I wish i never had to go through CDG. I have always had problems with CDG especially when it comes to delays. The last one happened in December. First let me say here that i am black.
On my way home for Christmas break, i had to spend the night in Paris because i missed my connecting flight. How did it happen. We boarded the plane from Edinburgh at 5:40 a.m and due to snowfall, the flight was delayed for an hour. You will not imagine that we were stuck in the plane (at the take off point) for more than 5hrs. Each time ground crew cleared the runway for departure it started snowing afterwards. After so many hours, we finally left Edinburgh Airport around 1:30p.m. By then i already knew i had missed my connecting flight but was reassured that i will get a flight the next day by the Flight attendant and that sleeping arrangements will be made at a hotel for the night. Mind you this is the 23rd of December.
We arrived Paris at about 3:00p.m and the girl at the Air France desk took my passport. needles to say there was a very long queue. So many passengers had missed their flights. The girl at the desk told me she will have to get me a transit visa. Well i thought that shouldn't be a problem because i actually had a Schengen Visa in my passport but valid from January 2010. A tleast with a Schengen visa in my passport i should not be refused a one night visa. Really? Let me also say here that at the time we arrived at terminal 2E, there were several Nigerians who had been there since 8a.m because they missed their flight and they were still waiting for their transit visa after 7hrs. As i sat there waiting for my transit visa, i realised there were people on the queue who either got the transit visa directly, or were told it could not be issued. In the space of one hour. Mostly Aasians and Eastern Europeans. You know i was wondering to myself " if this visa can be issued in 45mins, why is it that my own has already taken 2hrs and still no results. I continued to wait until about 6:30p.m when the Nigerians were told that they could not get them a transit visa and they have to spend the night at the lounge. The Nigerians and some Asians left and i walked up to the girl who took my passport and asked her about it. She told me it is with the police but it seems the request has been rejected. I said no problem but can I at least have my passport? She said she will bring it. That was at 7:00p.m. I only got my passport at 11:00p.m. Now they have to show me where to spend the night, only for this guy at the desk to tell me they will give me and some others makeshifts beds and we will put it in a cafe room and spend the night. I exploded. I am travelling first class, i am an elite member and just to be treated like rubbish only because of my skin colour. He tried to calm me down and had to call someone on the phone whom he told to get me sleeping space at the lounge in 2C because he himself did not think it was fair. After many telephone calls, i was allocated space in 2C (It is now 1:00a.m)and to imagine that there were more than 4 empty bed spaces!! I know Air France employs a lot of people of colour, but i still think they treat their customers with a lot of contempt and disdain. They seem to think we have no choice. If i had my way i will advocate for people to boycott that airport

In response to people asserting that they could find no place to lodge a complaint, there is at least the possibility to write to Aeroports de Paris, here : http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/en-GB/Passagers/Home/contact.htm I hope this will be helpful.

In response to Worst of the Worst, Terminals 2E and 2F are connected. Passport control is usually bad to worse at CDG. It depends on the other planes that arrive when you do. If there are passengers from any African country on line, it's going to take a LONG time to get through. At least authorities have put up rope to force a queue. In the past there was nothing to control the crowd. Now one can wait his turn in relative peace rather than constantly jostle to block out the queue jumpers. I have met nice security personnel at CDG so they do exist. But it definitely helps to speak French. My advice, check out the maps of the airport, do your homework by searching online. Don't rely on strangers to help you. Most want to help and will try to direct you but they might not know much more than you do.

I swear never to schedule a connection through CDG again. Security on the way in decided they needed to search my bag more thoroughly...but they didn't bother letting me regather my wallet which was left unattended on the other side! This is the only airport I've ever been to where the airline hands you a 15+ page instruction booklet on how to make a connection between terminals. And, the diagram was inaccurate (2E and 2F are NOT connected). I don't blame people for giving the bad directions as an earlier commenter mentioned -- the people just don't know because it's a bizarre maze that Aeroports de Paris has built.

Very old and dirty terminal. Complicated. The only good thing is the public transportation to the city but the train between terminal is a nightmare. Long queue at passport control; it seems no-one cares that it needs improvement.