Biarritz - time to get out of airport

[memusic2002]

Flying into Biarritz. (USA to Paris to Biarritz).

1. If I check a bag, how long to get out of the Biarritz airport.
2. And do I go through main security in Paris
3. Do bags typically get checked through to Biarritz (Delta) or do I have to claim bag in Paris and recheck again for flight to Biarritz. Just wondering about time in Biarritz really.
Thanks for any input
Michael

 

[Rick M]

1 - 30 minutes, give or take

2 - Yes, the Paris arrival is entry into Schengen zone with customs formalities

3 - Yes, checked straight through for me flying from Canada, probably same for you from USA. You won't see your bag until Biarritz.

 

[memusic2002]

1 - 30 minutes, give or take

2 - Yes, the Paris arrival is entry into Schengen zone with customs formalities

3 - Yes, checked straight through for me flying from Canada, probably same for you from USA. You won't see your bag until Biarritz.

Thank you

 

[C clearly]

You will not go through security or immigration when you arrive at Biarritz airport. You will have completed the immigration process in Paris. In Biarritz you just pick up your bag and walk out. That should be quite quick.

 

[Bradypus]

I flew from the UK to Biarritz in January. A fairly full plane. From the plane doors opening to my reaching the bus stop was about 15 minutes. Which included waiting a few minutes for my checked-in rucksack to appear on the carousel.

 

[oursonpolaire]

I flew from the UK to Biarritz in January. A fairly full plane. From the plane doors opening to my reaching the bus stop was about 15 minutes. Which included waiting a few minutes for my checked-in rucksack to appear on the carousel.

This reflects my experience in Biarritz (albeit over 10 years ago) and, as well, in Bilbao. Smaller airports have their graces.

 

[InBiarritz]

If you are flying internally (i.e. Paris to Biarritz) then once the plane wheels touch the runway you can be through to the baggage collection in 10 minutes. Air France flights use the airbridge whereas Transavia and some HOP flights use stairs instead.

Bags take anything from 10-20 minutes to arrive on the carousel.
If you are flying from the UK (for example) there are passport checks which can take a long time, especially if two external flights land at the same time. If you are at the back of the queue it can take up to an hour to clear customs.

 

[gadgeman]

I just arrived in Biarritz today via Paris. I came from Australia via Vietnam with Vietnam Airlines and then an Air france connection to Biarritz. The Biarritz flight departed terminal 2G and the Vietnam flight arrived at 2E. I had to collect my checked in luggage at the terminal 2E and then make my way to Terminal 2G. Follow the signs and then you take a terminal shuttle bus. From the time I landed to the get to 2G it took about 90 mins. The flight to Biarritz was about an 60mins. Once landed I had my bag and was at the bus stop in 15mins.. pretty easy

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Biarritz airport is tiny. If it takes more than 30 minutes something is wrong.

 

[dougfitz]

1 - 30 minutes, give or take

2 - Yes, the Paris arrival is entry into Schengen zone with customs formalities

3 - Yes, checked straight through for me flying from Canada, probably same for you from USA. You won't see your bag until Biarritz.

Your responses 2 and 3 seem to be inconsistent about when customs formalities are going to be undertaken. Would you mind clarifying. Are customs procedures done on baggage in Paris or Bairitz?

 

[Former member 107684]

Your responses 2 and 3 seem to be inconsistent about when customs formalities are going to be undertaken. Would you mind clarifying. Are customs procedures done on baggage in Paris or Bairitz?

I can't answer your question directly but I fly in and out of Biarritz fairly regularly, mainly from the UK, and have never experienced any customs procedures there, even post-Brexit - just two gendarmes on passport control...

 

[dougfitz]

I can't answer your question directly but I fly in and out of Biarritz fairly regularly, mainly from the UK, and have never experienced any customs procedures there, even post-Brexit - just two gendarmes on passport control...

I think that the extent of customs arrangements, even at larger airports is a similar number of officers at an 'items to declare' counter. Our Schengen entry was done at CDG in Paris when entered the terminal area for flights within the Schengen zone. We collected our bags at MAD, and as we had nothing to declare, walked out of the terminal without any further bureaucratic assistance. The two officers had decided to have a chat with another passenger as we passed them, and seemed uninterested in us.

 

[Rick M]

Your responses 2 and 3 seem to be inconsistent about when customs formalities are going to be undertaken. Would you mind clarifying. Are customs procedures done on baggage in Paris or Bairitz?

Thats how it works flying in from NA, nothing inconsistent. You enter the schengen zone in Paris, and clear customs. They can pull your bag in Paris and inspect it if they want to, but they never have for me when I have an ongoing flight elsewhere in the EU. CDG-BIQ is a domestic flight, so no customs inspections of any kind. My bag was cleared through customs in CDG whether I knew it or not, and it appears on the belt with the rest of the domestic baggage.

