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Charles De Gaulle International Airport (CDG)
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Paris, France (FR) Large airport
Contact Details
Runway Data
Runway | Length (feet) | Width (feet) | Surface Type |
Frequency Data
Type | Description | Frequency (MHz) |
Charles De Gaulle International Airport Destinations List
This list shows the 236 locations you can fly to from Charles De Gaulle International Airport
Destination | IATA | Airlines Flying Route |
Hamburg | HAM | Germanwings, Air France, Alitalia |
Atatürk International | ISL | Onur Air, Air France, Turkish Airlines |
Eleftherios Venizelos International | ATH | Aegean Airlines, Air France, Olympic Airlines, US Airways |
Heraklion International Nikos Kazantzakis | HER | Aegean Airlines |
Diagoras | RHO | Aegean Airlines |
Thessaloniki Macedonia International | SKG | Aegean Airlines |
Tbilisi International | TBS | Georgian Airways, Air France |
Charlotte Douglas International | CLT | American Airlines, US Airways |
Dallas Fort Worth International | DFW | American Airlines, Finnair, British Airways, Iberia Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, US Airways |
John F Kennedy International | JFK | American Airlines, Air France, Finnair, Alitalia, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways, Iberia Airlines, Qatar Airways, XL Airways France, US Airways |
Kuala Lumpur International | KUL | American Airlines, Air France, Malaysia Airlines |
London Heathrow | LHR | American Airlines, Air France, British Airways |
Miami International | MIA | American Airlines, Air France, Finnair, Alitalia, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Iberia Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, US Airways |
Chicago O'Hare International | ORD | American Airlines, Air France, Finnair, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Iberia Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways |
Philadelphia International | PHL | American Airlines, Air France, Delta Air Lines, US Airways |
Vienna International | VIE | Air Berlin, Air France, Niki, Austrian Airlines |
Montreal / Pierre Elliott Trudeau International | YUL | Air Canada, Air France, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, Air Transat |
Lester B. Pearson International | YYZ | Air Canada, Air France, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, Air Transat |
Port Bouet | ABJ | Air France, Alitalia |
Nnamdi Azikiwe International | ABV | Air France, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines |
Aberdeen Dyce | ABZ | Air France, Alitalia, Flybe |
Málaga | AGP | Air France, easyJet, Air Europa |
Houari Boumediene | ALG | Air France, Air Algerie, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Aigle Azur |
Queen Alia International | AMM | Air France, Royal Jordanian |
Amsterdam Schiphol | AMS | Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, China Eastern Airlines |
Stockholm-Arlanda | ARN | Air France, Alitalia, Scandinavian Airlines System |
Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International | ATL | Air France, AeroMéxico, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines |
Abu Dhabi International | AUH | Air France, Etihad Airways |
Barcelona International | BCN | Air France, Iberia Airlines, easyJet, Air Europa, Formosa Airlines |
Belgrade Nikola Tesla | BEG | Air France, Air Serbia |
Brest Bretagne | BES | Air France, Alitalia |
Beirut Rafic Hariri International | BEY | Air France, Middle East Airlines |
Bangui M'Poko International | BGF | Air France |
Birmingham International | BHX | Air France, Flybe |
Bilbao | BIO | Air France, Alitalia, Air Europa |
Suvarnabhumi | BKK | Air France, Alitalia, Thai Airways International |
Senou | BKO | Air France |
Billund | BLL | Air France, Alitalia |
Bologna Guglielmo Marconi | BLQ | Air France, Alitalia, easyJet |
Kempegowda International | BLR | Air France |
Bordeaux-Mérignac | BOD | Air France, Alitalia |
El Dorado International | BOG | Air France |
Chhatrapati Shivaji International | BOM | Air France |
General Edward Lawrence Logan International | BOS | Air France, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines |
Bremen | BRE | Air France, Alitalia |
Presidente Juscelino Kubistschek International | BSB | Air France |
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg | BSL | Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air Mauritius |
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International | BUD | Air France, easyJet |
Maya-Maya | BZV | Air France, Varig Log |
Cairo International | CAI | Air France, Yemenia, Egyptair |
Guangzhou Baiyun International | CAN | Air France, China Southern Airlines |
Simón Bolívar International | CCS | Air France |
Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne | CFE | Air France, Alitalia |
Conakry International | CKY | Air France |
Calvi-Sainte-Catherine | CLY | Air France |
Mohammed V International | CMN | Air France, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Mauritania Airlines International, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, easyJet |
Cadjehoun | COO | Air France |
Copenhagen Kastrup | CPH | Air France, Alitalia, Scandinavian Airlines System, easyJet |
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International | CVG | Air France, Delta Air Lines |
Indira Gandhi International | DEL | Air France, Air India Limited |
Léopold Sédar Senghor International | DSS | Air France, Alitalia |
Douala International | DLA | Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines |
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County | DTW | Air France, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines |
Dublin | DUB | Air France, Alitalia, Aer Lingus |
Düsseldorf | DUS | Air France, Alitalia, Lufthansa |
Dubai International | DXB | Air France, Alitalia, Emirates |
Edinburgh | EDI | Air France, Alitalia, Flybe, easyJet |
Zvartnots International | EVN | Air France, Alitalia, Air Armenia |
Newark Liberty International | EWR | Air France, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, United Airlines |
Exeter International | EXT | Air France, Flybe |
Ministro Pistarini International | EZE | Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines |
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino | FCO | Air France, Alitalia, Kuwait Airways |
Ndjili International | FIH | Air France |
Peretola | FLR | Air France, Alitalia |
Frankfurt am Main | FRA | Air France, Lufthansa |
Rio Galeão – Tom Jobim International | GIG | Air France |
Genoa Cristoforo Colombo | GOA | Air France, Alitalia |
Gothenburg-Landvetter | GOT | Air France, Alitalia, Air Europa |
Guarulhos - Governador André Franco Montoro International | GRU | Air France, TAM Brazilian Airlines |
Geneva Cointrin International | GVA | Air France, Swiss International Air Lines |
Heydar Aliyev International | GYD | Air France, Azerbaijan Airlines |
Hannover | HAJ | Air France, Alitalia |
Noi Bai International | HAN | Air France, Alitalia, Vietnam Airlines |
José Martí International | HAV | Air France |
Helsinki Vantaa | HEL | Air France, Finnair, Malaysia Airlines |
Chek Lap Kok International | HKG | Air France, Alitalia, Cathay Pacific |
Tokyo Haneda International | HND | Air France, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways |
Washington Dulles International | IAD | Air France, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, United Airlines |
George Bush Intercontinental Houston | IAH | Air France, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines |
Incheon International | ICN | Air France, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines |
King Abdulaziz International | JED | Air France, Saudi Arabian Airlines |
Djibouti-Ambouli | JIB | Air France |
OR Tambo International | JNB | Air France, Alitalia |
Boryspil International | KBP | Air France, Ukraine International Airlines |
Kansai International | KIX | Air France |
Quatro de Fevereiro | LAD | Air France |
Los Angeles International | LAX | Air France, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, Air Tahiti Nui |
Libreville Leon M'ba International | LBV | Air France |
Larnaca International | LCA | Air France, Cyprus Airways |
Pulkovo | LED | Air France, Aeroflot Russian Airlines |
Lomé-Tokoin | LFW | Air France |
Jorge Chávez International | LIM | Air France, Alitalia |
Milano Linate | LIN | Air France, Air One, Alitalia |
Lisbon Portela | LIS | Air France, Alitalia, easyJet |
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik | LJU | Air France, Adria Airways |
Murtala Muhammed International | LOS | Air France |
Luxembourg-Findel International | LUX | Air France, Luxair |
Lyon Saint-Exupéry | LYS | Air France, AeroMéxico, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, Aeroflot Russian Airlines |
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas | MAD | Air France, easyJet, Formosa Airlines |
Licenciado Benito Juarez International | MEX | Air France, AeroMéxico, Alitalia |
Malta International | MLA | Air France, Air Malta |
Montpellier-Méditerranée | MPL | Air France, Alitalia |
Marseille Provence | MRS | Air France, Alitalia, XL Airways France |
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International | MRU | Air France, Air Mauritius |
Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain | MSP | Air France, Delta Air Lines |
Munich | MUC | Air France, Lufthansa |
Naples International | NAP | Air France, Alitalia, easyJet |
Jomo Kenyatta International | NBO | Air France, Kenya Airways |
Nice-Côte d'Azur | NCE | Air France, easyJet |
Newcastle | NCL | Air France, Alitalia, Flybe |
N'Djamena International | NDJ | Air France |
Diori Hamani International | NIM | Air France, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines |
Nouakchott International | NKC | Air France |
Narita International | NRT | Air France, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways |
Yaoundé Nsimalen International | NSI | Air France, Camair-co |
Nantes Atlantique | NTE | Air France, Alitalia |
Nuremberg | NUE | Air France, Alitalia |
Oslo Gardermoen | OSL | Air France, Alitalia, Scandinavian Airlines System |
Henri Coandă International | OTP | Air France, Tarom |
Ouagadougou | OUA | Air France |
Beijing Capital International | PEK | Air France, Air China, TAM Brazilian Airlines, China Eastern Airlines |
Pittsburgh International | PIT | Air France, Delta Air Lines |
Pointe Noire | PNR | Air France, Varig Log |
Václav Havel Prague | PRG | Air France, Alitalia, Czech Airlines, Travel Service, easyJet |
