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| Frequently Asked Questions... | ||||
Company OverviewQ. How long has Airport Connection been around? The company was founded on 15 September 1998, and has been under the current ownership since 31 January 2001. Q. Is your company licensed? Our French Ministry of Transportation License number is 2001110007028. The business category is "602G - Autres transports routiers de voyageurs" (passenger transport). Airport Connection is registered (Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés) under the enterprise code "RCS Creteil B 434 381 869" (visit Societe.com for an explanation of this alphanumeric sequence). Our SIRET — or business license — number is 43438186900024, which is assigned by INSEE (L'Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques). Q. Does your company have insurance? Airport Connection has €6 million of liability coverage, underwritten by MMA (Mutuelle du Mans Assurances). Their headquarters are located at: 10, boulevard Alexandre Oyon, 72030 Le Mans CEDEX 9 (tel. +33 2-43-41-72-72). Q. Where are you located? Our offices and vehicle garage are in Vincennes, situated just a few blocks from the boulevard Periphérique (Route E15), the expressway which surrounds Paris. This ideal location permits our vehicles to quickly access all the major arteries of the city, as well as the airports. Hours of OperationQ. What are your Paris dispatch office's hours? Our Paris dispatch office and phone lines are open 7 days a week, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (07h00 - 23h00). There is an answering machine to record your call during other times. Q. What hours do you operate the shuttle service? Our shuttle service generally operates between 4 a.m. and 12 midnight (04h00 - 00h00). If you require service outside these hours, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate you. Q. Is your service available during holidays? Airport Connection shuttles run 7 days a week, 365 days a year (366 in leap years), including during the infamous French transportation strikes! Vehicle InformationQ. Are your shuttles non-smoking? Air conditioned? All of our daily fleet's vehicles (sedan, minivan, minibus, and coach models) are air-conditioned and non-smoking. Q. What are the safety features of your vehicles? The vehicles in our fleet are recent models, very well maintained, and meet or exceed all the safety requirements of the French Ministry of Transportation. Our vehicles come equipped with individual seat belts for every passenger. Child seats for ages 0-3 are available on request (see Traveling With Children). Q. What kind of vehicles do you have? In our daily fleet, we offer private Mercedes E-Class sedans for 1-3 passengers; shared or private Volkswagen Transporter and Ford Transit minivans for 1-8 passengers; private Mercedes Sprinter minibuses for 9-15 passengers; and private Setra (a division of EvoBus, owned by DaimlerChrysler) coaches for 16-49 passengers. Airport Connection reserves the right to substitute a different model of vehicle — equal or superior in comfort — when necessary. Q. We are planning a wedding party (or other special occasion). Can you provide any luxury vehicles? Yes, we would be pleased to provide quotes on luxury vehicles and limousines for your special occasion (see examples), and can serve any location in Paris or within a 150-km radius. Available models include Bentley, Hummer, Jaguar, Lincoln, Mercedes S-Class, Rolls-Royce, and others. Please contact us to make arrangements. Note: Certain vintage models, such as the 1957 Bentley, may not offer air conditioning. Rates and ServicesQ. What is included in the shuttle rates? For both Shared and Private Shuttles, our rates include the following:
In addition, our Private Shuttles include the following:
Q. What is not included in the shuttle rates? In all vehicles, our rates do not include the following:
Q. Should I tip the driver? How much? It is up to you whether you want to tip the driver or not. In France, it is customary to tip between 10-15% of the fare, if you are happy with the service provided. Traveling With ChildrenQ. Is there a discount for children? Yes, we offer reduced fares for children in our Shared Shuttles: ages 0-9 are €10 for CDG and €9 for Orly. In our Private Shuttles, children are counted as adults. Q. Why don't infants and toddlers aged 0-2 ride free? Our competitors who offer free fares for infants and toddlers require that they be held on a parent's lap during travel. We do not feel that this is safe in the event of an accident, and require children to be secured in their own seats. Q. Do you provide approved car seats for children under 4? Yes. Although French transportation laws do not require them in taxis or shuttles, we believe that proper car seats for infants and young children provide an essential margin of safety. Very few other operators offer this feature at all! When you book your reservation, please