Air France has recently launched what seems like a smart initiative for its Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) hub, helping those with short connections make their next flight…
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Air France’s new “Short Connection Pass” concept
Air France-KLM and Groupe ADP have partnered to make connections at Charles de Gaulle Airport easier, as part of a larger initiative called “Connect France.” Air France transports around 140,000 passengers per day, and roughly half of those passengers are connecting at the airport.
Airlines try to make connections as efficient as possible — they have a fairly short minimum connection time, though of course the issue becomes that any sort of a delay can cause travelers to miss their connection.
With the goal of minimizing operational issues, a new program named “Short Connection Pass” allows those with short connections to use the priority security and immigration lines, to maximize their odds of making their connecting flight.
When a connection falls below a certain threshold, a priority process is automatically triggered for those passengers, with no action required on their part:
- No later than when the passenger arrives at Paris Charles de Gaulle on their inbound flight, they’ll receive a text message and email informing them that they are eligible for priority access at security and border control
- When passengers arrive at the security and border control checkpoints, their boarding passes are scanned, and priority access will be offered to them
The system relies on real time information that factors in estimated walking time, time needed to complete security screening and border formalities, and the updated departure time of the next flight. For example, if connecting in Paris while flying between Toulouse and New York with a change from Terminal 2F to Terminal 2E Hall K, a minimum connection time of 45 minutes could trigger this service.
This seems like a smart initiative, with one catch
Ultimately it’s in everyone’s best interest for passengers to make their connecting flights as much as possible. Passengers want to get to their destination, and airlines also don’t want to pay unnecessary compensation to passengers for delays, if it can be avoided.
Airlines always push their luck a bit with scheduling. They create very short minimum connection times to make overall journeys seem short, and to maximize banked hubs, but often even a small delay can trigger a misconnect.
So this actually seems like a smart initiative. If there’s a 30-minute line at security and skipping that line would allow someone to make their connection (due to a delay outside of their control), then that seems like an overall positive.
The only thing I’d note is that I hope that this doesn’t impact the experience for premium passengers who have access to priority services. It sounds to me like passengers are being sent to the “Access No. 1” fast track lanes, which are otherwise open to select premium passengers and elite members. It would be a shame if that experience is materially devalued, especially on a day with irregular operations.
Bottom line
Air France has introduced a new “Short Connection Pass” for its Paris Charles de Gaulle hub. With this program, those with short connections are automatically routed to priority security and immigration lines, with hopes of that helping people make their connections.
This seems like a logical initiative, and in some ways, I’m surprised we don’t see this at more airports. I’m curious to see this in action, the next time I pass through the airport…
What do you make of Air France’s new initiative at CDG?
I find it 'nice' that AF thought about it and wanted to do something about it but I strongly believe in reality, this means nothing. Last week I was on a flight from Lyon to Jakarta (AF LYS-CDG, AF CDG-SIN, and GA SIN-CGK) with 1 hour and 25 minutes transit time at CDG. Lo and behold, my flight from Lyon to CDG was delayed by an hour. There were 3 other pax that also connected...
I find it 'nice' that AF thought about it and wanted to do something about it but I strongly believe in reality, this means nothing. Last week I was on a flight from Lyon to Jakarta (AF LYS-CDG, AF CDG-SIN, and GA SIN-CGK) with 1 hour and 25 minutes transit time at CDG. Lo and behold, my flight from Lyon to CDG was delayed by an hour. There were 3 other pax that also connected with me at CDG to fly to Singapore. So AF decided to delay CDG-SIN by 20 minutes giving us 4 pax about 45 minutes to run like there is no tomorrow from Terminal 2F gate F30 to Terminal 2E gate L49. We literally ran so fast and luckily immigration was empty so we made it to the gate as the last passengers in about 20 minutes. The staff at the gate even had the time to tell us to relax and take a deep breath because they were 'waiting' for us. I thought it was smooth sailing until I arrived in Singapore. I went to GA counter to get my connecting boarding pass and the staff told me that my suitcase was still in Paris because there was not enough time. I was without my suitcase for 2 nights because AF decided to send my suitcase from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City where Vietnam Airlines' flight was supposed to bring it to Jakarta but then this VN flight got delayed too. Long story short, what's the point of doing this short connection program if AF only ensures that the pax catch the connecting flight but the luggage doesn't?
Sounds like a good initiative but ... don't expect any checked bags to make it on to the connecting flight. Even when they have a normal (or even fairly long) connecting time luggage transfers at CDG are notoriously bad.
i have the exact same opinion as yours and it was proven by my experience last week. i made it to catch the connecting flight but my luggage was left behind at CDG
I think they've been improving over the past few years. I can't even remember the last time my bag(s) had to face a delay in the hands of any Skyteam airline- and, while I am primarily a Star Alliance flyer, I do invariably take a few ST trips every year.
Agreed. I had a suddenly very tight one in February of AF and was pleasantly surprised that the bags made it all the way home. I was / am Sky Priority.