Tocumen International | PTY | Air France |
Pau Pyrénées | PUF | Air France, Alitalia |
Punta Cana International | PUJ | Air France, Alitalia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, XL Airways France |
Shanghai Pudong International | PVG | Air France, Air China, China Eastern Airlines |
Rabat-Salé | RBA | Air France |
Riga International | RIX | Air France, Air Baltic |
Rennes-Saint-Jacques | RNS | Air France, Alitalia |
Roberts International | ROB | Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines |
King Khaled International | RUH | Air France, Saudi Arabian Airlines |
Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International | SCL | Air France, Alitalia |
Seattle Tacoma International | SEA | Air France, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines |
San Francisco International | SFO | Air France, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines |
Tan Son Nhat International | SGN | Air France, Alitalia, Vietnam Airlines |
Singapore Changi | SIN | Air France, Singapore Airlines |
Salt Lake City International | SLC | Air France, Delta Air Lines |
Sofia | SOF | Air France, Bulgaria Air |
Stuttgart | STR | Air France, Alitalia |
Stavanger Sola | SVG | Air France, Alitalia |
Sheremetyevo International | SVO | Air France, Aeroflot Russian Airlines |
Princess Juliana International | SXM | Air France, Alitalia |
Toulouse-Blagnac | TLS | Air France, AeroMéxico, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways, Japan Airlines, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, easyJet |
Ben Gurion International | TLV | Air France, Arkia Israel Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines |
Ivato | TNR | Air France, Air Madagascar |
Turin | TRN | Air France, Alitalia |
Tunis Carthage International | TUN | Air France, Nouvel Air Tunisie, Servicios de Transportes A |
Berlin-Tegel | TXL | Air France, Alitalia, Lufthansa |
Venice Marco Polo | VCE | Air France, Alitalia, easyJet |
Vigo | VGO | Air France, Alitalia, Air Europa |
Valencia | VLC | Air France, Air Europa |
Verona Villafranca | VRN | Air France, Alitalia |
Warsaw Chopin | WAW | Air France, LOT Polish Airlines |
Wuhan Tianhe International | WUH | Air France |
Zagreb | ZAG | Air France, Croatia Airlines |
Zürich | ZRH | Air France, Swiss International Air Lines |
Rabah Bitat | AAE | Air Algerie |
Mohamed Boudiaf International | CZL | Air Algerie |
Es Senia | ORN | Air Algerie, Aigle Azur |
Catania-Fontanarossa | CTA | Air One, Alitalia, easyJet |
Falcone–Borsellino | PMO | Air One, Alitalia, Meridiana, XL Airways France |
Minsk National | MSQ | Belavia Belarusian Airlines |
Djerba Zarzis International | DJE | Nouvel Air Tunisie, Servicios de Transportes A |
Monastir Habib Bourguiba International | MIR | Nouvel Air Tunisie, Servicios de Transportes A |
Taiwan Taoyuan International | TPE | EVA Air |
Cork | ORK | Aer Lingus |
Addis Ababa Bole International | ADD | Ethiopian Airlines |
Brussels | BRU | Ethiopian Airlines, Brussels Airlines |
Leipzig/Halle | LEJ | Flybaboo |
Keflavik International | KEF | Icelandair, Maastricht Airlines, bmibaby |
Sfax Thyna International | SFA | Servicios de Transportes A |
Bahrain International | BAH | Gulf Air Bahrain |
Adnan Menderes International | ADB | Harmony Airways, SunExpress |
Tashkent International | TAS | Uzbekistan Airways |
Urgench | UGC | Uzbekistan Airways |
Asturias | OVD | Iberia Airlines, Formosa Airlines |
Santiago de Compostela | SCQ | Iberia Airlines, Formosa Airlines |
Olbia Costa Smeralda | OLB | Meridiana |
Copernicus Wrocław | WRO | Eurolot |
East Midlands | EMA | Jet2.com |
Leeds Bradford | LBA | Jet2.com |
Vilnius International | VNO | Air Lituanica |
Luxor International | LXR | Egyptair |
Dubrovnik | DBV | Croatia Airlines |
Split | SPU | Croatia Airlines |
Benazir Bhutto International | Pakistan International Airlines | |
Alama Iqbal International | LHE | Pakistan International Airlines |
Malpensa International | MXP | Pakistan International Airlines, easyJet |
Doha International | Qatar Airways | |
Ostrava Leos Janáček | OSR | Travel Service |
Rabil | BVC | XL Airways France |
Cancún International | CUN | XL Airways France |
Martinique Aimé Césaire International | FDF | XL Airways France |
Gran Canaria | LPA | XL Airways France |
Gregorio Luperon International | POP | XL Airways France |
Pointe-à-Pitre Le Raizet | PTP | XL Airways France |
Amílcar Cabral International | SID | XL Airways France |
Jersey | JER | Skynet Airlines |
Sabiha Gökçen International | SAW | Turkish Airlines |
Quebec Jean Lesage International | YQB | Air Transat |
Al Massira | AGA | easyJet |
Ajaccio-Napoléon Bonaparte | AJA | easyJet |
Belfast International | BFS | easyJet |
Bastia-Poretta | BIA | easyJet |
Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne | BIQ | easyJet |
Bari Karol Wojtyła | BRI | easyJet |
Bristol | BRS | easyJet |
Glasgow International | GLA | easyJet |
John Paul II International Kraków-Balice | KRK | easyJet |
London Gatwick | LGW | easyJet |
Liverpool John Lennon | LPL | easyJet |
London Luton | LTN | easyJet |
Francisco de Sá Carneiro | OPO | easyJet |
Menara | RAK | easyJet |
Tenerife South | TFS | easyJet |
Koltsovo | SVX | Ural Airlines |
Bandaranaike International Colombo | CMB | SriLankan Airlines |
Roland Garros | RUN | Air Austral |
Praia International | RAI | TACV |
São Pedro | VXE | TACV |
Muscat International | MCT | Oman Air |
Podgorica | TGD | Montenegro Airlines |
Tivat | TIV | Montenegro Airlines |
Faro | FAO | Aigle Azur |
Charles De Gaulle International Airport Destinations Map
Gallery and Facts
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is France's largest airport and is located about 15 miles (25km) northeast of Paris. Charles de Gaulle Airport was named after the founder of the Fifth (and current) French Republic, Charles de Gaulle, although often referred to as Roissy Airport. It is officially the busiest airport in the country with 61,556,202 travelling passengers going through their terminals in 2012 via 497,763 aircraft flights. Paris Airport provides flights to around 200 destinations across the world.
Paris is the capital of France and is often called the 'City of Love', the most romantic place on Earth. Famous for it's beauty and romance as well as being home to many of the world's best restaurants it is a very popular destination for honeymoons and weekend breaks.
Other points of interest within the city include; the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.
Gallery (3)
Gallery (3)
Gallery (3)
Charles De Gaulle International Airport Reviews (57)
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Beautiful airport but worst staff!
Was there at summer 2 years ago ..
Changed the door 4 times
Nobody there to help .. you are on your own … good food buy pricy.
Took a bus with bad a/c and we all sweat as pigs … finally the 1970 bus stopped in front of the wrong plane …..!! Cant belive that shit … another 10 minutes looking for the "lost" 747 … what a krap.
Then I see People complaining about Miami interntional …!
We had very bad experience during our recent transit at Charles de gaulle airport. The ground personnel is snob, rude and very unhelpful. Why are they there not to help?? They spoke English and replied in English but CANNOT understand English. We should not visit nor transit at Paris Airport unless we speak French!!
Airport Security Person In A Small Pond
Reading the comments on CDG airport security reminds me of a personal experience. Although not as bad as some those described here, it just goes to show the big ego in a small pond mentality. Some of these security personnel are simply immatured. Their mentality is simple: "I have the authority here. I can give you hell and make you do what I want." Yeah, right. The lord of a small pond. Every dog has its day. Maybe it should be every bitch . . .? I will avoid CDG now whenever possible.
Good And Smooth
I arrived at CDG September, 19th and departed September, 22nd and no problem at all. People were nice, customs and immigration ask a few and simple questions so not any claims at all. Very clean airport, free zone full of kind people.
Do The French Know The Term
I was traveling from Berlin to Dublin and my flight was on Air France (just as bad as CDG) via Charles De Gaulle. #1: A one-star rating is too high for CDG airport and Air France employees! #2: I don't do a lot of traveling, but I DO know customer service and kindness when I see it and when I DON"T see it!!! At the beginning, I was told the wrong gate by Air France stewardess. I asked an airport "Information" person. She just pointed to the left! I asked a couple of other airport employees my new departure gate was. Was told to go to terminal 1. He was nice enough to show me how to get to the plane-train. When in terminal 1, I asked another airport information person where my gate was located. He told me to go to terminal 2 (from which I just came). So I raced back to terminal 2 and was now told my gate was not "E2" but "D2". I raced to find D2 and went to the security passport line. Luckily one of the security guys was VERY nice, spoke excellent English and tried to take me to my gate. Just in time to see the electronic sign for my flight blink "boarding closed". He then took me downstairs to try to help me complain that I was told the wrong gates, etc. This man told me there was nothing I could do, as there was 1 hr between my flights and it was my fault. I was told this by 2 other female airport information employees, who were just rude and unhelpful as my first encounter with the "pointer". Finally, I conceded and booked a flight for 7.30 the next morning. After I had calmed down and wasn't ready to burst into tears, I decided to complain to another Air France "info" person. He didn't even acknowledge my complaint, just told me that I could sit and wait in the closed coffee shop area. The coffee shop opening person was more of the same. At 4 am he proceeded to clean tables and shove (scratch) the chairs into place; literally threw the metal trays behind a counter, thus startling the other 12 people in the area doing the same as I–a bit of rest in this unwelcoming place. To top it off, when he came to my "table", he shouted, "This is closed! Not open until 6 am" and gestured for me to get up and out! I will NEVER go to this airport, nor France. I really don't know what possess the French to think they are superior to all others. They can have their country and be rude to their fellow French.