make a request for a child seat by choosing a number from the "Baby Seat" menu in the "Special Options" section of the form. Service Coverage and Shuttle RoutesQ. What airports do you serve? Do you also serve train stations? We serve the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Orly (ORY) and Beauvais (BVA) airports, as well as all Parisian train stations and the TGV station at CDG. We can also accommodate your transportation if you are arriving or departing via private aircraft at Le Bourget airport (same rates as for CDG). Q. Do you operate outside Paris? Yes, we do operate outside Paris — with shuttles serving any address in selected suburbs, plus hotels in the Disneyland area. For other destinations, please submit your request by using our contact form. Q. How many stops does the van make ? A Shared Shuttle will make a maximum of three stops after your pick-up in Paris, for an outbound transfer to the airport. When you arrive at CDG or Orly (inbound), the van generally takes fewer people and stops a maximum of twice before you are dropped off at your destination. Our dispatchers do their best to get you there in the shortest possible time. All transfers to or from Beauvais Airport, Disneyland area hotels, or within Paris City (such as to a train station from your hotel) are conducted via Private Shuttle only. You also have the option to reserve a Private Shuttle for airport transfers at CDG and Orly. In these cases, since you have exclusive use of the vehicle, there are no other passengers to drop off. Q. Where are the airports located? ROISSY-CDGRoissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is located near Roissy-en-France, but the airport complex actually straddles the junction of three departments: Val d'Oise (95), Seine-et-Marne (77), and Seine-Saint-Denis (93) in Ile-de-France (see map). The distance from CDG to central Paris (75001) is roughly 28 km or 17 miles (consult travel times for each arrondissement). CDG to Orly is approximately 41 km (26 miles), and CDG to Disneyland is about 40 km (25 miles). ORLYOrly Airport (ORY) is located midway between the towns of Orly and Rungis on the southern edge of the department of Val-de-Marne (94), bordering Essonne (91), in Ile-de-France (see map). The distance from Orly to central Paris (75001) is roughly 19 km or 12 miles (consult travel times for each arrondissement). Orly to Roissy-CDG is approximately 41 km (26 miles), and Orly to Disneyland is about 49 km (30 miles). BEAUVAISBeauvais Airport (BVA) is located north of Beauvais in the village of Tillé, department of Oise (60) in the province of Picardy (see map). The distance from Beauvais to central Paris (75001) is roughly 84 km or 52 miles. Beauvais to Disneyland is approximately 117 km or 73 miles. Booking Your ReservationsQ. Do your drivers accept credit cards or cash? No, all transfers are to be booked online a minimum of 48 hours in advance, and require a MasterCard or Visa credit / debit card at the time the reservation is made. If your plans change, you can cancel your reservation up to 24 hours before your pick-up with no penalty. Q. We would rather pay for our transfers by check or with an alternate card, such as American Express or Discover. To accommodate a large corporate group or an educational institution's Study Abroad program, we may accept alternate forms of payment on a case-by-case basis. If your group falls into one of these categories, please contact us, and we would be happy to discuss your requirements. Q. Why must I reserve in advance? Don't you have a customer service desk at the airport, where I can make arrangements for a shuttle on the spot? French transportation laws require that a shuttle driver carry a manifest of pre-reserved passengers, before being permitted to enter the airport complex. Additionally, in order to efficiently schedule our fleet to handle hundreds of in-bound passengers every day (whose destinations are all different), we require reservations to be made at least 48 hours in advance. Please note: To reserve our 15-pax minibus or 49-pax coach requires a minimum of 15 days' advance notice. Q. My hotel is not listed on the reservations form. What should I do? Depending on your hotel's location, select either "Paris City" (postal codes 75001-75020 only) from the "Paris Home or Office" menu or the correct town from the "Paris Suburbs" menu. Then provide the hotel's name and full address (including postal code) where requested later in the form, or under "Other information / Special Notes". Q. We want to go to a town outside the city, but it is not listed in the "Paris Suburbs" menu. Please contact us to request a custom quote for your itinerary. We can arrange transport anywhere within Ile-de-France, or to destinations further afield. Q. Our family is staying in the Disneyland area, but our hotel's name is not listed in the "Disneyland Hotels" menu. You should select "Disneyland Hotel" in the menu. Then provide the correct