changed our flights and no longer have a short connection at CDG. We are now on United going through Zurich (ZRH) with a 4 hour connection time then on to Naples. This should also allow us a brief visit to the lounge.
We are flying through Newark (EWR) and my only concern right now is the mess the airlines were in this past weekend when over 3,500 US flights were cancelled due to staffing and weather related issues. Our departure is a little over 3 weeks from now.
There is also a city named Seatac. Seatac is between Seattle and Tacoma. The airport (SEA) is in the city of Seatac. The Northwesterners just refer to the airport as Seatac.
Hello, we are booked by Tauck to return to the states via CDG. We are on Air France out of Zurich to CDG, then 2 hr layoff and on to Atlanta also on Air France. Many folks have warned me how difficult it is connecting thru CDG. First question, since we are on Air France all the way, does anyone have experience checking a bag through to the US ATL destination if they originate in Zurich and connect in CDG? Or we will have to retrieve our bag and go through security again? Thanks in advance
Air France will check your bag all the way through to your final destination. A two (2) hour layover is sufficient time to make the connection since you will arrive and depart within the same terminal. I fly Air France frequently and have never had an issue. You also have extra protection because Tauck made your flight arrangements. Keep the emergency number handy in the unlikely event the flights are delayed and you need Tauck's assistance.
We just tried to make a one-hour connection in CDG from Tokyo to Amsterdam on Air France. We missed by a bunch. First, they couldn't get the sky bridge to the plane, so it took another 10 minutes at the gate to go off the second door. Next, after passport control, we had to go through security again. For some reason, my camera bag was flagged for additional search, and I stood there for 20 minutes as the only agent for enhanced testing went through people's privates with no sense of urgency. Once she finally got to my bag, she opened it, looked in, and swabbed it for testing. That was it, but at that time, we knew we missed our connection. Fortunately, we got a flight 2 hours later, the agent telling us it was too close for a flight that would leave in the next hour as they couldn't get our luggage off the planned flight to this one-hour later flight in time. Air France booked the connection, so I never thought the time to make the connecting flight was unreasonable. I would never try a one-hour connection again,
Just because the airlines suggest these itineraries doesn’t mean they are viable. I do think you will be ok with a two hour connection but you should be prepared to hustle when you get off the first plane to make your way to the second flight just in case of delays like going through security again. Delays happen all the time.
Heathrow has been the worst for us. Sometimes you just can’t avoid it, we’ve missed connecting flights several times even with two hours in between. You just never know what lies ahead when you get off that first flight. We’ve be stuck behind someone with no visa to enter the country, pulled out to go thru security again for secondary searching, stood behind someone who had to drink their breast milk in front of agents to prove that is what it was, you name it. My husband even got stuck behind someone who was trying to bring a different woman into the country as his wife on the first wife’s passport.
We have had to call and change short connections times on several occasions, even with flights that Tauck have booked. A change in times from an ok connection time to a skin of your teeth one can occur months after you first made the flight arrangements.
We have a tight connection for a trip next year that I am already nervous about, but it is really the best one for where we are going unless we wait 24 hours.
Since the pandemic began, the getting to any destination by plane is definitely the most anxious part of any trip. I can’t relax until me and my luggage get to the first hotel in time for the start of a tour.
Yesterday, I received a notification that my Air France flights to and from Morocco in January had been changed because the French government was limiting flights to and from CDG in January and February and that they would rebook me. Last night they notified me that they had rebooked me on a flight with a 45 minute connection at CDG! Changing that flight is on my agenda for today. (I'm not comfortable with less than 2 hours -- preferably 3 -- changing at CDG -- even when, as on this trip, I won't have to go through passport control.)
I forgot to mention that your boarding passes will usually have the arriving gate number at CDG as well as the departing number. This is not always the case and gates can change for a myriad of reasons. During the descent ask the flight attendant to confirm the arrival and departing gates then review the schematic/floorplan for the airport (usually found in the back of the magazine in the seat pocket) so you can get your bearings. As long as your flight is not delayed you will be fine. Enjoy your journey.
Comments
We just did our first two non-alliance transfers with checked luggage for J&E- we took Delta flights to get to and from our local airport to Turkish Airlines US gateway cities (ATL and JFK). I allowed a tad under 3 hours at each. We may just have been lucky, but it worked like a champ. Outbound, our arrival gate in ATL wasn't far from baggage claim so we were able get there quickly, collect our our bags and hop on the shuttle to the international terminal at the far end of the airport. I can't say for sure, but I think the shuttle went via New Orleans! It seemed like it took forever.
Once there, the check-in at the Turkish counter went quickly. The lounge Turkish uses wasn't great, but at least we didn't have to wait in terminal seating. All in all, it took less that 1.5 hrs from landing to taxi, deplane, get bags, transfer to the international terminal, and get fully checked in for our transatlantic flight. Coming back thru JFK was even quicker. We have global entry and had nothing to declare, so made it through arrival processing in a flash. We had to wait a bit for our bags. I didn't know beforehand, but discovered Delta had a satellite re-ticketing and baggage drop right in the terminal where we arrived and our departure terminal for the Delta flight home was only a 2 min. walk away. When the agent told us that, we were skeptical, but it was true- we walked out one door and after walking less than 100 yards, walked into the departure terminal. It took almost no time to go through security since we have TSA PreCheck!