Abused At Security Check Point
Today Sept 5th at 3pm Gate 2G security belt number 5 my bag got stopped by a security officer. I was travelling with my mum from San Francisco on our way to Genoa. My mum has no English or French and has little flight experience. She got worried that this would cause a delay and that we would miss our connection flight. The officer commented that it was useless to be annoyed as she should have been there 2 hrs earlier, I promptly responded that we were coming from SF. I could not believe his reaction as he pushed the guy who was supposed to check my bag then started to yell at me that it was none of my business and that he would do everything in his power to make us miss the flight and sleep in the airport! He started pulling my personal belonging out of the bag and as I requested to speak to a manager he said there was none on duty. I kept asking and eventually he proclaimed himself the manager, as I asked for his name he obscured his ID badge and told he was the only one allowed to ask questions. Then he called the police on us. I approached another 5 member of staff who were standing amused beside us and asked them to contact a manager: they literally laughed at me. So I had to find someone on my own. When I finally found a manger he came with me to the belt and instructed the officer to proceed rapidly to inspect my bag, needless to say the officer kept going trough my belongings very slowing and making fun of me ignoring the manager that at that stage had visibly no authority whatsoever. I then approached a director who just said " thanks for your feedback" and walked away leaving his member of staff still yelling at me. The whole experience terrified my mother as she could not understand what was going on she felt treated as a criminal. I believe security staff should be there to protect and help passengers instead of abusing of their power. I am so disgusted with the officer behaviour but even more upset with the other staff and management that simply watched, laughed and did not care.
CDG Is A Problem!
What an amateurish setup – the signage is very poor and some gates are simply not indicated, at least coming from G terminal. Other European airports have an electronic display of flight departures and terminals/gates as you arrive – why not CDG? Of course none of this is critical if you know that transfer between terminals can take 90 minutes – you can book a connecting flight with this in mind and you then have the 'luxury' of searching to find a member of staff who deigns to answer your queries. Never again – there are always easier alternatives to my mind.
For Sure - Never Again
Despite various bad experiences in the past, I thought to give it another try after 4 years avoiding CDG. From AMS on transfer to Tel Aviv. I can only agree with the previous comments about rude, ignorant, only French speaking staff who treat their customers (paying their salaries indirect) like second ranked human beings. On top of that, the signaling at the airport is poor and so are the catering services. In the city with the most Michelin stars in the world, there is not one shining star beyond customs. Customs, by the way, who certainly take their time to 'bonjour' all their colleagues at the beginning of their staff, including the hand-shaking and/or kiss on the cheek ceremonies, another 5 minutes unnecessary delay. For me it's sure, next time to Tel Aviv I will take the 'silly o'clock' direct flight from Amsterdam.
Rude Staff On The Swiss Air Desk
Breaking Laws and Yanking Off A Cast At Security Checkpoint!
I've traveled all over the world, and it is , by far, the worst airport I've ever had to contend with. This most recent trip, I was heading to India for a friend's wedding. I broke my ankle 2 weeks before taking leave for my trip and my doctor put me in a walking cast to deal with swelling while in flight (20+ hrs of flight). My home airport is very strict, yet I was fully assisted for my cast and had to be taken aside and have my cast swabbed for explosives/drugs. Once I arrived at CDG in Paris (the worse airport – I try to avoid for layovers), I reached the security gate and the problems began. Once my cast was spotted, and because it was removable (again to deal with swelling and pain), I was told to take off the cast! I refused to do so because they were breaking the law. A worker then came over and proceeded to try and take off my cast! I, very stern and upset; I told them I refused and the worker proceeded to rip off my cast! I told them hell no, that my ankle was BROKEN. Another staff member got involved and told me to take off the cast and told me not to be upset at the employees because they didn't know English. Umm… Why are they working within international flights? Hmm… What else can you expect from CDG's lack of efficiency and uselessness of the power-tripping co-workers? My husband was behind me going through the checkpoint. Once the power-tripping employee saw that we were together, he sent our luggage to be scanned, scanned again. Unfortunately, we had an hour layover and I didn't get the employee's name. We had to "deal with" it in order to catch our plane. Avoid CDG, if you can! Their airport is backwards in time and, obviously, their employees lack education.
My Wonderful French Experience Again
This was my first time arriving at CDG terminal. I was a bit apprehensive due to my looking on the net before flying and reading bad reviews. Upon arriving at the airport what a wonderful surprise and experience for me. Everyone was very helpful, went out of their way to help me. One of the customer service agents even dialed and spoke to my host to let him know I had arrived safely. The terminal was clean, no one bothered me. Train departures were announced in French and English and were posted on boards all throughout the airport. The trains were clean, fast and a joy to take, all stops announced in French and English. Luggage was put up and taken down for me by a French man. Ticket takers were so pleasant. The countryside was beautiful. I enjoyed my stay in France very much. Everyone said 'Bonjour' to me even though they didn't know me. Lighten up people, French people are misjudged, give them a break. I stayed with a French family and I was treated like I was royalty. They could not do enough for me. Go with the right attitude.
Flight from CDG to HAV Air France! The ground staff were rude, didn't help us and refused to speak in English. At the airport information desk "just ask Air France!" they were rude too. We, my two suns (5 and 7 years old) felt completely lost. Shame on you AF! Never again!
I Will Never Change Here Again
I will happily pay considerably more money next time to avoid this 'airport'. Not only is the transfer system the most complicated I have ever experienced, the airport staff couldn't be bothered to send on my suitcase – despite having ample time. I had to wait until the next day to get my belongings. I think one star is too generous for this place.
The World's Worst Airport
I have never been to an airport as bad as CGD. The terminal layout is chaotic, badly signed if at all. Far too many security checks in transits with extremely rude and unhelpful police and customs/security personnel. In fact they seem to purposefully delay passengers for some sick entertainment. This all amounts to it being a miracle if you make your connection. There are so many people panicking because they realise that they are going to miss their flight, that the staff will laugh at you. Show any sign of annoyance and they will push you to the limit by asking you to go back through the metal detector and again please and just one more time. Then they will single you out for a full bag check. When I aproached the Air France people about the problem they told me that they are all aware of this difficulty but because it is the police and customs they can not do anything about it, AND IT IS THEIR HUB!
In 2009 regarding my Paris Le-Bourget Air Show visit I arrived in CDG with Air France from Düsseldorf (Germany). Once inside the baggage-claim hall of Terminal 2 at first it was very difficult to find the correct baggage-claim belt for our flight. After finally, finally we've found the right one we have had to wait over 1 hour long for our single overnight-baggage. Partly the waiting-time was very confused because suddenly another flight-number was displaying at the board. And this only 30 minutes later again our own flight number was displayed. But at the end we have not found our luggage. Immediately we visited a nearby Lost & Found office. This was a very difficult task to because no one was speaking English or German. NO ENGLISH was spoken there!!! Simply unimaginable at a world port, like CDG!! And suddenly our baggage was standing beside us. Like from a ghostly hand. Very curious!! All in all CDG is a very old-dated but in the meantime very nice refurbished airport. Especially the sanitary-rooms are very clean and new now. Nevertheless the airport-architecture is very fascinating and partly breathtaking too. Sadly CDG don't have an observation deck for plane spotting.
Complete Luggage Mess!
I find CDG a very difficult airport to use. The transit from central Paris to the airport takes forever on the RER, then once you arrive you get another 1/2 on the shuttles. That's if you know which terminal to get to, which is very unclear. Then, if you're really in luck, you've managed to get through this shuttling mess, you arrive at your destination, you have the pleasure of having your luggage get delayed/lost, only to take a week to arrive. I only travel through CDG if absolutely necessary, choosing other, much more organized airports like Frankfurt to start my Europe vacations.
