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Charles de Gaul vs Schipol


mertziek
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We would always pick Schipol over CDG.  It is very clean, well designed.  CDG is a hodgepodge. Same reason we avoid LHR.

 

Easy to navigate.  They have a nice departure area second floor lounge with lots of loungers that one can stretch out on if you have a lot of pre flight time.  Or...visit the art museum in the terminal (if it is still open during covid).  

 

Last time we were there we have a six or seven hour layover.  We jumped on the train (at the terminal) went into town and took a canal cruise to kill time.

 

Edited by iancal
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19 hours ago, MamaFej said:

@mertziek, when you get to the point on the calendar when you can actually book, you might also consider matrix (dot) itasoftware (dot) com 

 

It's a bit slower than most search engines, but, in my experience, it shows options not always available on other sites.

 

Best of luck to you. 

This is excellent advice,   You can get a better look at what is available and where you can change planes.  
 

Just a comment re LHR,  London Heathrow,  if you are routing internationally on British Airways they usually all transfer in Terminal 5. It’s worked very well for us over the last decade.    But with Covid will be wise to check a little closer,  hopefully it’s a distant memory by then.  
 

 

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matrix.it, google air, and skyscanner are our among our best travel friends for airline shopping.  

 

Once we had difficulty in finding a matix fare/fare code even when calling the airline direct.   Airline, AC, was offering it but at at a 50 percent premium-no thanks

 

 Oddly enough Orbitz (adjusted for currency) was the only site that offered the same flight, same fare codes, same price, same date out of all the others.  Searches and purchases within the same 15 minute time window.

 

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5 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

Just curious, did anyone vote for CDG?  It's super rare to find such unanimity in any CC question! 

 

CDG gets my preference when it leads to a better long-haul experience.  Depending on equipment, AF sometimes beats KL for inflight comfort and service.  IMO, I can handle CDG even if AMS is a bit easier. Prefer the AF lounges to the KL lounges, but not by a lot.  AMS is one big building, but the newer connection channels at CDG make the separate terminals more like a big interconnected complex.

 

The old complaints about CDG have mostly gone away.  The remote stands have been replaced with the T2E complex with three concourses where pads used to be.  The signage has vastly improved - likely a result of the KL merger where AF learned what works well.  T2D used to be the cramped Schengen terminal - that's now all moved over to T2F.

 

So, for me much depends on more than just the connecting airport.  Given all other equal factors, send me to AMS.  Give me a much nicer inflight experience (AF biz vs KL biz, for example) and that trumps the connection.

 

But it all comes down to....what is important to YOU!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Schipol all the way, I traveled through CDG quite a bit for work and while cosmetically it has improved the general attitude of staff is still dire ... think a cranky TSA nit-picker to get an idea of how their staff can behave and it wasn't due to my nationality as I'm irish and speak a decent level of french. They get extremely narky if you're american or english and don't at least make some effort to speak french. 

 

 

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