MESSAGE FOR WEEK BEGINNING 10th February 2003

..Paris queues.. At this moment in time I would say that Paris CDG airport is the worst in the world. For the past thirty years I have travelled extensively - sometimes up to 250,000 miles a year. I have visited first, second, third and even fourth world countries. A queue of almost 100 metres long to get through passport control is unacceptable. At one time only one of the desks was manned. Now it may be that the staff are on a 'go slow' or even a strike. France is the most visited tourist destination in the world. It would seem to me that this is no way to greet tourists. I would advise travellers to go to another Schengen country first (Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin etc) and then travel to France because that way there is no passport control.

It may be that this is a crude way of getting people to fly Air France because that airline uses a different terminal where arrangements may be better. I doubt whether any airport authority could be so crass.

This is not a single isolated incident since it has happened on the last three visits to Paris. You may send or spread these comments as you wish.

Edward de Bono nmt
10th February 2003
Paris, France