Humiliating Travel Experience Ever
We were a group of three from India travelled to Phoenix USA for a technical conference through Paris CDG. we took a Air France flight from Bangalore to Paris on May 7th and had our connecting flight to Salt lake city at 11 AM. But there were some oil leakage found in the engine lead to the delay of 3 hrs boarded on the flight. They finally cancelled the flight and diverted us to Air France desk promising to accommodate other flights or next day flights with hotel accommodation. The line was very long queue of 150 odd passengers moving at a crawling pace. We stood in the line at 2 PM, by 4 PM we barely covered few feet, we saw AF officials start calling their day and leave one after another from 8 to barely 2 or 3 left attending the rest of passengers. They were not adding officials to replace those left and had no intention to fasten the pace. We finally had our turn around 6:30 PM, where the Air France official (Female) told us, it is just late to put us on to any US flights the same day as the last one starting in few minutes to New york. She casually told us, she can't help it and putting us on next day flight 2PM to Detriot. She told us that she'll initiate a transit visa request to police and if rejected we'll have to stay in the airport. She said the visa process may take time and we'll have to wait until her colleague carrying the request to police return. We then waited for another 4 hours while we saw many of them granted visa (I'm sorry but I must note my observation that all of them are either US citizens or whites). Finally, we three along with few Chinese and two Arab left and they announced at 10:30 PM that all our visas were rejected and had to stay in the airport. I'm fine and must accept that any country reserve its right to grant visa with whatever policy they have, although we wish them treat everyone with equality. Well, the wait is not yet over, as they took another hour to get our passport and take us to the terminal 2E gate 13. They provided us one business sleeping pack, one sandwich and soft drink coupon where we actually need three course of meal till our next flight. They simply denied and said they could only offer this. They were so irresponsible for their own flight problem which landed to this situation and didn't care to take care of their passengers with even proper food/facilities. As it was already close to 12AM, most of the shops in that airport terminal were closed and we had to sleep starved. But no one seems to care or bother listening to our concerns. A simple answer we get was, we can't help it and this is what we can provide. Long live Air France! we were pleased with your service! One another humiliation before we left the living hell in the world, when we tried the sandwich coupon in one of the food outlet in 2E. A lady in that shop looked down at the coupon and instructed at us pointed to few selected sandwich option are available to this coupon and asked us to look at other shops if we don't want these. They barely had the vegetarian option anyway. so we managed our rest of our stay with muffins and soft drink. Comes on next, another delay announced to our Detroit flight by 30 minutes (reasons unknown) and it finally took off 1 hour late. It reached Detroit 2 hours late (reasoned that they had to take longer route to avoid volcano ashes). so we missed our next connecting flight to Phoenix too! This time around, we were told at Delta counter that they have put us to next day flight 9AM and it has been directed by Air France not to provide any hotel accommodation to its connecting passengers (Delta claim to have providing accommodation to its own passengers) and asked us to approach the Air France desk in the airport. when we approached them, as usual to us by now they denied accommodation stating they can't provide accommodation because it was due to volcano. We tried our best to explain them that it was just not volcano, but the flight departed 1 hr late due to some issue. But they doesn't seem to listen or agree to take responsibility. we gave up and thanked them for their great service! At least, this we were in US. we went out and took accommodation on our own. we finally reached our destination two days late with bundle of humiliating experience and fatigue. The only mistake we made on ourselves was selecting the Air France and chose to flew through Paris. I was actually planning for a vacation to Paris this December with my family. I cancelled it at once and at least feel fortunate that my family is saved from such humiliations.
A Challenging Airport
It is very difficult to connect from an international flight originating in the United States to short flights within the EU. The complex terminal layout, distance between the international gates and terminal 2G, and difficulty in finding and communicating with airport staff add to the confusion. It is best to organize your flights with longer-than-usual layovers if you fly through CDG. This makes the additional security clearances between terminals less stressful. Good travels!
Very Rude Male Officer!
All this happened on December 2006, but we still haven´t forgot this and never will. We were on our way to Orlando Florida to spend our Christmas holiday for two weeks. First we took a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Paris, and from there we continued to Orlando via Philadelphia. When we arrived in Paris, there was a very rude airport officer (male) who looked and looked our passports, went somewhere else with our passports and came back and looked and looked. He wondered why all our passports were admitted on the same date. Of course they were! Anyone in our family didn't have a valid passport before we decided to go to our trip, so we obtained new passports. Maybe the officer had never seen the new standard passports. Weird! Then the officer asked us in a demanding tone, doesn't anyone else of us speak any English. My English was quite clumsy in the beginning of our trip, and I also got confused and nervous with all his questions. My husband's English is very very bad, and my children were too shy to speak it. The officer asked if we spoke German. Of course we didn't. We were Finnish. Then the officer wondered why we came to Paris if we were on our way to Orlando. Well, our travel agent sold us that route, because we wanted the the most economical alternative. All the time the officer looked very angry. All the time we were very calm and quiet and very astonished what we have done wrong and what was the problem. Then the officer glued red stickers on all of our passports back covers. We wondered, what they were, but didn't ask. I didn't dare to ask! Then we went to the gate. When people were starting to get in the plane, the same male officer and a lady officer rushed towards us and front of all the other passengers the officers demanded us to open our hand luggage including my personal hand bag. That was absolutely humiliating! So we took our belongings out of our bags including my medicines, and all the other people were watching. Is that even permitted action to do from the officers? Of course we had nothing prohibited with us and we were allowed to go in to the plane. The stickers were still on our passports and we didn't know if we were allowed to remove them, so we left them there. In the States everyone was kind and they were smiling! Nobody treated us as we were some kind of terrorists or something! We were forced to come back home via Paris, but we promised to ourselves that we are never going to disturb French people again! I myself have travelled many many times, and Paris has been the only unfriendly place I´ve been to! Not very pleasant way to start our Christmas vacation! So please, the personnel at Charles de Gaulle airport, treat your customers friendly, at least if they are friendly to you, as we were.
CDG Racism
I wish i never had to go through CDG. I have always had problems with CDG especially when it comes to delays. The last one happened in December. First let me say here that i am black. On my way home for Christmas break, i had to spend the night in Paris because i missed my connecting flight. How did it happen. We boarded the plane from Edinburgh at 5:40 a.m and due to snowfall, the flight was delayed for an hour. You will not imagine that we were stuck in the plane (at the take off point) for more than 5hrs. Each time ground crew cleared the runway for departure it started snowing afterwards. After so many hours, we finally left Edinburgh Airport around 1:30p.m. By then i already knew i had missed my connecting flight but was reassured that i will get a flight the next day by the Flight attendant and that sleeping arrangements will be made at a hotel for the night. Mind you this is the 23rd of December. We arrived Paris at about 3:00p.m and the girl at the Air France desk took my passport. needles to say there was a very long queue. So many passengers had missed their flights. The girl at the desk told me she will have to get me a transit visa. Well i thought that shouldn't be a problem because i actually had a Schengen Visa in my passport but valid from January 2010. A tleast with a Schengen visa in my passport i should not be refused a one night visa. Really? Let me also say here that at the time we arrived at terminal 2E, there were several Nigerians who had been there since 8a.m because they missed their flight and they were still waiting for their transit visa after 7hrs. As i sat there waiting for my transit visa, i realised there were people on the queue who either got the transit visa directly, or were told it could not be issued. In the space of one hour. Mostly Aasians and Eastern Europeans. You know i was wondering to myself " if this visa can be issued in 45mins, why is it that my own has already taken 2hrs and still no results. I continued to wait until about 6:30p.m when the Nigerians were told that they could not get them a transit visa and they have to spend the night at the lounge. The Nigerians and some Asians left and i walked up to the girl who took my passport and asked her about it. She told me it is with the police but it seems the request has been rejected. I said no problem but can I at least have my passport? She said she will bring it. That was at 7:00p.m. I only got my passport at 11:00p.m. Now they have to show me where to spend the night, only for this guy at the desk to tell me they will give me and some others makeshifts beds and we will put it in a cafe room and spend the night. I exploded. I am travelling first class, i am an elite member and just to be treated like rubbish only because of my skin colour. He tried to calm me down and had to call someone on the phone whom he told to get me sleeping space at the lounge in 2C because he himself did not think it was fair. After many telephone calls, i was allocated space in 2C (It is now 1:00a.m)and to imagine that there were more than 4 empty bed spaces!! I know Air France employs a lot of people of colour, but i still think they treat their customers with a lot of contempt and disdain. They seem to think we have no choice. If i had my way i will advocate for people to boycott that airport
Where To Adress Complaints
In response to people asserting that they could find no place to lodge a complaint, there is at least the possibility to write to Aeroports de Paris, here : http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/en-GB/Passagers/Home/contact.htm I hope this will be helpful.
Good And Bad
In response to Worst of the Worst, Terminals 2E and 2F are connected. Passport control is usually bad to worse at CDG. It depends on the other planes that arrive when you do. If there are passengers from any African country on line, it's going to take a LONG time to get through. At least authorities have put up rope to force a queue. In the past there was nothing to control the crowd. Now one can wait his turn in relative peace rather than constantly jostle to block out the queue jumpers. I have met nice security personnel at CDG so they do exist. But it definitely helps to speak French. My advice, check out the maps of the airport, do your homework by searching online. Don't rely on strangers to help you. Most want to help and will try to direct you but they might not know much more than you do.
Worst Of The Worst
I swear never to schedule a connection through CDG again. Security on the way in decided they needed to search my bag more thoroughly…but they didn't bother letting me regather my wallet which was left unattended on the other side! This is the only airport I've ever been to where the airline hands you a 15+ page instruction booklet on how to make a connection between terminals. And, the diagram was inaccurate (2E and 2F are NOT connected). I don't blame people for giving the bad directions as an earlier commenter mentioned — the people just don't know because it's a bizarre maze that Aeroports de Paris has built.
Is It Paris?
Very old and dirty terminal. Complicated. The only good thing is the public transportation to the city but the train between terminal is a nightmare. Long queue at passport control; it seems no-one cares that it needs improvement.
CDG Adieu
We had 3.5 hours to make our connection after arrival in CDG from Istanbul. Our objective: terminal 2F (Air France). We made a wrong turn immediately after disembarkation, and then spent the next 3.25 hours wandering mostly vacant halls, taking the train, transferring to a shuttle bus, and finally arriving at our gate with 5 minutes to spare. The saddest part: We were misdirected MANY times – by private citizens, by uniformed policemen and by airport employees. The rule we learned: When in CDG, go in the OPPOSITE direction to that provided. The lesson we learned: all of this is too much trouble to be sardine-canned into the world's most decrepit airliner, Air France's brand-new but already trashed 777 to YUL.
