There are a handful of overseas airports that are important to U.S. passengers. One of them is Paris Charles de Gaulle. Each year, legions of flyers make CDG their personal portal to the City of Light.
But the airport is also a major connection point for Air France. That status is all the more important these days because of the carrier’s SkyTeam alliance with Delta Air Lines. Together they’ve created a virtual sky bridge between the United States and France.
Now comes word of a major makeover at Charles de Gaulle. It will encompass Terminals 2A and 2C. Key to the project is a new structure connecting the two facilities. “The connecting building between Terminals 2A and 2C is a first step,” says Aéroports de Paris Chairman and CEO Pierre Graff. The idea is simple: Make the customer satisfied. Graff says the thrust of the makeover is to “ensure a more cohesive degree of quality across…terminals.”
This isn’t sexy stuff. But it’s important. Getting around any airport can be challenging. Rendering it easier cuts customer complaints and gets passengers to the gate on time.
The new structure connecting 2A and 2C will work like this:
- After check-in in either 2A or 2C passengers go to the ground level of the connecting building, to a dedicated control area fitted with 13 passport control windows and 16 security checkpoints. That should get folks to their gates faster.
- Next stop is a large new shopping area, which will encourage passengers to buy stuff before boarding.
- Then, on to the gate – or, if you rate, an airline lounge on the third floor.
The connecting structure won’t be a grey rabbit-warren sort of place. There will be lots of glass, and lots of light.
Plans are for the 2A/2C structure to connect 2A and 2C by the second quarter of 2012.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Arnold Riker)
