Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport Departures (CDG)

Paris Charles de Gaulle is a large airport found just outside of Paris, approximately 25 km, or 16 miles to the northeast of the busy city centre, and is the largest airport serving France. It is also ranked as the seventh busiest airport in the world, in terms of passenger traffic, as it handles over 58 million travellers per annum, and the second largest airport in Europe, just behind London Heathrow. A name for the airport besides Charles de Gaulle is the Roissy Airport, due to its location alongside Roissy-en-France, and it has the official airport code of CDG. Charles de Gaulle departures are handled from three terminal buildings, and each has a wide range of facilities for departing passengers. Passengers can also reach the airport by a couple of public transport options.

The airport is located on a large area of land, covering approximately 32 square kilometres, three departments and six communes. The departments covered include Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-d’Oise, and the communes are Le Mesnil-Amelot, Mauregard, Mitry-Mory, Tremblay-en-France, Roissy-en-France and Épiais-lès-Louvres. Motorists travelling in their own vehicles can easily reach the airport, as the major A1 motorway provides direct access from Paris, and from further northern areas, while the N2 also runs along the southern and eastern sides of the airport grounds. Extensive parking facilities are available for passengers on departure flights from Charles de Gaulle, and are located at each terminal building for short-term stays. There are also two long-stay parking lots located at a further distance for all the terminals.

Departing passengers can travel to the airport by train, bus or taxi. There are three RER train stations at the airport, as well as a TGV railway station, for trains arriving from other cities in France. From several Paris stations, the RER B train service runs to the airport at frequent intervals. Bus services available include the Roissybus, from the Opéra station in Paris, the Bus 350 from Gare de l’Est, the Bus 351 from Paris Nation and Les Cars Air France, a bus service provided by the airline company of Air France, which travels from the centre of Paris, from Étoile and Porte Maillot, from Paris Orly Airport and from Gare de Lyon and Gare Montparnasse. There is also a night bus which operates to CDGt, known as the Noctilien Night Bus, and the Val d’Europe Airports Shuttle providing transport to and from the Paris Disneyland hotels and resorts. Taxis are available from all areas of the city.

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is a hub for the airline companies of Air France, Delta Air Lines and Easyjet, and from these companies alone; passengers have a wide choice of destinations. However, there are many more that serve the airport, and offer regular departure flights. The most popular destinations from Charles de Gaulle as recorded for April 2011 were Algiers, at the Houari Bourne dienne Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, London Heathrow Airport, Dublin Airport, Montreal, at the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport and Casablanca, at the Mohammed V International Airport. The airline companies with flights to these destinations and others include Air France, American Airlines, KLM, Alitalia, Air Algérie, Delta Air Lines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Easyjet, Air Transat, Aigle Azur, Royal Air Maroc and Aer Lingus. International departures to the destinations of Hong Kong, Mexico City, Toronto, Beijing, Houston, Los Angeles, Cairo, Singapore, Cape Town and Johannesburg are available as well by various airline companies.

Passengers on departure flights will board their aircraft at one of three terminals. Terminal 1 is the main and oldest of the buildings, and has a unique image of an ‘octopus’, with a circular central building of numerous floors and seven satellite buildings for arrivals and departures. From the main building, passengers will check-in on the third floor, and then proceed to pass security control on the fourth floor. From here, access is also provided to the satellite extensions. Moving walkways to all further locations within the airport assists passengers. Many shops and restaurants are found on the second floor, while baggage reclaim facilities are located on the fifth floor. Terminal 2 is the main area for flights by Air France, and consists of many sub-terminals, referred to as 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F and 2G, which is a separate building. The terminals are all joined by ground-level or below ground-level passageways, and Terminal 2 is also the location of the TGV railway station. Terminal 3 is not as extensive as the other terminals, but just a single hall, from where all departures and arrivals by low-cost and charter airline carriers are handled. Although the terminals are located at some distance apart, passengers can easily make transfers by using the free CDGVAL light rail system, which also links the terminals to the remote car parking areas.

Passengers on departure flights from Charles de Gaulle Airport should ensure that they have all the correct travel documents on hand, otherwise they could be refused boarding or entry at the desired destination. French citizens will only need valid identity papers for travelling to other European Union cities and Switzerland, and for tourist travel to Senegal, Tunisia and Turkey. A passport will be required for all other destinations. It may also be required that a Visa be presented along with a valid passport, and to certain tropical areas, passengers may need vaccinations for diseases such as Yellow fever, Hepatitis B and A, TB, Meningitis and Rabies. Checking-in at Charles de Gaulle can be done at the self-service terminals or at a check-in desk.

Departing passengers will find all essential facilities, including lovely play areas for young children, free playstation games for older children, coin-operated games and baby changing areas with pretty designs. At terminal 2E, parents can loan a pushchair. All areas of the airport are accessible to disabled passengers, and various customer assistance points are available. In each terminal, there is at least one reception area with a reserved waiting room for passengers with reduced mobility in need of help. Facilities also include HSBC banks, Travelex Exchanges, health centres and pharmacies, lost property offices, luggage services such as Fly Safe Bags, post offices and multi-faith prayer rooms. A concierge service can be arranged, and other special services include spa treatments, free Aéroports de Paris magazines and video lounges. The Roissypole area of the airport nearby Terminal 3 also houses many shops, restaurants and hotels for passengers who need to stay the night.

Further information regarding Charles de Gaulle departures is available from the airport service desks, or from various websites online.