CDG Is The World's Worst Airport!
Paris Charles de Gaulle is the world's worst airport: (1) Getting off the plane, we had to stand in the queue for 45 minutes before getting through French immigration. There were 2 officers doing their job and they certainly took their time. Our first of impression of France: inefficiency, indifference, bureaucracy. (2) We then had to walk for 20 minutes from luggage claim to the RER B train platform (for Paris). 20 minutes! (3) When we left for home, we had to stand in queue at the Easyjet check-in for 1 hour. Unlike in London, there is only 1 queue for several destinations. 1 hour! (4) The security check (metal detector) was right at the gate. Once you get through this, there's no service, no food or drinks except a vending machine. There's not even a toilet! In comparison, in UK, once you get through security, there are plenty of shops, and cafes to relax and browse. It's much friendlier. (5) The security check staff was extremely rude and unfriendly. One woman slammed my laptop onto a plastic tray. When I asked other staff for her name (so I can report the incident if the laptop is damaged), they said: "I will not give you her name".They're rude, unfriendly, corrupt! Paris may be a beautiful city, but it's the French kings who built it. French food and wine are good. But are they good at anything else?
The More You Use It, The Better It Gets
First impressions of CDG are usually the same but as far as large European airports go, CDG is not the worst. I put Frankfurt in that category. Heathrow is second worst. The newer terminals at CDG are a great improvement, particularly 2E. Avoid the original Terminal 1 if you can. It helps to speak some French but not essential.
CDG Airport - Certainly The Worst In The World
I have been to quite a few countries in our travels and visited quite a few airports around the world but none that is so terrible to navigate around. This is not the only problem though, French airport staff are extremely rude to anyone speaking English to them. Quite amazing to think that the biggest slice of an airfare is to cover airport charges yet it is due to the airports that make travelling so frustrating. In my opinion if you can avoid CDG then do so otherwise get yourself ready for abuse.
Typical Large Place
CDG, in my view, does a good job moving whingeing, whining passengers around as efficiently as possible. Personally, I use the place twice a month, as far as airports go, there are many worse places. Frankfurt and Heathrow are 2 for starters. If you wish to travel and cannot take the headaches, STAY AT HOME.
Connection Risk
Consistent with Kocabiyikoglu's "Airport Experience". I can vouch for and affirm the criticism of CDG. I am not all that experienced a traveller and may be this not unique to CDG, but these kinds of delays are unnecessary, displeasing, and costly. Our trip was in August 2007, and a year later by Kocabiyikoglu, it appears bad scheduling practice, inefficient routing, and disregard for the client's urgency is complacent. Our connection through CDG, was to Lisbon. Upon landing we were waved off on a long march, even with shuttle, to the international check-in, not for just our carriers, but a common queue for multi-destination travelers. We were subject to long lines before four windows, passport and carry on security check. I can appreciate the security check, as carry-on and contents can be switched any time in the terminal. But the lag should be anticipated and connection time increased. By the time we passed through the security check, I noted 20 minutes to boarding time, and knew we were in trouble. We ran our way back to where we arrived, 2D/E, and even though there was still 5 minutes left on the clock, Air France attendant refused to let us board. Needless to say we missed the flight. The next flight to Lisbon was four hours later. Of course we lost the first day of our tour, the only day in Lisbon. My conclusion, be suspicious to purchase international connected flights with one hour lay overs. The security check time can easily eat the hour.
One Of The Worst Airports
The CDG Airport is a very confusing airport; it's hard to find directions or to get help. Very few airport staff speak English. The security people are rude to foreigners. On my way back home, I bought several packages of perfume in Paris. Some of them are very expensive, some are less expensive. They were packed and carried in my suitcase that was checked in at CDG. When I returned home, I found that five of most expensive bottles of perfume were taken, they are all in 15 ml bottles. The remaining perfume were less expensive ones, some were in 100 ml bottle. My consumer and personal rights were severely violated, though I explicitly purchased and packed items as indicated in the published "Airport Security Rules". I strongly believe that airport securities were taking advantage of security checking program for personal benefit. I was not given a chance to protest and complain to the airport authorities since CDG web site has no information where to file complains and claims.
Just got back from a trip to France, and had a terrible experience with the security officials. The airport (CDG) was bad enough in that restrooms were few, layout was confusing, appearance was disgusting, and all in all trashy. The security officials were rude, spoke little understandable English, provided inadequate places to reassemble oneself, and in my opinion violated personal and privacy rights of being treated in a respectful manner. That is unless you were French. My wife and I were pulled to the side because she had a small piece (2 oz) of brie for us to eat while we waited for our flight. They not only confiscated the cheese, but searched her three times at different locations (scattering her belongings). They also pulled me aside even though I had passed the x-ray screening, and metal detector. Meanwhile there were French passengers who passed uninterrupted with bottles of coke, sprite, water, (16 oz!) and some had their lunch neatly packed and ate it while waiting for their flight. I am now looking for a way to file a complaint. If anyone knows where I can do this please post, or contact me. ZERO STARS
Security Screeners At CDG Are Awful
Yes, CDG is very difficult to navigate but I read French, so easier for me. The people are much nicer to you if you speak French but there are those who are rude either way. My beef has to do with the confiscation of two TSA permitted items from my one small carry-on piece. Both are tools less than seven inches in length and arguing politely did nothing to change their minds. The Asian man who searched my bag first for scissors which he finally agreed were legal, then for knives which he insisted I was carrying. When he finally located my two tools he announced in a childishly annoying tone, "Seeeee I told youuuu". Again I tried to argue that these tools were acceptable in carry-ons but he was too full of himself to beat the implication that he had been wrong about the knives. End of the story? My legal possessions are in the trash.
Avoid At All Costs
This is a terrible airport. Unfriendly staff, some of which don't speak any foreign language, confusing layout for even the most seasoned traveller. I now plan my trips in such a way that I'm sure I don't have to set foot at CDG.
Worst Airport
I had the misforture of flying Air France and transiting through the worst airport ever. Right from when I arrived and tried to way-find was very confusing. Not to mention the lack of staff at my arrival gate to perhaps guide me or point me in the right direction were not available. When I finally found the Aircraft Information Monitors, they too were cumbersome to read and understand. When I approached a staff member for help, they just shrugged me off and pointed towards the screen. After about 20 minutes of wandering around I finally located my next departure Terminal (2E). I found myself transiting through a maze of escalators with confusing lettering and directions which pointed in all directions to finally arrive on the ground floor to catch a bus. Here I was greeted by a "hip-hop" star in uniform bee-bopping to his I-pod. He did not listened to what I had to say and pointed me in the direction to sit with the rest of the confused patrons in a corner. Once I arrived my Terminal I was greeted by another uniformed staff employee who looked at my ticket and asked me to head towards the lane at the end of the security screening area. All the other patrons followed. The lane she pointed towards was closed so we came back only to be shunned away and lined up in another closed queue area. After shuffling back and forth for about 15 minutes the frustration in the travelling public was mounting which did not seem to bother her (attendant). The Security Screening had 1 lane open and approximately 3 flights worth of people standing around confused. Finally another lane opened and the security began. Once passed security I came across the Duty Free shops where each item was overly priced. I browsed many different shops and realized the shop attendants were very rude or uncaring. I was looking for the world famous French Crepes which were nowhere to be found so I finally settled for a croissant and a hot chocolate which cost me $12 dollars. The Hot Chocolate was excellent but the croissant was horrible (stale I suppose). The restrooms were unkept as well. The list could go on and on. I would definitely never recommend anyone to travel through this airport.
Save Yourself The Trouble
As well as the organisation of the place being poor I strongly advise NOT to purchase anything from this place unless you have checked and double checked the item for faults! Any attempt at exchange or refund needs to go through the airports customer service (and not the individual stores) which can take 'up to a week' which was infuriating- it's an airport and safe to say 50% of their clientèle are due to leave the area. In our case the staff advised the wrong model of an item and we were refused a refund for their mistake. Save yourself the trouble and just pay the tax on things when you get home if this is the only option you have.
Shame On The French
I give CDG one star because it is not possible to give less!! What planet are these people living on?? The experience was shocking, appalling. From being forced to go through immigration even though we were in transit; to rude women all over the place; to waiting for THIRTY minutes for the lazy shuttle driver to take us from Terminal 2A to 2C- I cannot put into words how disgusted I am at the treatment meted out to international travellers at this godawful airport! No signs, no monitors for huge stretches, having to ask random people for information that the uniforms should be providing, and to top it all the unceasing, hostile rudeness of the French. Shame, shame ,shame.