Last time I connected at CDG, my NYC-CDG flight was delayed, there were about 1/2 dozen people on the flight connecting to Bordeaux.AF representative met us at the gate, called the Bordeaux gate and said we were on our way. She rushed us through immigration and security. When we arrived at the gate they had just closed the door. The AF rep who escorted us argued our case, but they refused to open the door...
Last time I connected at CDG, my NYC-CDG flight was delayed, there were about 1/2 dozen people on the flight connecting to Bordeaux.AF representative met us at the gate, called the Bordeaux gate and said we were on our way. She rushed us through immigration and security. When we arrived at the gate they had just closed the door. The AF rep who escorted us argued our case, but they refused to open the door (even thought the plane was still parked). Eventually she gave up and told us to go to the rebooking desk, those agents clearly didn't want to make any effort and put a few on the next flight and most of us on a flight in the early evening, 10 hours later. After much back an forth, we ended up going to Orly. They gave us a bus ticket for the connection, but the next bus was delayed, if we hadn't taken an uber on our own we would have missed the flight. I've avoided connecting in CDG ever since.
So they will send a text and an email while the passenger is still in flight? Then there's very little time to turn on and check the phone after the plane lands, but before the door opens. And it's assuming everyone has a cell phone with roaming in France, which is a big assumption for connecting passengers. A notification a few hours before departure would be a much better idea.
You rarely know about the delay "few hours before departure". This is essentially a copy of the system used at AMS by KLM, and it works quite well there.
Have you landed at CDG? There's a lot of time between wheels down and arriving at the gate. Plus, anyone who knows how to travel internationally has roaming access to every country they visit including airports.
I've tried to connect from 2F to 2E (L gates) before (45 mins layover). Thank goodness that I was on a biz class ticket, which includes the Priority Security line. Otherwise, I would not have made it to the gate in time (and I was literally running).
The terminals in CDG are too darn big for walkers!
Choosing a flight with just a 45 minute layover is very foolish. Don’t know what the airline even allowed it.
This would have been very beneficial for me last year. Had a ~70 minute connection ZRH-CDG-SEA with my wife and two young kids (2.5y, 5m). Inbound from ZRH was maybe 5 minutes late. But then we got a remote stand, on the far side of the terminal, buses were late, tarmac traffic, then huge line at passport control. Ended up missing our connection badly. Even though AF knew we were there, no attempt was made...
This would have been very beneficial for me last year. Had a ~70 minute connection ZRH-CDG-SEA with my wife and two young kids (2.5y, 5m). Inbound from ZRH was maybe 5 minutes late. But then we got a remote stand, on the far side of the terminal, buses were late, tarmac traffic, then huge line at passport control. Ended up missing our connection badly. Even though AF knew we were there, no attempt was made to hold the flight. (And no one as passport control wanted to help). Ended up with a 5 hour layover and went to JFK, then D1 to SFO. An insane travel day for everyone, but esp with the kids.
Isn't No1 separate from the SkyPriority line? I usually don't clear security/immigration at CDG so I may be wrong but when I did recently, I was under the impression that these are two distinct options.
No1 is the airport branding for security and passport control, Skypriority is the Skyteam branding and also includes things like check in desks and priority boarding. They're technically different things but there's a large amount of overlap.
I understand the difference between the brands but when it comes specifically to security, are they separate/distinct queues or just one queue for both?
I'm pretty sure it's one for both when they coincide, but there must also be some No1 queues which, by virtue of their location, aren't relevant to any Skyteam passengers.
Do business class passengers get access to the premium no1 lanes?
Of course they do, at least as long as their airline's made the relevant arrangements. Don't be surprised if you are told to go away if you turn up with a business class from Avianca or Icelandair.
That should've read ' ...if you turn up with a business class boarding pass from...'.
Strange got turned away with AF business class last time, told that all US citizens must use US egates but many were broken. Will try again.
If you were travelling to the USA itself, that might be something that has requested by the authorities of that country for their own passport holders travelling home.
It's not unusual for the Americans to ask for additional restrictions, checks, whatever. I will never forget getting interrogated at the DL check in area in Barajas for the extremely suspicious act of speaking Spanish (in Spain!) while travelling on a passport issued by a non-hispanophone...
If you were travelling to the USA itself, that might be something that has requested by the authorities of that country for their own passport holders travelling home.
It's not unusual for the Americans to ask for additional restrictions, checks, whatever. I will never forget getting interrogated at the DL check in area in Barajas for the extremely suspicious act of speaking Spanish (in Spain!) while travelling on a passport issued by a non-hispanophone (hispanophonic?) country. I've been to Russia, China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and a bunch of other 'interesting' destinations, but I have never experienced anything like that at passport control, let alone when checking in on a different continent.
Maybe the interrogation did not happen because of you speaking Spanish but because of your travel history. Could have been triggered by Venezuela, Russia or even Saudi.
I don't think I had even been to any of those places yet!
Nothing about the AFKL data breach?