Best airport for connections to Dublin - Amsterdam or Paris?

M

moviestar

Registered User
Messages
16
We are planning a holiday to South Africa and will be returning from Johannesburg. Booking with KLM and can connect for Dublin at either Amsterdam or Paris for exactly the same price.

The CDG connection works out shorter (approx 1 hr 15 mins between connections) compared to AMS at just under 3 hours.

However I hear connecting at AMS is much easier (no changing buildings) and would be afraid of missing the Dublin connection in CDG, in which case our stopover would be much longer.

Any recommendations?
 
I've just come through both airports on connecting flights over Christmas and IMO Amsterdam was a lot easier.

In Amsterdam you can walk in a few mins to the transfer areas, In Paris (CDG I presume?) you need to get the train to another terminal. This took an hour, by the time we found out where we needed to be, got the train, then found where we needed to be there.

In Amsterdam they have a transfer area, whereas in Paris they don't. When we arrived in Paris on a connecting flight from Hong Kong we had to go out through arrivals and then recheck in, go through all the necessary security and passport checks. Which ended up being alot of hassle for me - I had bought duty free items in Sydney, had been told that as long as they were in a sealed bag there would be no problem bringing them through to Dublin - then to be told in Paris I couldn't, because Paris didn't have a transfer area (this was at the security check), so I had to go back out and check the items in again. Long story short, this took another 45mins of trying to figure out how to get back to the check-in area (you can't go down any escalators in the terminal we were in, so you had to go up 2 levels, then get a lift to go back down to the level I actually needed to be on!). Then when I finally got through to the gate, found that there was no cafe/bar open to get a cup of tea. This was at 8.30 in the morning, so you would expect that they would have these facilities open.

So, from experience, I won't be going through Paris again on connecting flights, Amsterdam all the way.
 
I can't comment on transfering in Amsterdam but I do go through Paris on a regular basis and there can be a lot of traveling between terminals and if you're running on a tight schedule this can become tedious.
My usual connection time is 1h 15 minutes as well and after my trip over the holidays this year I don't think it's enough. If the palne is even slightly delayed leaving dublin there is a chance of you missing the connection, I've had that happen.
Also, if you're stuck in CDG airport in Paris there is very little to do in some of the terminals.
If I was making the choice I'd go Amsterdam... although like I said I have no idea what that airport is like.
Have a good trip!
addob
 
I went via AMS to SA and it was fine. Massive airport all the same, the plane had to taxi for ages (and over a motorway!) but internal transfers in the airport itself was easy.

AL were late arriving of course so we had to run to get the KLM flight.

Coiuldn't ask for a better service with KLM on the flight.
 
Amsterdam Airport is exteremely easy to get around. During stop over their is a few restuarants upstairs, irish pub and not to many shops. the only difference in amsterdam is no matter where you going main search is done at gate in waiting room before boarding plane, while in dublin it is through centralised system,
 
Based purely on your connection times, I would go through Amsterdam. It's always worth having at least 2 hours between flights, to allow for delays. I have no experience of CDG, but Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is beautiful, and the staff are very helpful.
 
ATgirl said:
In Paris (CDG I presume?) you need to get the train to another terminal. This took an hour, by the time we found out where we needed to be, got the train, then found where we needed to be there.

In Amsterdam they have a transfer area, whereas in Paris they don't. When we arrived in Paris on a connecting flight from Hong Kong we had to go out through arrivals and then recheck in, go through all the necessary security and passport checks. Which ended up being alot of hassle for me - I had bought duty free items in Sydney, had been told that as long as they were in a sealed bag there would be no problem bringing them through to Dublin - then to be told in Paris I couldn't, because Paris didn't have a transfer area (this was at the security check), so I had to go back out and check the items in again. Long story short, this took another 45mins of trying to figure out how to get back to the check-in area (you can't go down any escalators in the terminal we were in, so you had to go up 2 levels, then get a lift to go back down to the level I actually needed to be on!). .
Click to expand...

This sounds bizarre to me. As an Air France frequent flyer I connect in CDG regularly and have never had to get a train anywhere. And I've never had to re-check in.