God Help This Aiport
I had my first landing in connection in Charles De Gaulle from Chicago yesterday, and it was most certainly the worst airport experience of my life. We had a 20 minute delay before catching our scheduled flight from Chicago, but landed very fast in Paris. My boyfriend and I were seated in the exit line on the plane so we had great legroom, but my boyfriend's TV didn't work at all, and instead of moving him to another seat or helping us they kept giving excuses (the flight attendants) and avoided us. It wasn't until I made a formal complaint with the head attendant that we were given a 'compensation' of 30 euros for the problem. It's not a life or death problem that the computer didn't work, but considering everyone on the freaking plane could watch movies to pass the long flight time except my guy, I got pretty pissed. Especially since we all paid the same dues for the services (and in our case extra). I do have to admit that Air France has at least better long-haul flights than Dutch Airways…and they are partner companies! The pilot constantly announced that ground crew would be helping us to our new destinations beause of some problem with the terminal. But no one was there. We followed everyone else to passport control, where the attendants (including police) were so disorganized that they didnt see this college girl walking through without getting checked (I watched laughing as she looked around confused and just walked between the counters). I on the other hand got a hostile attendant who seemed very unhappy to flip through my passport. We had only 20 minutes to get to our next flight and ran through the terminal. They changed our gate two times in 10 minutes, as we found out the hard way by reading the computers. Considering Ive been to so many different aiports before, I thought they would have a reliable system of signs or guides but no. I ran to the information desk where when I presented my ticket, the lady told me to 'turn right'. I still dont know what the F!!k that was supposed to mean..considering there was no right available to turn into. So after going in the wrong direction for a while we found the D terminal and got to security. We waited and waited until we were about to run through the metal detector when a commotion broke out and the security attendant dissapeared. Then she ran back and forth and everyone was yelling at each other. When it calmed down and she came back to me, she told me to take off my shoes. That was confusing becuase they didnt make anyone else take off theirs (maybe she was buying time) I took them off and then picked up my bag. Some guy pushed my boyfriend (who was behind me) out of the way and had to be held back because they thought he was going to hurt someone so we spent another 10 minutes standing around. Then the attendant told me to 'put my back down' and they pulled out my water bottle from the last flight. I got so pissed that they had held up the line instead of telling me right away, I told them to just throw it out. The attendant became upset and started to insult me in french thinking I was some stupid American. I then preceded to insult her in fluent german which made her jaw drop and she 'dismissed me' to go to my gate. I think it might have pissed them off that they couldnt understand my insults. After running to the gate (once again no signs) we saw that they were still boarding (the plane was standing and people were in line). We got to the attendant and then she said boarding was closed. Now I was really freaking confused and asked her how in the hell could boarding be closed (they had just let more people walk through. My theory is that they like to stop boarding so we have to pay for a new ticket. Unfortunately for them, our previous flight was delayed so they had to change our flights free of charge. The woman at the gate promised us a voucher for food/drink while we waited, but when we got to customer service the guy got mean and told us to screw off. After asking to talk to the supervisor (there were 4 other people that missed the flight and were complaining with us) the man told us he had no supervisor. We refused to leave the counter and told him we would wait for security if we had to. Then he picked up the phone and a woman showed up and presented herself as the director for the terminal. She became distressed when she realized we werent going to give up then she gave us all vouchers, issued us complaint forms and wished we would just forget the incident. So we went to sit down and use the vouchers. After ordering our drink and sandwich, we presented the cards and the woman at the bake-stand became hostile and told us first they wouldnt work, and then a minute later that we could only have juice. It made absolutely no sense and she became extremely loud. I guess she thought we were scared. Unfortunately for her, I had just spent 2 years living in germany and my vacation at home in Chicago so I got really pissy with her and then she threw a sandwich at me and kept yelling. It was extremely confusing and really RUDE. Yes, you can belive it didnt stop there. There were no seats left, people were running around and the toilet lines were long and everything was dirty. My most recent comparison is the toilets in O'Hare so thats really saying something. After my first experience in France, I can successfully say I will avoid the place for many years to come. My advice is to avoid Air France and avoid Charles de Gaulle.
Airport Experience
This is definitely the worst airport I have ever set foot on. On 12 December 2008, I literally fought my way through the airport to catch my flight, and this was the latest of a string of very unpleasant experiences I had there. There were only two passport control desks for 40 gates, and the staff there who were supposed to help only told us that everybody was in the same situation and our flights would wait for us. At one point I was standing near a sign which said the maximum wait time after that was 15 minutes – I was through with the line an hour after that. As I finally reached the end of the queue, I heard one of the staff members say "there is a long queue here" on the phone. I was amazed that it took her over an hour to get that. And when I finally reached the gate at 11.30 (my flight was leaving at 11.30), I waited in the security line for 20 minutes, and just as I was removing my shoes, the security guy told me the line was closed, and I should go to the other security line. When I pointed out that I would have to wait there again, and my flight was supposed to leave half an hour ago, he told me if I had any objections, I should find some other ways of transport. In the end, my flight was delayed for an hour, because we waited for all the passengers who were stuck at passport control and/or security. And the worst thing was the staff who kept saying our flights would wait – are they aware of how much it costs the airlines to wait? Overall a horrible experience.
Transfers Are Risky
I fly often through CDG. Most of the time using Air France. I have always found transfers at CDG to be problematic. Going from your arrival gate to your departure gate is a long and complicated process, and this even when connecting in the same terminal (T2). Even though that is a single terminal, it is really a set of independent terminals (halls A, B, C, etc). Going from one hall to the other requires you always to fully exit the hall, then walk to the other hall, and re-enter again through the full security check. This is true even if you arrive and leave from the same hall, even if you arrive and leave from flights inside the Schengen zone (i.e without passport control). In the past I used to take bus transfers (runway-side). I stopped doing this because of the erratic timings and the long loop those bused did. Those buses are especially challenging for non-French speakers: the announcements are unclear and the drivers don't speak any English at all. Nowadays, I favor walking. At least I know at what speed I walk and so I know how long it takes me to get from one place to another. Also, being an Air France frequent flier with status, I can use the direct lines for security and passport control, which avoids most of the long queues. Because of that, I can transfer in CDG in one hour, but that is often tight. If I had to make it through all the regular queues, then that would not be possible. What also makes the airport confusing is that each hall is organized in a different way. For example one hall (I think it is hall C) has check-in *after* passport control. I once had an argument with a police officer that did not want to let me pass because I could not show a printout of my e-ticket. IMO, CDG was designed by architects that did not grasp the concept of flight connections. The airport is good if you arrive there, or if you leave from there, with fairly good connections to Paris. But the designers obviously could not imagine that someone arriving at CDG would actually *not* want to go to Paris, but just commute to another flight. The newer halls like halls E and G are better, but still not really up to international standards. It looks like the designers still did not get it. I often contrast CDG with airports like Munich (where I can confidently commute in 30 minutes between LH flights), or airports in Scandinavia (like Copenhagen).
Tips For A Smooth Connection
I often pass through to this airport since many years and I know how hard and confusing it is for air-travelers. Here are some tips: If you arrive in terminal 2 (if you travel with Air France or their partners). Make sure which "hall" you arrive (A, B, C, D, E, F, or G) and which "hall" your connecting flight departs. Check your flight in the flight info boards to confirm your gate (it could change). Follow the sings that shows the "hall" you want to go. If you arrive from outside of the EU be sure to have minimum 2 hours in case of a long waiting queue in the passport control. Then follow the sings, (even if you have to walk about 1,5 miles / 2 km!) you'll find your "hall". After you have arrived, pass the security control and go to your gate. I happened to miss my connecting flight once to Athens due to the time it took to get out of the plane from Montreal, (it was a 777). Take a bus to the terminal and a long waiting in the passport control (about 30 min I had an hour for my connection). I found some improvement when I passed last time: the blue background of the singnage is clearer than the traditional grey background with the yellow letters. Efficient inter-terminal/parking, lots of trains (CDGVAL) too but still CDG airport needs more improvement. Apparently, this airport's service is not in the international standards that's why it's not well perceived by most of foreign air-travelers.
Fantastic Terminal Buildings, Complicated Transfers
CDG does not have a unified method from transferring passengers from one terminal to another. There is a bus line running in the "controlled area" ("transfer sous douane"), and a bus line running in the public area ("zone publique"). The controlled area is used when transferring in transit and you don't want to enter the Schengen Europe. Bus is crowded. Personnel is rather unfriendly. Terminal 2E is rebuilt at the moment, So some gates are only accessible via another bus line. Very confusing. Absolutely no go for elderly people or people with walking problems. For architecture fans, CDG is a nice experience. Georgios terminals, and don't miss – if you have time – a look at the old Terminal 1 – it is worth it! The picture is Terminal 2F – non Schengen flights.
I have been to many airports in my time but CDG has to be at the top of my "bad experience" list. The lack of organization and bad manners of the staff does not help in achieving smooth connections. I have only ever missed two flights and both have been in CDG due to confusion on my part due to the lack of sign posting and difficulty in finding ground staff.
Cdg Wuz Fine 4 Me
My spouse and I flew into CDG late March 08, and in early April stayed over at a nearby hotel to make a morning flight home. No problems of any kind. We don't know French, but had no signage or people problems. Found our airline counter easily, found our gate, no baggage problems in or out. The French people were smiling and friendly at CDG, Paris and Central France. The complaining about only two trays at the security check point – incredible, there were as many trays there for us both in and out as at any other airport we've passed through.
The transport links into CDG seem to be fantastic, I used the train to get in and out from the centre of Paris and the service was brilliant. That was the only good point. Flying out of CDG was a nightmare. The check in was shockingly bad, arrived 2 hours early for the flight and only got checked in half an hour before the flight was due to depart. The queuing system for the EasyJet flight was extremely poor and the staff at the check-in desk very unhelpful. In the end I didn't have enough time to stop at duty free or get anything to eat as had to go through security and board the flight straight away. The layout of the airport is also very poor with walkways not really wide enough to cover with the congestion and signs in the middle of them meaning you have to weave around them. CDG is not an experience I enjoyed and I would avoid it again where I could.
Aesthetically Pleasing, But A Nightmare To Traverse
I have been in many airports, and would have to say that CDG, aside from having stunningly gorgeous terminals, the signage, organization, and a polite staff were completely missing. When we arrived, we eventually found our way to the terminal, after hounding any staffer who would pay us any attention at all. Aside from there not being much signage in English, the French was equally absent. Couldn't have been happier to leave that airport. That experience made me appreciate the complete organization of the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta. The busiest airport in the world, is also the easiest to navigate through.