All that being said, I don't think I would ever attempt a non-alliance, non-alliance partner, or non-interline connection overseas with anything less than 3 hours.
Mil
Thanks for the suggestion. We changed our flights and no longer have a short connection at CDG. We are now on United going through Zurich (ZRH) with a 4 hour connection time then on to Naples. This should also allow us a brief visit to the lounge.
We are flying through Newark (EWR) and my only concern right now is the mess the airlines were in this past weekend when over 3,500 US flights were cancelled due to staffing and weather related issues. Our departure is a little over 3 weeks from now.
Zurich has some nice duty free shops too. You can stock up on Swiss chocolate.
What is Seatac?
SEA Seattle-Tacoma International Airport commonly referred to as Seatac.
There is also a city named Seatac. Seatac is between Seattle and Tacoma. The airport (SEA) is in the city of Seatac. The Northwesterners just refer to the airport as Seatac.
Hello, we are booked by Tauck to return to the states via CDG. We are on Air France out of Zurich to CDG, then 2 hr layoff and on to Atlanta also on Air France. Many folks have warned me how difficult it is connecting thru CDG. First question, since we are on Air France all the way, does anyone have experience checking a bag through to the US ATL destination if they originate in Zurich and connect in CDG? Or we will have to retrieve our bag and go through security again? Thanks in advance
Air France will check your bag all the way through to your final destination. A two (2) hour layover is sufficient time to make the connection since you will arrive and depart within the same terminal. I fly Air France frequently and have never had an issue. You also have extra protection because Tauck made your flight arrangements. Keep the emergency number handy in the unlikely event the flights are delayed and you need Tauck's assistance.
We just tried to make a one-hour connection in CDG from Tokyo to Amsterdam on Air France. We missed by a bunch. First, they couldn't get the sky bridge to the plane, so it took another 10 minutes at the gate to go off the second door. Next, after passport control, we had to go through security again. For some reason, my camera bag was flagged for additional search, and I stood there for 20 minutes as the only agent for enhanced testing went through people's privates with no sense of urgency. Once she finally got to my bag, she opened it, looked in, and swabbed it for testing. That was it, but at that time, we knew we missed our connection. Fortunately, we got a flight 2 hours later, the agent telling us it was too close for a flight that would leave in the next hour as they couldn't get our luggage off the planned flight to this one-hour later flight in time. Air France booked the connection, so I never thought the time to make the connecting flight was unreasonable. I would never try a one-hour connection again,
Just because the airlines suggest these itineraries doesn’t mean they are viable. I do think you will be ok with a two hour connection but you should be prepared to hustle when you get off the first plane to make your way to the second flight just in case of delays like going through security again. Delays happen all the time.
Heathrow has been the worst for us. Sometimes you just can’t avoid it, we’ve missed connecting flights several times even with two hours in between. You just never know what lies ahead when you get off that first flight. We’ve be stuck behind someone with no visa to enter the country, pulled out to go thru security again for secondary searching, stood behind someone who had to drink their breast milk in front of agents to prove that is what it was, you name it. My husband even got stuck behind someone who was trying to bring a different woman into the country as his wife on the first wife’s passport.
We have had to call and change short connections times on several occasions, even with flights that Tauck have booked. A change in times from an ok connection time to a skin of your teeth one can occur months after you first made the flight arrangements.
We have a tight connection for a trip next year that I am already nervous about, but it is really the best one for where we are going unless we wait 24 hours.
Since the pandemic began, the getting to any destination by plane is definitely the most anxious part of any trip. I can’t relax until me and my luggage get to the first hotel in time for the start of a tour.
Yesterday, I received a notification that my Air France flights to and from Morocco in January had been changed because the French government was limiting flights to and from CDG in January and February and that they would rebook me. Last night they notified me that they had rebooked me on a flight with a 45 minute connection at CDG! Changing that flight is on my agenda for today. (I'm not comfortable with less than 2 hours -- preferably 3 -- changing at CDG -- even when, as on this trip, I won't have to go through passport control.)
MCD - I agree with you! I recently booked flights to Italy. Given a choice of a 1 hr or a 6 hr connection at Heathrow, I chose 6 hrs (ugh).
onceinalifetime,
I forgot to mention that your boarding passes will usually have the arriving gate number at CDG as well as the departing number. This is not always the case and gates can change for a myriad of reasons. During the descent ask the flight attendant to confirm the arrival and departing gates then review the schematic/floorplan for the airport (usually found in the back of the magazine in the seat pocket) so you can get your bearings. As long as your flight is not delayed you will be fine. Enjoy your journey.
On Utube you can find a great video for transferring thru CDG. Download it to review during your flight. It’s easy to understand