hotel name and full address (including postal code) under "Other information / Special Notes" later in the form. Q. My airline is not listed on the reservations form. What should I do? Just choose any carrier from the form's menu, then indicate the correct airline name under "Other information / Special Notes" (later in the form). Please be sure to provide your exact flight number where it is requested. Q. How can I book a Round-trip, if the arrival and departure airports are different? We're flying into CDG, but leaving from Orly. The online Reservations Form is not configured to process a Round-trip, when the two transportation hubs (airport or train station) are different. In this case, you should book two separate reservations: an "Arrival Oneway" and a "Departure Oneway". Q. What happens to my Round-trip discount, if I book two separate one-way shared transfers? Just send us your two one-way reservation confirmation numbers, and we will manually apply the published discount to your departure fare. Q. Members of our party are arriving on different airlines at various times. How should I book the reservation? If you wish to travel together in the same shuttle, then indicate the airline and flight number for the latest arrival. Those who deplane earlier should navigate to the appropriate arrival hall to meet the last passenger(s). If your group's arrival halls are in different terminal buildings, you may use the airport's free inter-terminal shuttle. Of course, if the wait between arrival flights is very long, you may also wish to opt for separate shuttles. In that case, you can book different reservations for each party's arrival. Q. We are dropping off a car hire (rental) at the airport — not arriving on a flight — and wish to be taken to Paris. How can we book this? You should create a "mock" flight arrival on the Reservations Form: select the default airline (Adria Airways), indicate a "Domestic / European" flight type, and choose an arrival time that is 20 minutes earlier than your desired pick-up. Later in the form, under "Other information / Special Notes", explain that this is a car hire and give the name of the agency with its airport address. Q. We wish to be taken to a car hire (rental) agency at the airport, not for a departing flight. How can we book this? Since the Reservations Form suggests a pick-up time at your hotel that is based on a flight departure, just select the default airline (Adria Airways), indicate a "Domestic / European" flight type, and choose a departure time that is 1 hour later than when you wish to be dropped off at the car hire office. Later in the form, under "Other information / Special Notes", include a memo with the name of the agency and its address at the airport. Q. The Reservations Form is asking for our phone number in France (hotel or apartment), but we don't have one. We're going from CDG directly to Orly Airport, and catching a connecting flight to [a different country]. If you will not be staying in France and/or you do not have a French phone number, you can enter "N/A" or "not applicable" in the phone number field of the form. Q. Why should I confirm my itinerary 24 hours in advance? Can I do this online? Although it is not required, you should confirm your itinerary at least 24-48 hours in advance to make sure that all the information concerning flight arrival times, airport, and destination are correct. Simply return to our reservations form and click on the "Verify" button (you will be asked for your reservation number and e-mail address). Q. Should I print out my reservation confirmation? Yes, you should keep a print-out of your confirmation along with your other travel papers (airline ticket, etc.). It serves as your pre-paid voucher for the transfer, and should be presented to the shuttle driver when you board. Q. I did not receive an e-mail confirmation. What should I do? The most common reason for not receiving a confirmation is because your e-mail address was misspelled or incorrectly formatted when you made your reservation. You can print out the online confirmation screen which is presented in your web browser upon completion of your reservation, or contact us to request a duplicate e-mail confirmation. Security and PrivacyQ. How secure is my credit card information? Your personal and credit card information is secure. Our site employs state-of-the-art 128-bit encryption and SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology — the most advanced safeguards available for e-commerce today. When you are on our reservations form, you will see a "padlock" icon in your browser's status bar (at the bottom), and the Internet address at the top will begin with "https://" — indicating that you are on a secure server. Q. What do you do with my private information? We take your privacy very seriously. For example, we only request the minimum information required to process your reservation, return a confirmation to you, and charge your