Review: Air France Lounge Paris Airport (CDG)

To continue my four flights across the Atlantic journey, I’d next be flying Air France's new Boeing 777 business class from Paris to New York. Prior to my flight, I had the chance to check out the Air France Business Lounge Paris. Specifically, I visited the lounge in Terminal 2E Hall K, in the non-Schengen portion of the terminal.

Even though I’ve heard that this is Air France's least nice non-Schengen lounge, I still had a pleasant experience, with plenty of seating options, friendly staff, and pretty good food and drinks.

In this post:

In addition to the exceptional Air France La Premiere Lounge (which I rank as the best lounge in the world), Air France has five business class lounges at Charles de Gaulle Airport:

Air France has been working on refreshing its lounges in Paris, and the pictures of the new lounges look fantastic. Go figure my flight was departing from Terminal 2E Concourse K, which has the Air France Lounge that's next in line to be renovated.

So despite this being the oldest Air France Lounge, I was still generally impressed.

As mentioned above, I visited the Air France Lounge located in Terminal 2E Hall K of Charles de Gaulle Airport. To access the lounge, just clear immigration and security, and then turn left. You’ll see signage in the direction of gates K21-K41, plus the lounge.

At the end of that hall you’ll see the elevators leading down a level to the lounge (it's located on level -1).

Once outside the elevator, the lounge is to the right, and is easy to find.

The Air France Lounge Paris Terminal 2E Hall K is open daily from 5:30AM until 11:30PM, covering all departures from the terminal. I arrived right when the lounge opened, and my flight to New York was departing at 8:30AM.

The Air France Lounge Paris is a pretty standard lounge when it comes to SkyTeam lounge access policies:

You can also purchase access to the Air France Lounge, either by logging into your itinerary in advance, or at the airport. However, pricing varies.

The first thing that stood out to me upon entering the lounge was just how kind and charming all the employees at the reception desk were. Usually you’re just scanned in and barely get a word from the staff members.

In this case a staff member greeted me by name upon scanning my boarding pass, explained the different facilities to me, and also enthusiastically commented on how my flight would feature Air France's new business class. First impressions make a big difference, and that's one of the things I most remember about my visit to the lounge.

Anyway, the Air France Lounge is quite large (especially when you consider it's one of five lounges), but then again, that capacity is needed given how big Air France's network is, and how many people have lounge access. When you enter the lounge you can either turn left or right — the area to the left is a bit larger, has natural light, and has a second floor, while the area to the right might be a bit quieter.

Upon entering the lounge and turning left, you’ll see a variety of cafe-style tables, each with two chairs. This is near one of the main buffets (there's a buffet in each part of the lounge).

There are then couches and chairs with side tables in the area around the dining tables.

If you enter the lounge and turn right, you’ll be in the other section, which is a bit similar, and lacks natural light. This area also has lots of cafe tables, as well as couches and more traditional lounge chairs intended for those just looking to relax.

There's a smaller room to the side of this part of the lounge with some especially comfortable blue couches.

The Air France Lounge also has a Clarins Spa, with complimentary treatments for eligible passengers. Unfortunately this only opens later in the day, as it's available starting at 8-9AM, depending on the day of the week.

Lastly let's take a look at the seating on the second floor, which is also inside the entrance and to the left.

The seating here is similar to what you’ll find one level below.

One unique feature up here is the day beds, which are great if you’re looking to get some rest.

The lounge also has some roped off seating, presumably intended for top-tier Flying Blue elite members.

Obviously this lounge doesn't have cutting edge decor, but like I said, this is Air France's last lounge in the airport not to be renovated. Given that this is a lounge that hasn't been renovated and will soon be replaced, I’d say the decor is solid. Air France's new lounge design looks stunning, and I can't wait to check out one of the other lounges.

Because the lounge is a bit older, that also means that there aren't outlets at many of the seats, so you’ll want to pick your seat strategically if you need to charge your electronics.

Breakfast was on offer during my visit to the Air France Lounge Paris. There were a few buffets throughout the lounge, which was appreciated, since it avoided too much congestion in one part of the lounge.

Breakfast options included cold cuts, fruit, yogurt, several types of bread and pastries, cereal, scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon. While it wasn't the world's biggest selection, I found the quality to be very good, as you’d expect in France.

In terms of drinks, there were self-serve coffee machines, fridges with soda, water, juice, and beer.

There were also several drink stations throughout the lounge, which consisted of a nice selection of self serve wine and liquor. There were also a variety of addictively delicious packaged snacks.

The Air France Lounge has two sets of bathrooms, at both ends of the lounge. They were fairly well maintained, though capacity seemed fairly limited given the number of guests who use this lounge.

The Air France Lounge also has several shower suites, which are functional and clean.

I had a pleasant visit to the Air France Lounge Paris, and found the lounge to be spacious, with friendly staff and a good selection food and drinks. Best of all, it's my understanding that this is the worst lounge Air France has at the airport, as the others have been renovated (and this one should be soon as well).

Given the terminal layout at Charles de Gaulle, you never know for sure which lounge you’ll be able to access, so it's hard to plan around that in advance.

What do you make of the Air France Lounge Paris?

Δ

I'm there right now, after the ridiculousness of getting through Security. I don't know if all but a lot of people that work here should either be fired or an effective manager put in place to actually get things done. So my experience already soured by the uselessness of security staff. I went down into the lounge, they scanned my pass and that was it. I asked, where do I go? And their...

