Help with indirect flight

[stephensmum]

We booked the Delta glitch flights, unfortunately, the outbound flight is quite a journey due to 2 stops. But as long as I get there, I'm happy. We fly MAN-CDG-DTR-ORL & have 1.30 hrs for each change over. We have changed at Atlanta before & know we have to clear immigration, although we had about 4 hrs then.
Any advise on the speediest way, would be welcome. Beth's already mentioned ask the crew for the landing & departing gate, which should be a great help.
I haven't a clue about Paris, do we go through customs? collect our luggage?

 

[wayneg]

Can't help with CDG only come home via that airport, never flown out that way.
Did you book 2 stops originally? if they changed you to 2 then ring them, always found them very helpful with flight changes.

 

[stephensmum]

Can't help with CDG only come home via that airport, never flown out that way.
Did you book 2 stops originally? if they changed you to 2 then ring them, always found them very helpful with flight changes.

Yes, we did book them as it was the only way we could go on them dates. Ideally we like to go late Aug but the flights weren't up at the time of booking. If we had waited we would have lost the deal as the £499 flights were removed 2 days later. On the way back we originally had 1 stop at JFK with a 5 hr wait but managed to change that to Atlanta with 21/2hrs when they removed the flight. We made the decision at the time that we would accept that it would be a long, trying travel day but at least we were going. Just hoping that we make the connections & that there's no flight delays (don't want to be still travelling the next day).

 

[disneyholic family]

i've flown via amsterdam/detroit/orlando, which is basically the same thing as you're doing (also on klm/delta)..

so to answer your questions....

you will arrive at manchester airport where you will check your luggage through to Orlando.
Make sure your tags say Orlando as their ultimate destination.
they will say other stuff along the way, but make sure it says MCO as the final destination on the luggage tag.
I'm such a pest, i actually make them show me the luggage tags and show me that it has my final destination on it.

ok. So now you fly to degaulle (sucky airport if there ever was one).
When you get to degaulle you just change planes. You do NOT pick up your luggage and you do NOT clear customs.
You move on to your next plane.

And now you fly to detroit.
In detroit you will have to clear immigration.
Then pick up your luggage.
Then clear customs.
Then give your luggage back at the connecting desk.
Then move on to your departing gate.

Then you fly to orlando and this flight will be a domestic flight.
you've already cleared immigration and customs in detroit so you will arrive in orlando like every other domestic passenger.
You will go to the baggage carousel, pick up your luggage and that's it, you're done.

 

[stephensmum]

Thanks Beth. Some great guidance, feel the more I know, the easier the journey will be. Will definitely keep checking that luggage is going to Orlando.

 

[irenep]

When we last went in April we changed in CDG and although Beth's right about customs/baggage we did have to go through another bag scan security but it was relatively quick, if a bit chaotic. Just watch out if you have purchased any duty free on the way there as it may be confiscated if its a liquid.

 

[disneyholic family]

When we last went in April we changed in CDG and although Beth's right about customs/baggage we did have to go through another bag scan security but it was relatively quick, if a bit chaotic. Just watch out if you have purchased any duty free on the way there as it may be confiscated if its a liquid.

i assume you mean a carry on bag check...
the OP was asking about luggage checks...

the fact that you have to go through security again happens in many airports when you change planes.....this is also true in schiphol airport (amsterdam), but the OP wanted to know if they'll have to collect luggage, which they won't have to do until detroit.

by the way, as sucky as degaulle is, detroit is the opposite....a very easy airport to navigate...
if memory serves, when you come out of customs in detroit, you'll be at the high end of the terminal (the higher gate numbers)..
depending where your departing gate is, you can either take the moving sidewalks, or the overhead peoplemover....
there is an internal train vehicle.....it's a bit hard to notice....
but it's inside the terminal....over your head....you take an escalator to get up to it...
it has 3 stops: either end of the terminal and in the middle...

but i rarely use the overhead train....i usually just walk and hop onto the various moving sidewalks...
the terminal is one long long long terminal.....well...not entirely true...
there are two or three smaller parallel terminals that you go underground to get to ...
but that's only if you end up going out of one of them...you get to them from the middle of the main terminal..