credit / debit card. That information is carefully guarded in a secure environment, and we do not sell or share it with any third parties, period. Special Itineraries and ExcursionsQ. Can we make reservations online for special itineraries, tours of Paris, or excursions to Giverny, Normandy, and Versailles? The online reservations form is not equipped to handle special itineraries (such as towns outside our normal coverage area), or excursions and tours. However, you can contact us to receive a quote and/or to reserve these trips. We will then send you an e-mail invoice containing a link to PayPal — where you can pay for your reservations using a variety of credit cards, e-check, or your own PayPal account. (This service is available in 56 countries and 6 currencies.) Q. Do your tours and excursions include a professionally licensed tour guide, or the price of admission to attractions? No, our posted excursion rates do not include the services of a tour guide, or admission to paying attractions. However, our friendly bi-lingual drivers are more than happy to recommend the most popular sightseeing routes, provide commentary on landmarks, and answer your questions. You are also welcome to supply the driver with your own list of preferred sights — in effect, creating your own custom tour. Please feel free to contact us if you require additional services (such as a licensed tour guide), or if you wish us to procure tickets to attractions on your behalf. With adequate advance notice, we will do our best to accommodate your special requirements. Q. We have a large group that wants to take a tour. What sizes of vehicles are available? Our minivans are equipped to handle groups of up to 8 passengers each. For larger groups, we also offer a minibus (9-15 pax) or coach (16-49 pax). Please consult our rates for each type of vehicle. Changes & CancellationsQ. How far in advance can I change or cancel my reservation? Reservations may be changed or cancelled up to 24 hours before transfer with no penalty. Less than 24 hours in advance, we cannot guarantee being able to accommodate a different itinerary, and/or there may be up to a 20% surcharge to make the change. No-shows without any advance notice will be liable for the full fare. Q. How do I cancel my reservation online? Proceed to the reservations form and click on the "Verify" button. Enter your reservation confirmation number and e-mail address in the appropriate boxes and click "Continue". When your itinerary is displayed, click on the link which says, "Click here to cancel your reservation." You will be asked to provide a reason for the cancellation. When you have completed the request, click on the submit button, and your itinerary will be displayed again with the word "Cancelled" shown in bold red text. You may print out this cancellation screen for your records, if you wish. Airport ArrivalsQ. Why do I have to call when I arrive at the airport? We want to be sure you are in the airport, and to verify your location. Sometimes, airlines will change arrival terminals at the last moment, or you might be held up with luggage problems. Calling us ensures that the first driver is available, or that s/he will wait for you as long as needed, until you exit customs. Q. What is your toll-free number, and how do I call from the airport? Our toll-free number (in France) is 0800-234-679 or 0800-CDG-ORY. Just locate any public phone in the baggage claim area, pick up the receiver, and dial the number (no coins or card are required). Please note that this number will not work from mobile cell phones. To reach us with your mobile phone, call 33-1-43-65-55-55. Q. Where do I find the Airport Connection van when I arrive? Please consult our "Pick-up Locations" page to see the list of gates. When you call the toll-free number upon arrival, our dispatch agent will also confirm the correct exit door. If you have reserved a Private Shuttle and requested our free "meet-and-greet" service, then the driver will be holding a sign with your name on it as you exit customs, and will escort you to the vehicle. Q. We booked a Private Shuttle, but could not find our driver at customs. What should we do? On very rare occasions, heightened security measures at the airport may prevent our driver from leaving the vehicle unattended to come and greet you. It is possible that airport police are taking precautions in response to an international terrorist warning, or security has been tightened due to the arrival of a foreign dignitary or VIP. In that case, please call our dispatcher toll-free from any public phone (no coins or card required), and you will be directed to the appropriate exit where your vehicle wil be waiting. Q. What color are your vans? Our 8-passenger minivans are dark green or dark blue, and have "Airport Connection" marked on the sides. Have a look at our fleet of vehicles. If you have reserved a larger vehicle (such as a private minibus or coach), it may be a different