Hi, I have a flight at 11:00 am from Geneva airport this Wednesday. Will it be too late or shall I consider to come earlier if my train from Langenthal with a transfer in Bern arrives at 9:11 am in GVA airport?
My final destination will be Mexico with a transfer in another European city. Is 1 hour 45 enough for a transcontinental trip considering that the first flight is within Schengen? Thanks.
Do you need to check in your luggage and/or get a boarding card?
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Yes and yes.
My biggest worry is for the train to arrive at the airport with a delay. I know this is Switzerland but you never know!
Hello,
First, 2 hours before departure should be enough for baggage drop-off and passing through security. The airport in Geneva is not that large. The train between Bern and the airport should be an IC, they are usually on time.
Then, 1h45m for connection. It’s tight. Sometimes passport control takes 5 minutes. Other times 45m to 1 hour. Other times you have to wait for a tram/bus to go from one terminal to another and this takes half and hour. Also, construction work made the Paris (CDG) airport a quite difficult before the Olympics, hopefully they have finished by now.
Talk to the cabin crew about your connecting flight. If it’s possible they’ll seat you closer to the door. Once, the crew from KLM Cityhopper was super helpful. The short flight was like 30 min late, but at landing time they asked everyone to remain sitting to allow the 6 passengers with connecting flights (including me) to exit the plane as quick as possible.
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I think the 1:45 apply to GVA. Which seems plenty.
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Arriving 1h45 before your flight should be plenty of time in Geneva especially at that time of day and outside the school holidays.
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We took an EasyJet flight last Wednesday noon from GVA, we arrived by train 1:45 minutes before takeoff and we had plenty of time. It takes a 10 minute walk from the train to the check in desk. There were very light queues at security. Wednesday is probably the least busy time at the airport.
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I’m not a frequent traveller and even less from Geneva airport. So many thanks for those who replied. Hopefully my train won’t be late!
There is a IC train from Berne to GVA every 30 minutes. I think you make your flight even if you miss the train and take the next one.
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To give yourself some piece of mind buy priority security. CHF10 per person here. Book a service - Genève Aéroport. You have to buy this the day before your flight at the latest.
As already mentioned you likely will not need it, but …
Or take an earlier train.
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The train at 06h09 (Direction Zürich) leaves 8 minutes earlier. Connection in Olten (Platform 4 to platform 8: 16 minutes) to the IC5 which avoids Bern and Lausanne. You arrive at the airport at 08h56 - 15 minutes earlier …
At the moment this connection is showing super-saver tickets available so it may be cheaper too.
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With bags to check in I would say that 2 hours is ideal, 1:45 perfectly adequate, 1:30 means you won’t have time to hang around much, maybe not time for a coffee and sandwich (which we might do to avoid the need for in-flight food if we’ve not brought our own food from home), maybe not even duty-free shopping.
Any less than that you’re definitely going to be pushed, at risk of not making the flight if anything else goes wrong like your train arriving ten minutes late.
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I remembered something.
Double-check the time available to change trains. The SBB app is optimized for daily commuting where 4-6 mins to change trains is great. Not so much if you’re pulling a 20+ kilo of baggage in a crowded train station. If that’s the case, leave 10+ mins between trains.
Missing the train is specially frustrating when the S train arrives 2-3 mins late and the IC one leaves precisely on time.
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The connection for the OP is 11 minutes at Berne and my suggested alternative is 16 minutes at Olten.
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I have never been to Geneva airport. I hope it’s not as complicated as Zurich airport. Thanks for all the valuable information that you all gave me!
No, nor complicated at all. From the train take the escalator up one level and head back in the direction the train came in. Up another escalator and a short walk to the terminal. Find your check-in from the big screen. Onc checked in one more level up tp security. You are likely at an “A” gate which are the closest. “B” gates are the satellite terminals which down an escalator and a short walk. “C” gates are non-schengen and can be a long walk.
If you are flying Air France it’s different.