No Smoking. . .
Added to the transport problems between terminals the COMPLETE lack of smoking facilities makes CDG a no go transfer airport to me. Arriving at CDG after a 9 h flight and having less than an hour to your next flight on a different terminal is an experience you'd better miss…
Lack Of Organization
The airport has serious organizational problems. The system of transferring passengers from one terminal to another by crowded bus and a maze of corridors without proper signposting and brusk staff is a nightmare. Then, on top of that, when you are already late and wondering what is happening, some of the staff behave like petty dictators. You could easily miss a connection through the lack of organization. Watch out. It's terrible, awful. A big contrast to Air France's good service on the plane. Shame. Did the architect get a prize? …. ought to be sued for the suffering that passengers have to go through. Someone should take responsibility and sort out this situation.
Ground Handling & City Connections
Chronic problems with ground handling at this airport, seem especially frustrating in the larger Terminal 2 since part of it collapsed and many flights now do not come directly to the terminal due to lack of gates. This can considerable slow down departures. The RER suburban train line that runs directly into Terminal 2 (very convenient) recently added a Terminal 1 stop, but beware–it does not drop you directly into the terminal building but stops at a station that then requires you to go up escalators and then climb into a shuttle bus to Terminal 1. Not very convenient if you have lots of baggage–better to take one of the city-to-airport bus services directly into the terminal.
CDG terminals have a very innovative architectural style that is bright, spacious and modern. When faced with an arrival at one terminal and departure from another, navigating through the internal maze of corridors and halls can be uncertain and tedious due to the lack of clear signs along the path and it is easy to be delayed. Allow yourself extra time if possible, if not, save the architectural appreciation for your departure gate.
Airport Experience
CDG is a bad place to make connections when time is short. Be sure to allow at least two hours between flights if you don't want to have to take a later flight. But, arriving yesterday from Washington the immigration was fast and efficient, personnel were polite and far from unfriendly, and convenience of having train station right at airport, without requiring shuttle bus, was much appreciated. I emphatically disagree that this airport is to be avoided.
The airport is becoming increasingly passenger unfriendly with undercapacity at customs and security checks causing long cues. Bus system to board/unboard and unfriendly staff are responsible for the rest.


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How's this for counter-intuitive? Social technologies — the software and services that make it possible to show off your vacation pictures to all your Facebook friends and follow your favorite team tweet by tweet — are not just giant time sinks that keep your employees from getting their work done. On the contrary, they may become the most powerful tools yet developed to raise the productivity of high-skill knowledge workers — the kind of workers who help drive innovation and growth, and who are going to be in increasingly short supply.
This is one of the surprising takeaways from our recent research on the economic impact of social technologies. The business world knows (or thinks it knows) a lot about how social technologies are changing the world. With consumers spending gobs of time in online communities (more than 1.5 billion consumers around the globe have an account on a social networking site and almost one in five online hours is spent on social networks), marketing departments have increasingly shifted their attention to social media. They're not only advertising and creating their own social sites, they're engaging with consumers, listening in on unfiltered conversations, and soaking up huge amounts of data on consumer behavior — all of which is producing nifty new insights for fine-tuning product requirements and marketing messages.
It's powerful stuff that will continue to evolve and change the way that companies market to consumers and B2B customers. But, it turns out that there's something even more powerful at play: the potential for value creation when social technologies are used to improve collaboration and communication within and across enterprises is twice as big as the value that can be created through all other uses across the value chain. Based on numerous case studies and in-depth research in four sectors (consumer packaged goods, consumer finance, professional services, and advanced manufacturing), McKinsey Global Institute analyzed the potential value that could be obtained through the use of social technologies. The total potential value at stake in these sectors is $900 billion to $1.3 trillion annually. A third of that potential comes from business function-specific applications of social technologies in product development, marketing & sales, operations, and customer support, but two-thirds would arise from using social technologies to improve the collaboration and communications of knowledge workers within these functions and across the enterprise.
Companies are beginning to discover that social technology platforms provide a far more efficient way of communicating and collaborating. And, they give companies a way to dig out the "dark matter" of company knowledge that is buried in email inboxes and on hard drives. Unlike email, messages on social platforms are accessible to the entire team in real time, eliminating all the to-ing and fro-ing to get everybody on the same page. Even better, on social platforms, communications become content — forming a searchable archive that can be continually enriched with comments and additions by members of the online community. So, when the expert in the group answers the question about how to account for depreciation in Turkey, everybody can see it or find it later.
We estimate that "interaction workers," (managers, professionals, sales people, and others whose work requires frequent interpersonal interactions, independent judgment, and access to knowledge) spend 28% of their workdays answering, writing, or responding to email. They also spend another 19% of the time trying to track down information (including searching through their own e-mail files) and 14% collaborating with co-workers. (And these are your most expensive employees, and the ones you count on to do more than routine work; they're supposed to be innovating, figuring out how to improve business processes, and generally building you a better mousetrap — not wading through e-mail.)
These activities could potentially be done much more efficiently and effectively using social technologies — we figure by 20-25%. This assumes, of course, that time saved by communicating and collaborating via social technology is not used for viewing videos of cute kittens, but is dedicated to the most productive uses.
Naturally, there is also a catch: to capture this value, companies will have to do a lot more than buy some enterprise social technology. To get the improvement in knowledge worker productivity, organizations need robust and widespread participation by all sorts of employees (you never know where that dark matter is hiding). Firstly, social technologies will only succeed if they become part of the daily workflow, not an extra item on a to-do list that will never get checked off. Sometimes this means the company's workflows need to change, sometimes the social tools must be adapted to workflows, and in many cases, both workflows and technologies will have to be adjusted. For example, in one computer-generated animation company, social tools did not become commonly used until they allowed people to post and interact on video clips — the preferred medium for discussion.
Participation, in turn, depends on having an environment of openness, information sharing, and trust — the sort of culture that many organizations have not yet established. For this to happen, leaders must take the lead — after all, these are social technologies. Leaders will have to role model the use of these technologies, explain how to use them to drive value, observe success stories and help them to scale up to the rest of the enterprise. At the same time, these technologies are only as effective as the degree to which individuals participate, so lessons from consumer social applications can be applied in the enterprise. How do you create applications that are as compelling to corporate employees as they are to those same people in their personal lives? Techniques such as self-reinforcing behavior loops (e.g. gamification), A/B testing, and mobile deployment can be applied in the enterprise, just as they are used in the consumer space. But overall, changing mindsets, behaviors and a culture that celebrates and expects sharing and openness is a real organizational challenge.
It may take years to establish the conditions of openness and to build trust across the organization, but the companies that accomplish this transformation will not only reap the greatest benefits from social technologies, they will also find that they are faster on their feet, more adaptable, and much more capable of absorbing — and acting on — new ideas. Not a bad investment.
This article originally ran in HBR Blog.

subset: commoncrawl


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$15.99 $19.99
See our storefront here:
One inch, super detailed double sided Birth of Venus pewter pendants, on your choice of silver plated or gold plated brass ear hooks:
• Fish hook
• Lever back
• Kidney (47mm, will fit through stretched ear tunnels)
• Post-style
• Clip on (non-piercing)
• Sterling Silver Fish hooks
• 14K Gold-Filled Fish hooks
NOTE: If you select the .925 sterling fish hooks, but 'gold' charms, the ear hooks will be silver not gold. (Alternatively if you select 14k GoldFilled hooks and 'silver' charms, the hooks will be gold)
This product is not intended to be used by, or around, anyone under the age of 13.
ShopEarthshine.com★ lotusfairy.etsy.com
Canadian buyers: Prices shown include GST/HST.
3-5 business days
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
• To purchase multiple items from our shop, use the 'Add to Cart' button. This will ensure everything is on one invoice, and you are only charged one shipping fee at checkout. (Click 'Checkout from this shop only' to proceed )
• Please note, all items are ★ FINAL SALE ★
We do not accept returns, exchanges or offer refunds.
If there is a problem with your order, please let me know via Etsy messages within 7 days of delivery, and I will be happy to resolve any issues. You may be asked to provide photos of any damage, packaging etc.
• All items are made to order in Toronto, but we ship via USPS out of Niagara Falls NY.
Tracking can take 24hrs+ to begin updating.
(Canadian orders ship Canada Post - sorry, no local pickup, all orders must ship with tracking)
• Processing time is currently 3-5 business days.
[If you have a deadline, please LET US KNOW in the order notes. PRIORITY shipping upgrade does NOT speed up processing times.]
• Gift boxes are available for purchase
(clickable link is in each listing above) https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/23917735
• Most our items are made to order, and wrapped together in a single clear recloseable baggie, topped with a sprinkle of sun/moon/star confetti. Each order comes with jewelry care card (+ gemstone card where applicable.) If you are giving a gift and require separate bags and extra care card, please leave a request in the 'notes to seller' at checkout.
• Can include a short, handwritten gift message, 100 characters or less
• We do not include packing slips/invoices, please refer to your emailed receipt for all info
These are suggestions to keep your pieces looking new for the maximum amount of time!
★ Aim to minimize contact between your skin and the jewelry
(wear over your clothes etc)
★ Do not wear your jewelry to bed, in the shower, at the beach/pool etc
★ Keep away from perfumes and body lotions, especially sunscreen
★ Use a dry jewelry polishing cloth to shine and clean after each wear.
