Avoid CDE airport if you have medical needs

[Kellie Poodle]

I used to think Frankfort was the worst airport I'd ever been through, but Charles De Gaul in Paris is like Frankfort on steroids!

 

We had to transfer at CDE on our way to and from Venice for a recent sailing. My DH has medical problems and walking long distances, especially up ramps, is a problem. We arranged in advance, as we always do, for wheel chair assistance. I called the airline 3 weeks before leaving and again, two days before our outgoing flight to confirm. Wheelchair assistance was on our ticket.

 

Unfortunately, the airlines can't control the company that the airport contracts with to assist travelers with mobility problems.

 

On the incoming flight, there was no jet way and a very long flight of steps to negotiate. No offer of a lift. When we got to the special vans for handicapped, I was told that I would have to travel on my own as they would only take the handicapped passenger. We have traveled all over the world and have never, ever been separated. Every other airport acknowledges that I am his caregiver, but CDG.

 

We decided to get on the bus and try to make our connection on our own. We had about 45 minutes as the incoming flight was late. We did make it to the security area by the gate in enough time to board, however, the security people caused us to miss the flight.

 

I was carrying my large handbag, a small rollaboard and DH's Bi-pap machine. The breathing machine was clearly tagged with a notation that it was medical equipment and not counted as baggage. This was also cleared in advance with Air France. I was flagged before going through security because I had "too many bags". I had to run about a quarter of a mile to the other end of the terminal to see a supervisor because the person at the security area would not permit me to pass through. The supervisor, after reading the tag, told me to stuff the breathing machine into my over-sized purse. I did so and ran back to the security entrance.

 

My DH has an insulin pump and carries insulin and eye drops in a thermal bag with a block of blue ice. We are aware that the blue ice sets off the x-ray machine. The security agent checked the bag and found two juice boxes in it. They are the mind little kids use. We carry them, as permitted by international agreement, in the case of a blood sugar drop. They are considered medically necessary and permissible at every airport. This was also cleared on the phone with Air France well before we left for our trip.

 

The agent took one of the boxes and said it was "forbidden" We explained that it was for medical needs and he could see the pump and the insulin int he bag. We were getting closer and closer to the flight leaving by the second. Then the agent insisted that DH open the juice box. He tried to get the little straw off the side and puncture the top, but this was not good enough. He had to "open" the box. Not knowing how else to do this, he smashed the box on one of the bins and, voila, it was open, splashing several people in the process.

 

By the time we got through security, we'd missed the plane by 4 minutes. Air France got us on a flight 2 and a half hours later. I had to stand in a line for 45 minutes to rebook.

 

DH is 71 and I am 66. We are not marathon athletes. He has congestive heart failure, a pacemaker and diabetes. I'm 5'2 and though I'm fairly fit, the ordeal of this trek of at least a mile took quite a toll on both of us.

Wait, it gets better.

 

On the way back we had over two hours to make the connection. Having made it quite clear to Air France about requiring the wheel chair on the return flight we felt a little more hopeful.

 

We remained on the plane until all passengers were off and were taken off via a lift car which drove us directly to a terminal. We thought this was going to be fine. Then we waited and waited and waited and no bus, no van, no nothing. A young girl with a radio was useless. She did not know whom to contact. A young man with an ID badge in a suit came by and also didn't care to assist us. It seemed that these people felt that it was not their department. I found a security phone and called the airport police who tried to understand my high school French but there didn't seem any way they could transfer me to anyone with the proper authority to gt us out of the basement prison.

 

Meanwhile the clock was ticking and we were in this ground level area with two people who knew nothing and no wheel chair. The only exits seemed to be two escalators going up. I finally found an elevator and took it up one floor where there was a desk. By this time someone with an ID had found me (probably the police sent them to find the crazy American woman) and got the people at the desk to come out from inside their office to assist me.

 

At that moment, 50 minutes after we had been left in the terminal downstairs, a young man came with a wheel chair for my DH. We went down and got him and were taken to another ground level door where the buses stopped only to wait another 20 minutes for a van to come for us.

 

We got to the gate with less than 5 minutes to spare and boarded. It took two hours and five minutes to be transferred from one plane to the gate of the next flight.

 

There was a couple on the plane from Venice who also were in the terminal forever. Their flight was to JFK on KLM a half hour after ours. He had fallen ill on a cruise and was in a hospital in Venice for 6 days getting a new pacemaker. We are certain that they did not make their connection. I hope that they are alright as he was quite fragile and she was quite inexperienced. Both appeared to be in their late 70's.

 

If one has mobility or medical issues when traveling, it is wise to avoid transferring through CDE.

[rascalrider]

To add to your story, here is mine. I was met at the plane with a wheelchair and pusher. I was taken to my next gate and asked to transfer into a chair. The pusher said he would return to take me down the jetway when it was time to board my connecting flight. That was the last that I saw of him.

 

Boarding time arrived and I was left stranded. I had another passenger notify the gate agents of my plight, so they were aware that I needed to be on the plane. I asked a pusher assisting another passenger to please assist me as soon as her passenger was on the plane. She said "no", as I was not assigned to her. The gate agents told her that she would take me to the plane, but she was not happy about it.

 

Usually, I am one of the first to board. This time I was the very last and was worried that I might be left behind.

 

My second experience with a plane change at CDG, I refused to give up the wheelchair when I got to my connecting gate. I cited my previous experience. I was allowed to keep the chair and the pusher did return at the appropriate time to take me down the jetway.

 

Thankfully, I did not have the additional consequences that you suffered.