Hello

This week I will be flying into CDG via Northwest Airlines arriving at 11:05am. I am trying to surprise a friend who will be arriving into CDG via Icelandair around 1:50pm.

Is anybody aware whether this is possible? Are you dumped into a customs hall upon arrival from either carrier, or are you free to roam the respective terminals upon arrival and enter customs only when departing the airport? Can I get to the FI gate after arriving on NW?

Appreciate the assistance.

 

Aren't Iceland in EEA? If so, I wouldn't imagine the Icelandair flyer having to clear customs.

 

An arrival on NW would be from outside both the EU customs border and the Schengenland immigration border.

However, an arrival from Iceland would be from outside the EU customs border but inside the Schengenland border. So such a pax should not have to clear passport control, but should be subject to customs control.

From the ADP map of T1 (which seems up to date, as it shows a large part of the building being worked on), it looks like you could clear immigration on arrival but then go out to whichever Schengenland satellite is being used by FI.

Nevertheless, this could be frustrating, as security at T1 has been moved to the gate areas, so you may not be given access to the waiting areas at the gate without a boarding pass. In addition, IIRC arriving pax do not go directly into the security-cleared waiting areas at the gate. So you might be left standing around near the top of the travelators, which could be frustrating.

Maybe baggage claim would be easier?

 

Thanks for the thoughts! If this was not a surprise, then baggage claim would be the best spot. However, I am hoping to find a spot where we can at least make eye contact to say "Hey! We are Here!" and then meet elsewhere. The good thing is that I have a little time to scout while there if we are ontime.

 

Wherever you arrive at CDG you can go into whichever terminal without having to pass customs. You are going through different security checks but no boading pass required. As soon as you get into the transit area, check the flight number of your friends on the arrival display and go there. You'll even be able to go and have a drink. Make sure that afterwards you get back to your own terminal BEFORE going through customs. The only problem: your luggage is going to be left unattended for quite a time on the luggage belt and this is a great risk in Paris. The best for you would be to decide on a meeting point and wait for them there.
Good luck

 

Just a note on the layout of CDG T1 (as this will be the terminal you'll both be arriving into...)

The terminal is laid out in a doughnut shape, with 7 'satellites' around it in an almost-circle. It's a wonderful design: just a shame it's been mucked about with, and left to deteriorate to badly... But anyway... The satellites are linked to the doughnut using long travelators that take you under the tarmac and over the access road, all in a retro-futuristic artex style.

Out of the 7 satellites, 1 (and a bit) is currently under construction, 2 are Schengen, and the remaining 3 (and the bit left over) are non-Schengen. Iceland is Schengen, the US is not.

Security is now in the satellite itself. Passport control is between the non-Schengen satellites and the 'inner ring' of the doughnut, from which you get to the travelator up to arrivals, and between the non-Schengen and Schengen 'transit' area.

On arrival into a satellite, you get funnelled out past the waiting area to the non-sterile part of the satellite. There are multiple exit doors (very temporary looking 'fire escape' style doors) depending on the gate you arrive at.

So, your options are:

1. The satellite. Go through passport control to the Schengen side. This may or may not require a boarding pass. This may or may not be open. If it's not open, or if it requires a boarding pass, just go through normal passport control, then, before the travelator up to arrivals, walk round until you get to the Schengen departures area. Here, you have the choice of waiting at the end of the travelator either at the satellite side, or the doughnut side. Don't attempt to go through security. Even if they don't ask for a boarding pass, it's pointless: the arrivals don't go through that way. This option is not recommended if you have checked luggage, of course.

2. The baggage claim area. This has the advantage that you know which belt the other person will be using, and, if you have checked luggage of your own, allows you to claim it safely. However... If your friend doesn't have checked luggage, it gets complicated. There are 3 travelators from the transit area (2 currently working, I think), and possibly two arrivals exit doors they could use. Sometimes one is closed, sometimes one isn't. Which brings us to...

3. Outside the arrivals door. The problem here is, as mentioned in 2, there can be multiple arrivals doors open. The arrivals board tells you which one passengers off a given flight should be using, but this is simply the one nearest that flight's luggage belt. If both doors are open, and the travelator is on the other side to the belt... Aaaaaaagh.

Good luck!

 

Thank you everyone for the replies! Good thing I have an adventurous spirit.