June 24, 2012
International travel slams you into different cultures weather you want to or not. It is not so much the flight. They are pretty much the same regardless of the airline. It is when you step into the terminal that is when you notice the different.
Now Charles D'Gaulle airport in Paris is suppose to be a modern airport. It is huge with several different terminals dispersed around a large oval. The terminals are interconnected by buses which run every eight minutes. So far, it seems fine, except when several late flights arrive at the same time filled with passengers trying to transfer to another terminal. Here the system breaks down. Chaos ensues.
Getting on a bus is the easy part, for the "Security" awaits you on your next leg.
Since we were among those late for our next flight, we persuaded the "Guard of the Serpentine" to let us into the "faster" Business Class line. The flood gates opened and in flowed like passengers. Our line began to move backwards as people whose flights were already scheduled to have left, wheelchairs, women with children, and crew members were placed in front of us. In true French fashion, common sense took over. We streamed through the metal detectors as security personnel relaxed at being overwhelmed. In true French fashion, they let life continue.
I often wondered if passengers had the choice of flights where they had to go through security and those without, which would be more popular? As for me, I'd take my chances.
International travel slams you into different cultures weather you want to or not. It is not so much the flight. They are pretty much the same regardless of the airline. It is when you step into the terminal that is when you notice the different.
Now Charles D'Gaulle airport in Paris is suppose to be a modern airport. It is huge with several different terminals dispersed around a large oval. The terminals are interconnected by buses which run every eight minutes. So far, it seems fine, except when several late flights arrive at the same time filled with passengers trying to transfer to another terminal. Here the system breaks down. Chaos ensues.
Getting on a bus is the easy part, for the "Security" awaits you on your next leg.
Since we were among those late for our next flight, we persuaded the "Guard of the Serpentine" to let us into the "faster" Business Class line. The flood gates opened and in flowed like passengers. Our line began to move backwards as people whose flights were already scheduled to have left, wheelchairs, women with children, and crew members were placed in front of us. In true French fashion, common sense took over. We streamed through the metal detectors as security personnel relaxed at being overwhelmed. In true French fashion, they let life continue.
I often wondered if passengers had the choice of flights where they had to go through security and those without, which would be more popular? As for me, I'd take my chances.
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