Every few months, it seems, another outfit releases a new list of the best and worst airports in the world, and a certain airport seems to be a perennial pariah.
Paris’ miserable Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is a bane of world travel, particularly for flight transfers. A dysfunctional layout, awkward connections, lousy signage, alienating Brutalist architecture, and crowds of grumpy international travelers who don’t speak your language—the airport may be the perfect embodiment of the pompous politico it’s named for. The French countryside may be calming and lovely, but you’ll have to pay a heavy toll to see it if you arrive at CDG.
Nonetheless, CDG has been unavoidable for many North American travelers because so many transatlantic airlines use it. Plus, the aiport has the easiest ground transportation links to Paris (about an hour).
At least, that used to be true. Another airport in Paris just became much cheaper and faster to reach than Charles de Gaulle.
On June 24, 3 years ahead of its originally announced opening date, Line 14 of the Paris Métro subway system christened a new extension that stops directly at Paris-Orly Airport.
Now automated Métro trains depart from a new Orly station every 3–5 minutes and take just 30 minutes to reach the Pyramides stop in the middle of Paris. Unlike the previously existing rail option at Orly, it’s a one-seat journey from airport to town, and the fare is typically just €10.30 (US$11.23).
Before “Ligne 14” expanded, getting ground transportation from Orly required road vehicles or the cumbersome OrlyVal shuttle/train combination (pictured below; €14.10 or $15.37) that could take an hour or longer—and is now much slower and more expensive than the new Métro option.
(Credit: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock)
The Line 14 extension had been planned to open in 2027, but the deadline was pushed forward by 3 years to meet expected passenger demand for the Summer Olympic Games. The extension began serving passengers on June 24.
Orly has languished as Paris’ secondary airport for half a century. Before CDG was built and usurped Orly’s importance to North American flyers, it had served as the French capital’s main airfield for 42 years.
Now U.S. travelers should expand their European flight options to include Orly once again. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines are among the many world carriers that serve Paris-Orly.
Having the easiest, cheapest, and fastest rail link to the center of Paris from any airport also makes Orly a more appealing option for travelers who are already in Paris and want to use a less stressful airport for jumping off to other destinations. Its roster of airlines reaches every corner of the globe.
When you look for flights to Paris, make sure you specify that you want to fly to Orly, because many search engines default to CDG. Orly’s airport code is ORY.
The third airport for Paris, Beauvais–Tillé Airport (BVA), still isn’t an option for easy connections. It serves mostly cut-rate airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz Air and takes a tedious 75 minutes to reach town via a humbling shuttle bus (about $35).
Are travelers fully liberated from Charles de Gaulle? Not until Orly adds more direct transatlantic flights from carriers such as Norse Atlantic Airways (reviewed by Frommer’s here) and French Bee (reviewed by Frommer’s here).
But with this breezy new rail link, Orly has finally regained its status as the most preferable airport for Paris arrivals.
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