color. However, the driver will be greeting you inside as you exit customs, so there will be no chance for confusion. Q. What happens if my arriving flight is delayed? We track your flight on the Internet, so we are aware if you will be arriving late. Whether you are 1 hour late or 6 hours late, we will have a driver for you at the airport — so please make sure you call the toll-free number when you arrive. However, if your flight arrives late and it is after our office hours (11 p.m.), you should go directly to the pre-arranged meeting spot. We will do our very best — but cannot guarantee — to arrange for a driver to pick you up there (keep in mind that your pick-up may be charged 15% more for an arrival after 8 p.m.). Q. We are arriving on different planes. How do we meet our shuttle driver? The party who deplanes first should navigate to the appropriate hall (or gate) to meet the later arrival. If your arrival halls are in different terminal buildings, you may use the airport's free inter-terminal shuttle. When you reserve a Private Shuttle, you can also indicate under "Special Notes" that a second party will be picked up at a different hall. This is only appropriate if both flights are arriving around the same time and at the same terminal. Please keep in mind that any extra time the shuttle driver must wait for a second pick-up will be charged at an additional rate of 25.00 Euros per half hour. Q. Why do I get the answering machine when I call after 11 p.m. or before 7 a.m.? If you get the answering machine, that means our office is closed. If your arrival is scheduled before 7 a.m. or after 11 p.m., go directly to the pick-up spot indicated on your confirmation. The driver will be waiting for you. Q. What do I do if someone at the airport proposes to take me into Paris? You should be aware that there are "gypsy" drivers who operate at the airports without authorization or proper insurance, and they may charge you more than you arranged with us when you arrive at your destination. French transportation laws prohibit a licensed operator from soliciting you to use their services. Make sure you get in a van marked with "Airport Connection" signs on the side, and present the driver with a print-out of your confirmation (this serves as your pre-paid voucher). Keep in mind that if you leave with another vehicle than ours from the airport, we will still need to charge your credit/debit card for the full fare. Airport DeparturesQ. Should I re-confirm my departure back to the airport? Yes, we do ask that you call the office at least 24 hours before your departure, to make sure that all the information concerning flight times, airport, and pick-up address are correct. You can use either the toll-free (0800-234-679) or regular (01-43-65-55-55) numbers to reach the office in Paris. Please have your reservation number at hand when you call. Q. How far in advance of a flight's departure time will you pick us up? Our online reservations form will automatically suggest an appropriate pick-up time — which is designed to deliver you to the airport according to the check-in guidelines recommended by most airlines. The recommended pick-up time will be based on several factors:
In addition to the suggested time, our form will also offer you several alternate (earlier) times from which to choose, according to your personal preference. Q. At which terminal will the driver drop me off? The driver will deliver you directly to the terminal from which your flight leaves. Please give him this information when you board the shuttle. Travel TimesQ. How long will it take to get to my address in Paris? Or to get to the airport? Travel times vary according to the time of day and traffic conditions. The estimated travel time to or from Roissy-CDG Airport is:
The estimated travel time to or from Orly Airport is:
The trip between Roissy-CDG and Orly airports takes about 1 hour. Travel times from Beauvais Airport to Paris vary according to the arrondissement. For example, the trip from Beauvais to central Paris (75001) takes about 1:15 to 1:30 — depending on traffic conditions. Customer Service and FeedbackQ. How do I submit a complaint, a suggestion, or offer my testimonial on your excellent service? We are constantly looking for ways to improve upon our service, and greatly appreciate your feedback. Whether you have a complaint or a suggestion, or wish to convey your satisfaction with our operation, please contact us!
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We regret to announce that Discover France has suspended its endorsement of Airport Connection's transport services until further notice.
A more detailed explanation regarding our decision to take this action will be posted on these pages in the near future. We thank you for your understanding and support during this period.
In the meantime, we encourage you to consider using the following alternative services for airport shuttle transfers in the Paris region:
