Cotonou - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
USA. DC to Paris and then a long layover and Paris to Cotonou = roughly a full day. - Feb 2020
USA. About 20 hours with connection through Paris. - Aug 2018
USA. - Jan 2017
Washington DC, via Paris or Brussels. Overnight plus most of one day. - Oct 2015
Los Angeles. Flying through Paris - roughly 30 hours of travel. - Jun 2015
East coast U.S. There was only 1 European-bound flight out a day, and they were overnight flights via Brussels and AirFrance. The Brussels flight left earlier but sits for a few hours in Abidjan before continuing to Brussels. The AirFrance flight is direct but leaves around midnight and it's usually packed. Both get you into Europe early in the morning. U.S.-bound flights are likewise 5-8 hours depending on destination. - Aug 2014
Grand Rapids, Michigan. It generally takes at least 24 hours to fly home. Paris is the first stop; then Atlanta or Detroit; then Grand Rapids. - Jul 2013
Travel time is about six hours to Europe and another eight hours to DC. Connect through Paris (Air France/Delta) or Brussels (Air Brussels/United). - May 2013
West Coast, about 22 hours through Paris or Brussels. - Mar 2013
Atlanta - Delta/Air France via Paris, 20 - 24 hours. Air France has flights to/from Cotonou three or four times a week depending on the season and the mood of AF. Six hours to/from Paris. The AF flight departs Cotonou at 23:30 and arrives in Paris at 06:00. Coming to Cotonou, the flight departs Paris at 13:30 and arrives in Cotonou about 20:00. Brussels Air has a similar schedule on different days. Those collecting SkyTeam frequent flyer miles use the Delta/AF connection through Paris; those collecting Star Alliance miles fly United/Brussels Air through Brussels. For emergency departures from post there is a daily, nonstop Delta flight out of Lagos to Atlanta. This connection is very expensive and the Cotonou - Lagos flight is sketchy. The transfer in Lagos can be an unpleasant experience and checked luggage must be claimed and rechecked in Lagos. - Dec 2011