but i'm making detroit sound much harder than it is....it's a very simple, clean, open, nice airport - surprising considering how truly awful the city of detroit is (if someone has a spare nuke, they should aim it there, and let the city start from scratch - the saddest city in the world....and what a waste of a beautiful waterfront...anyway....former detroiter and my rants)..

but the airport is very nice....and very easy....and detroiters are very nice and very easy and very helpful....just ask anyone in the airport and you'll get an answer!!! (although detroit accents are horrifying!!!! ask Wayne, he's heard me talk....really a horrible horrible accent!!!)

 

[torsie24]

i assume you mean a carry on bag check...
the OP was asking about luggage checks...

the fact that you have to go through security again happens in many airports when you change planes.....this is also true in schiphol airport (amsterdam), but the OP wanted to know if they'll have to collect luggage, which they won't have to do until detroit.

by the way, as sucky as degaulle is, detroit is the opposite....a very easy airport to navigate...
if memory serves, when you come out of customs in detroit, you'll be at the high end of the terminal (the higher gate numbers)..
depending where your departing gate is, you can either take the moving sidewalks, or the overhead peoplemover....
there is an internal train vehicle.....it's a bit hard to notice....
but it's inside the terminal....over your head....you take an escalator to get up to it...
it has 3 stops: either end of the terminal and in the middle...

but i rarely use the overhead train....i usually just walk and hop onto the various moving sidewalks...
the terminal is one long long long terminal.....well...not entirely true...
there are two or three smaller parallel terminals that you go underground to get to ...
but that's only if you end up going out of one of them...you get to them from the middle of the main terminal..

but i'm making detroit sound much harder than it is....it's a very simple, clean, open, nice airport - surprising considering how truly awful the city of detroit is (if someone has a spare nuke, they should aim it there, and let the city start from scratch - the saddest city in the world....and what a waste of a beautiful waterfront...anyway....former detroiter and my rants)..

but the airport is very nice....and very easy....and detroiters are very nice and very easy and very helpful....just ask anyone in the airport and you'll get an answer!!! (although detroit accents are horrifying!!!! ask Wayne, he's heard me talk....really a horrible horrible accent!!!)

We changed in detroit in 2009.

One of the nciest airports i've been in, and SO easy to change. Everything was so quick, and well directed and everyone was friendly and lovely.

We preffered that journey to our direct one.

We were off our first plane and through customs and bag pick-up drop-off in under 15 minutes.

Next trip we'll actively look for an indirect through DTW.

 

[disneyholic family]

We changed in detroit in 2009.

One of the nciest airports i've been in, and SO easy to change. Everything was so quick, and well directed and everyone was friendly and lovely.

We preffered that journey to our direct one.

We were off our first plane and through customs and bag pick-up drop-off in under 15 minutes.

Next trip we'll actively look for an indirect through DTW.

another thing in favor of crossing customs in detroit: they get relatively few international flights, so your odds are good that you'll be the only plane coming in when you come in....or only one of two planes, so the lines are much shorter...

 

[torsie24]

another thing in favor of crossing customs in detroit: they get relatively few international flights, so your odds are good that you'll be the only plane coming in when you come in....or only one of two planes, so the lines are much shorter...

And we were some of the only brits on our flight. Walked right up to a cutoms desk, no wait at all.

 

[stephensmum]

Oh thanks guys, I really thought we'd be lucky to connect to our detroit flight in time, but looks as if we'll be fine. Of course we'll still be fine if we don't as there's one 2 hours later, just hoping to keep the travel time down a little. We are going around the house's in getting there as we live in Newcastle, so would have ideally gone Newcastle-Amsterdam-Detroit-Orlando, but this was all we could get at the time for the price. On the way back we go Orlando-Atlanta-Manchester, so much less travel time. I'm from Leeds, so we stop at my parents for tea, then my dad will drive us to the airport hotel and on the way back he'll pick us up & we'll stay overnight, during which time my mum does our washing. Norman can have a drink on the way back then as well.