(Jewelry cloths are fairly inexpensive and last for years)
★ Store away from sunlight, dampness and open air.
Best way to store them is in the re-sealable baggie they come packaged in.
• SILVER PLATED: sterling silver layer, plated over a base metal.
• TIBETAN SILVER is a flexible metal alloy made of zinc, copper and tin. It is lead free and nickel free and will be OK for most people with sensitive skin.
• PEWTER: a soft metal alloy, mostly tin with a bit of copper, that has a darker 'antique silver' look. It will bend with a bit of force.
• RHODIUM PLATED: Chrome-like, precious metal with high shine. Most 'white gold' is rhodium plated.
• STEEL AND STAINLESS STEEL chains do have a small nickel content, avoid products with this metal if you have any nickel or metal allergies.
Brass is made of copper and zinc. Bronze is made of copper and tin. These are nickel-free.
• All the gemstones in our shop are genuine (real) unless otherwise indicated in the writeup or 'item details' (faux, dyed, coated, or man-made stones are all clearly identified.)
• Opalite, Sandstone/Goldstone, Blue Sandstone/Goldstone, Aura, Titanium flame etc are man made stones and coatings.
★ Any information given regarding the properties of
Gemstones is for 'entertainment purposes only'
Not intended to treat or diagnose medical conditions.
★ Please never substitute a gemstone for medical advice.
They are only meant to support and assist your journey.
We ship to the name and address provided by you, at checkout. Please double check for any errors before payment.
We are not responsible for refunds/replacement of orders sent to incorrect, incomplete, undeliverable, or old addresses.
(All return-to-sender mail is not sent back to us in Canada, but disposed of by our shipping partner in Niagara Falls NY.)
USPS says a package must be addressed to a legal resident of a household. They will not deliver if the name does not match their records. If your package is scanned by USPS as 'undeliverable as addressed', we cannot refund or replace.
If you are staying with family or friends, it must be addressed as follows:
YOUR NAME c/o
Occasionally packages get lost in transit, while still in the care of the postal service.
If the tracking scans have not been updated after 14 days, please contact me via Etsy msgs.
If the tracking number indicates the package was 'Delivered' we are not able offer replacement or refunds.
If you are unable to locate your package and it says delivered:
- Check with other members of your house to see if they picked up the mail and forgot to tell you.
- Ask the neighbours on each side of your home
- Check between flyers and junk mail (our packages are small and easy to miss!)
- Check between doors/front porch/garage or other accessible areas.
-Contact your local Postmaster
We are a registered Ontario business. GST/HST is included in the total price you pay at checkout (item cost + shipping fee). Other provincial tax may be applied depending on your location.
We do not provide tax receipts. If you would like to calculate your tax paid, please use this tool: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/charge-collect-which-rate/calculator.html
Mar 25, 2023
May 11, 2022
Apr 14, 2022
Apr 12, 2022
Obsessed with these, so excited to wear them! The level of detail is so good.
Nov 24, 2021
Arrived quickly in nice packaging. Usually clip ons are super painful and I can't wear them for more than a couple hours but I wore these for a full work-day with no problem!


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Dad thought she was with mum. Mum thought she was with dad. But 8-year-old Nancy wasn't with either of them.
Instead, she was left behind at a pub in Buckinghamshire, England. It was about 15 minutes before the mistake was realized and the little girl was reunited with her parents.
Oh, yeah, about her parents: They are British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha.
According to the BBC, Cameron's aides say this all happened "a couple of months ago" after a Sunday lunch. No one on Cameron's security detail is expected to be punished. The incident is just now coming to light. Little Nancy was helping the pub's staff when her dad returned to fetch her, the BBC reports. (See Update Below: It now appears it was Samantha Cameron who went back to the pub.)
This blogger once got off a glass-enclosed elevator in a mall and watched with mounting anxiety as his 2-year-old daughter went up another level, all alone, without him. After I ran up a nearby escalator, we were together again.
Any similar stories out there?
Update at 2:50 p.m. ET. It Was Mum, Not Dad, Who Went To Get Nancy.
"Downing Street, which refused to comment on whether Cameron had had any alcohol during the trip to the Plough Inn in Cadsden, initially claimed that the prime minister dashed to the pub to pick up Nancy, who had been left in the pub toilets. No 10 later confirmed that it was Mrs Cameron who had collected her."
The Guardian ads that the story has stirred "scorn and sympathy" for the prime minister.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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From | To | Special price | Comment |
2023-03-04 | 2023-04-22 | 1.640,00 EUR | Set your dates and we will give you our very competitive price. |
The new Oceanis 46.1 is a superb sailing yacht, a progression of the successful Oceanis 45 which awarded the title of "European Yacht of the Year" in the Family Cruiser category, in 2012.
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Unbelievable interior space and large cabins with en suite comfortable bathrooms. The impressive additional space in favor of comfort and habitability can be seen in all aspects of the interior fittings.
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Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Military hearings are underway in the tragic drowning of eight marines and a sailor two years ago. They died off the coast of California in a training exercise gone wrong. Their parents are still looking for answers and justice. Steve Walsh with member station KPBS has been following their story.
LUPITA GARCIA: Very loving boy - loved his dad, his sisters, me.
STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: It's been over 18 months since Lupita Garcia's son was killed in a training accident. Twenty-one-year-old Lance Corporal Marco Barranco drowned along with eight other troops when his vehicle sank off the coast of Southern California in July 2020.
GARCIA: I always thought the military was very organized. They knew what they were doing. And so I do feel guilty a bit because I didn't look more into it. Maybe if I would have known that there was all these flaws, maybe, all these accidents, I would have talked to my son about it.
WALSH: Garcia wanted to meet me at a park in Montebello, just east of LA. When he was still in high school, Marco worked out in this park with a group of Marines to prepare him to enlist. His name has since been added to a local veterans' memorial at the other end of the park.
GARCIA: I believe in God. I have faith. And sometimes I just say, this is what God wanted. But then I don't accept that it was in training. That's what really, really gets me so angry. Why in training?
WALSH: Garcia is among a group of parents who have sat in the audience during a series of hearings at Camp Pendleton, hearings to determine whether some of the leaders involved that day will be kicked out of the corps.
GARCIA: It's just - doesn't end to hear all that, but, yeah, I just didn't feel anything like, oh, OK, I feel better now - absolutely not.
WALSH: July 30, 2020, eight Marines and one sailor drowned returning to the USS Somerset from San Clemente Island in an amphibious assault vehicle. The armored personnel carriers become boats in the water. Some of the aging vehicles broke down. Their unit was so far behind schedule that their shift moved away to another exercise. Their commander was on board one of the ships. Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Michael Regner testified that in the confusion, he didn't understand which AAV was sinking. Forty-five minutes later, the track with Garcia's son went under, with several troops still fighting to get out.
ALETA BATH: I don't feel like we're getting justice. All I hear in these boards - they're going in circles pointing fingers at each other.
WALSH: Aleta Bath is the mother of 19-year-old PFC Evan Bath of Wisconsin. She has been at nearly all of the hearings. At least three officers in charge that day have been allowed to stay in the corps. Each officer said they told their commanders about problems. None of them stopped the exercise.
BATH: They're supposed to be Marines, but no one's taken responsibility, and no one is being held to be responsible. So me sitting in that chair, if nothing else, they have to look at me.
WALSH: The Marines and Navy produce multiple reports pointing to serious lapses in training and equipment breakdowns. And this isn't the only accident. Sixty Marines have died in training in the last five years. Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts is on the House Armed Services Committee. Moulton is also a former Marine officer who rode on an AAV in combat.
SETH MOULTON: I was worried they might sink, and that seemed to be the prevailing sentiment.
WALSH: He says they didn't feel safe riding inside the vehicle while crossing a river leading into Baghdad during the initial invasion, so they rode on top.
MOULTON: This gets back to the culture. If I had that concern as a young second lieutenant 20 years ago, then, you know, why has the Marine Corps not satisfactorily addressed that since then?
WALSH: It took another 18 months after the accident for the Marines to finally pull the aging AAVs from sea duty. Moulton says the harder question is whether the Marines can create a culture where officers are empowered to halt an exercise when they see a problem. Nancy and Peter Vienna's son, Navy Hospital Corpsman Christopher Bobby Gnem, drowned that day. Survivors told them what they saw.
PETER VIENNA: We asked them, what was he doing at the end? And he said, for a while, he was the guy that was joking around, trying to make everybody stay calm. But what he was doing was trying to help other people take off their gear.
WALSH: Their son was one of the troops who was allowed in the exercise though he hadn't passed his required swim tests.
VIENNA: The boys were in the dark. A couple of them had snuck cellphones, which they weren't supposed to, but they were using their cellphones for light to try to see. And it wouldn't have mattered anyway because they never got egress training.
WALSH: Technically, they aren't even gold star families. Congress reserves that title for families of those killed in combat, not training.
GARCIA: I'd rather have my son die in combat because I would have been prepared for this. (Crying) I would accept it so much more because I knew this was his job. They would ask me, it's been almost two years. Why are you still mourning? I'm like, because I can't accept this. I don't get to have an open casket. I don't get justice.
WALSH: You never saw him again.
GARCIA: I didn't get to tell him I love you.
WALSH: For NPR News, I'm Steve Walsh.
(SOUNDBITE OF KENDRICK LAMAR SONG, "SING ABOUT ME, I'M DYING OF THIRST") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.