The only thing I can think of is that I fly AF only through CDG, perhaps you had an Aer Lingus connection? AL flies out of terminal 1, Air France is all within terminal 2.

On the duty free thing, it's clearly written in the EU regulations that you cannot bring liquids of over 100ml bought outside the EU on a connection in a European airport. These regulations are posted on all the airlines' sites.



OP - Amsterdam is a much easier connection, especially if you're changing airlines.
 
shesells said:
This sounds bizarre to me. As an Air France frequent flyer I connect in CDG regularly and have never had to get a train anywhere. And I've never had to re-check in.

The only thing I can think of is that I fly AF only through CDG, perhaps you had an Aer Lingus connection? AL flies out of terminal 1, Air France is all within terminal 2.

On the duty free thing, it's clearly written in the EU regulations that you cannot bring liquids of over 100ml bought outside the EU on a connection in a European airport. These regulations are posted on all the airlines' sites.



OP - Amsterdam is a much easier connection, especially if you're changing airlines.
Click to expand...


It was a Cathay Pacific flight connecting to an Aer Lingus one, so had to go from Terminal 2 (where, by following the signs we were brought out into arrivals) to Terminal 1, hence the train.

Re: the items I bought, I am aware of the regulations, however, I was told in Sydney that they could be brought through as I was on a through ticket to Dublin and so wouldn't have to go through the security checks again.

OP, think you've got your answer from the baove posts, Amsterdam is the way to go. Enjoy the trip.
 
Another vote for AMS here too ... definitely preferable to CDG for connections everything else being equal
 
Thanks for all the replies. As it turns out, returning with Air France was working out 100 euro cheaper each, so CDG it is! However the flight to Dublin is being operated by Cityjet. Does Cityjet fly from terminal 2?

Overall, very happy with the deal. Flying to Cape Town (via AMS) and returning from Johannesburg (via CDG) in the 2 weeks up to Easter for 600 euro per person (incl. taxes). KLM / AirFrance definitely have some good deals at the moment!
 
Cityjet fly from Terminal 2 as well, bad news is it's a bus transfer from a gate in 2F (I think).

75 mins is a tight connection at certain times of day in CDG. You do have to re-clear security within T2 and I've done it in anything from 3 to 90 minutes. Don't let that worry you overly, they are good at re-booking people on later flights if you miss a short connection.

As per my previous post, if you are connecting in a European airport, having arrived from a destination outside the EU - you may not bring liquids of over 100ml. So no duty free alcohol! You can buy on the aircraft as it's a European Airline, just be sure they seal it in an AF bag.

From the AF site


"
  • If your first flight arrives from a country outside the European Union and your second flight departs from a European airport (including Norway, Iceland and Switzerland):

    Purchases made in airport shops outside the European Union will be confiscated at the security check during your transfer.

- Onboard purchases:
If you made an onboard purchase in an aircraft belonging to a European airline departing from an airport located outside the European Union, it will be accepted when you transfer into a European Union country, provided it is placed in a sealed bag accompanied by the proof of onboard purchase."
 
If you're open minded on your route and you haven't already booked, Iberia via Madrid is worth a look. It's an overnight flight and a slightly more direct route from Dublin. The KLM flight flies all day, but gets into Jo'burg very late so you're a little hampered if you want to connect to Cape Town or Durban. Their prices are also competitive. Usually around €750 return Dublin to Jo'Burg Economy or €2,250 for Business/First. Having visited SA many times using different airlines, Iberia are my favourite.
 
To be honest I'd much rather pay that 100 euro extra, fly from Amsterdam and have peace of mind. If there were any delays you would miss the flight, you'd be rebooked but lose a day of your holiday.

I connect in AMS all the time. Its the easiet airport in Europe to do so. Great foresight in its planning. It was built from scratch as a connecting airport.

John Rambo said:
It's an overnight flight and a slightly more direct route from Dublin.
Click to expand...
Actually flying Paris or Madrid doesn't really matter, same distance either way, in fact flying from Paris is a smidgen shorter. Here are the miles:

DUB-MAD-JNB 5922
DUB-CDG-JNB 5910
DUB-AMS-JNB 6084
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top