"Recliner" wrote:
Yes, I've also now had a go in the pods. I hadn't parked at the airport,
but as you say, no-one monitors who's using the system (though it's a
bit tucked away at the terminal). As you say, the ride is a bit bumpy,
but it wouldn't put me off using them again -- it certainly beats the
bus. They have a suitably multi-lingual UI, and there's room for four
people plus bags -- maybe the ride is smoother when there's more load on
board?


Possibly. But the ride was atrocious - the worst I have ever
experienced on any mode of public transport - and there were two of us
on board, neither of us lightweights, with heavy baggage including
over 70 kg of photo gear alone. Total load was probably about the
same as four average adults. ;-)

Apart from the ride, I was very impressed. The whole system was far
more professional than I had expected.

In fact the whole T5 experience was a pleasure, which was a welcome
change from my recent experience of Heathrow. In contrast, Terminal
2A at Charles de Gaulle was simply horrible. Despite flying BA (the
national 'flag carrier') our flight was sent to a remote stand and we
were bussed to T2A. To add insult to injury, an incoming EasyJet
flight got an airbridge (JetWay if you prefer) and its low-fare
passengers had a very short walk into the terminal. :-(

A long climb up steep stairs followed (still carrying all the photo
gear we could take as cabin luggage, and with no lift or escalator
alternative) with a long wait for checked baggage and then the longest
of long walks to the RER station. It took 2hr 35min from landing to
getting on the train, most spent in and around a very ugly building.

The 45 minute train ride was comparative bliss. ;-)

I'm glad we travelled on a Sunday and stayed an extra night. We would
have missed our deadline had we been on the Monday morning flight.