 

[dougfitz]

Thats how it works flying in from NA, nothing inconsistent. You enter the schengen zone in Paris, and clear customs. They can pull your bag in Paris and inspect it if they want to, but they never have for me when I have an ongoing flight elsewhere in the EU. CDG-BIQ is a domestic flight, so no customs inspections of any kind. My bag was cleared through customs in CDG whether I knew it or not, and it appears on the belt with the rest of the domestic baggage.

Thanks for that explanation. I know that I think of this as a security check rather than a customs check. I wonder if it serves both purposes.

I know my wife has been subject to a second level inspection, ie triggered by the initial xray. The TSA left a card in her bag of dirty laundry telling her it had been inspected. I have often wondered what would be done if they needed to remove or confiscate an item.

 

[rucsack]

Flying into Biarritz. (USA to Paris to Biarritz).

1. If I check a bag, how long to get out of the Biarritz airport.
2. And do I go through main security in Paris
3. Do bags typically get checked through to Biarritz (Delta) or do I have to claim bag in Paris and recheck again for flight to Biarritz. Just wondering about time in Biarritz really.
Thanks for any input
Michael

Biarritz is a small airport , things happen more quickly , distances are small so it's pretty quick . I don't know about your other questions

 

[geraldkelly]

You need to relax.

 

[Kathar1na]

I think that people may not be stressed - just curious. I don’t know much about customs checking luggage when you travel say from the USA via Paris to Biarritz and see your checked luggage only in Biarritz airport. This website may shed some light on it but I admit that I did not make a great effort to try to understand it:

Travelling by air

How controls operate in practice, list of international Union airports, models of labels

taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu

 

[Mobilemejen]

Flying into Biarritz. (USA to Paris to Biarritz).

1. If I check a bag, how long to get out of the Biarritz airport.
2. And do I go through main security in Paris
3. Do bags typically get checked through to Biarritz (Delta) or do I have to claim bag in Paris and recheck again for flight to Biarritz. Just wondering about time in Biarritz really.
Thanks for any input
Michael

Your bag will go to its checked destination. If you have purchased two tickets---one to Paris and one Paris to Biarritz, ask upon checking your bag in the US if they will, when you show your separate reservation but continuing flight, check your bag all the way through to BIQ. This usually works. Mostly I have purchased separate tickets --roundtrip (Delta) to Paris-- CDG but once ORY. Then I have purchased a one-way to BIQ (Biarritz)---much less $ this way--the HOP! is an Air France commuter that is tied into DELTA on SkyTeam so they are happy to check your bag all the way. IF you are checking a bag---I don't---I have never had an issue carrying on my walking poles (pacer poles collapse to 1/3 the size) in a camera tripod case (packed head-to-foot) attached to my backpack (so far 12 times through TSA like this an no issues), MAKE SURE your bag tag says BIQ! No, DO NOT LEAVE the Paris airport---stay inside, inside secure areas in the Paris airport UNLESS you have booked your connection out of the other airport---for instance you fly into CDG and are flying Orly to Biarritz. Then you have to TRANSFER airports which can be done, with stress and effort. When in your Paris airport, just find out where you next flight gate is and go there. You will clear immigration but do not leave the secure areas as going back through security/customs etc will take forever. Biarritz is like returning to a simpler time---chances are between leaving the plane and getting your luggage will be 20 minutes or less.

 

[Kathar1na]

I guess when people ask about "clearing customs" all they want to know is how long it will take them to get from the airplane to the airport and then through the airport to continue their travel. There are some comments in the thread about "clearing customs" and "checked luggage" which are not accurate, I think, in cases where you travel from the USA with a change of plane at CDG airport to Biarritz where you pick up your checked luggage in Biarritz.

If "clearing customs" means that you declare goods for which you have to pay import duty, then you can probably do this either at the Paris airport or at Biarritz airport because both of them have the status of international customs airport under EU law; I posted a link to the list some time ago. What it may not mean: it may not mean that there will be - in all airports - special lines such as a green channel and a red channel where you have to pass through as a traveller.

I travelled out of the EU and back into the EU recently. I usually don't pay any attention to customs but I did this time. When travelling out of the EU, I noticed a small EU/national customs desk at one corner in the departure lounge; it was manned by a single customs official. When entering the non-EU country, I saw a poster (see below); some kind of officials were sitting at desks along the walk out but they seemed uninterested in our luggage; I don't know whether they were border security or customs officials or something else. When I re-entered the EU, I noticed three officials with the label "Douane" on their uniforms; they were standing on one side and watched the stream of passengers walking past them.

So I guess when you fly from a US airport to France and when it is possible to have your luggage checked through to the airport of your final destination, you can "clear customs" either in Paris or in Biarritz if you have something to declare, and otherwise it does not matter. There appear to be no systemic controls at the airports when you walk through with your hand luggage only or with your other luggage that you had picked up at the carousel - at least no controls that are visible and obvious to the passenger. I don't know about automatic checking procedures of luggage or whether there are any done during the whole transport process

FWIW. And no, I am not stressing about it and neither should anyone else, I am just curious about things.

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