I'm there right now, after the ridiculousness of getting through Security. I don't know if all but a lot of people that work here should either be fired or an effective manager put in place to actually get things done.So my experience already soured by the uselessness of security staff.I went down into the lounge, they scanned my pass and that was it. I asked, where do I go? And their response was "either side is fine". I went to the right.I headed straight for the bathrooms after sleeping most of the 14hour flight from Tokyo to CDG.Toilet at the end, slightly bigger cubicle, full of flies.Next cubicle along, out of order.Next cubicle along, toilet roll dispenser broken and hanging down in way of toilet.Last cubicle, everything seemed OK if a bit dirty. Cleaned it up and used the facilities. I heard a man come in, go through the same checks as me and then he waited in the sink area for me to finish with the only usable cubicle.Washing my hands and I noticed the sharps box, it looked very old and was full as far as I could tell. Not sure how long it's been there but pretty sure biological hazards should be disposed of when they're full. Possible the lid had also been snapped off so probably why it has never been emptied.After washing my hands I put my stuff down and went over to the buffet.Hot containers with lids close to breaking St the hinges, not labeled in any language.I settled pastries.Drinks selection is good, canned soft drinks rather than a dispenser and tiny glasses is good.I travel quite often, and rarely to the same airport but can say with 100% certainty, I won't be choosing to connect through CDG ever again.Anecdotally, whilst waiting in Manchester 1409 lounge there were people travelling to JFK with Aer Lingus who's flight had been delayed by 5hours, and they were still saying its not as bad as Air France and CDG

If you're connected in CDG (arriving in 2F, but then departing in 2E), can you visit multiple lounges during your layover? I have a 7hr layover, and would like to split my time across 2F and 2E-L if possible.

Air France has been refusing to put the champagne out for flights departing in the morning, which are heavy Delta flights.

Even post-renovation, the K lounge will likely remain inferior to the L and M lounges, just because it can't really expand. Similarly, with the L and M piers having been designed to handle multiple A380s when AF had those, those lounges are likely to remain spacious relative to passenger loads.

I dont like CDG airport at all. Ive been tbere last in 2014. Walked for miles looking to buy food, sim cards etc. Really just a terrible airport in general regarding layout, facilities etc.

La Première Lounge at CDG the best lounge in the world?Ben, this sounds like this is the very first time you've been in a non-US lounge.

What lounge would you say is unquestionably better?

Heaven help you if you have to connect through CDG with a change of airlines.

Totally agree. Despite having boarding passes that clearly stated we were travelling business class we were twice denied access. Reception staff were unfriendly, unwelcoming and generally 'jobsworth'. They behaved more like night club bouncers than the welcoming face.

CDG has to be the worst international airport i have had the displeasure to travel through. It is different of course in the lounges but you will still be kicked out after 3 hours regardless of what you paid. The food outlets, the few that are there are pretty much banged up shut for 10pm every night of the week. In fact now when i pass through i take a packed lunch when...

CDG has to be the worst international airport i have had the displeasure to travel through.It is different of course in the lounges but you will still be kicked out after 3 hours regardless of what you paid.The food outlets, the few that are there are pretty much banged up shut for 10pm every night of the week. In fact now when i pass through i take a packed lunch when I'm able. In Dec i ended up sharing it with two other passengers who had the misfortune of ending up there at 11pm God forbid. At least you can get a drink of water.The airport is clean and tidy enough but facilities for food and drink are 3rd world airport standards. It almost beggars believe that it is an international hub.I pass through twice a year and cant wait to see it disappear over the horizon.

Was there a year ago flying to SF. Terrible gate service. Is champagne for breakfast ridiculous? I guess so if they are making these Business Class flight space available on points. The only things I loved were the eggs and bread!

All indications are that my upcoming flight (CDG-SIN) will depart from 2E Hall L gates. Does anyone know with certainty if this L lounge has been renovated already?

I used both in December and the L lounge is WAY better than the K lounge - newer, bigger, nicer, more comfortable seats, etc.

Just going to also mention that with the exception of some third-world airports, CDG is an absolute abomination when it comes to its design. Between the check-in counters that block people's traffic, the poor space allocated to lounges, the crazy gate areas and the lack of food and beverage outlets, I do my absolute best to avoid it. Really the only thing I like about it is that they had the vision to have...

Just going to also mention that with the exception of some third-world airports, CDG is an absolute abomination when it comes to its design.Between the check-in counters that block people's traffic, the poor space allocated to lounges, the crazy gate areas and the lack of food and beverage outlets, I do my absolute best to avoid it. Really the only thing I like about it is that they had the vision to have a TGV station within the airport, so you can be on your way somewhere else in no time.(and not even going to mention the collapsing ceiling. Whoever designed that building should hang his/her head in shame)

CDG 2 is easy to use. I don't see a problem, although I agree it's lacking in food outlets. It's much improved over the years.

Check in is designed into islands as is the case with multiple airports, 2f is a linear check in

The ceiling collapse was in 2004

The architect is Paul Andreu, who also designed Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai pudong airports and the Grande Arche in La défense.

CDG terminal 1 has undergone a revamp

Just used this lounge in Jan of this year. Every single seat was taken downstairs and managed to find a couple open seats upstairs. The breakfast spread was similar to what you would find at a Holiday Inn Express with much better croissants. Not impressed at all.

I visited this lounge last October and thought it was absolutely underwhelming. Place was packed and almost no seats available, food was very poor and the seats were old and desperately in need of an update. Definitely the worst Air France lounge in CGD.

Three times have I departed on a SkyTeam non-Schengen flight and all three times have been in the K hall which disappointed me since I didn't get to try the L or M hall lounges.

However I do find this lounge comfortable and fine. The morning food spread is adequate and I've availed myself of wine there (5 ' somehwere) and it didn't seem cheap. Plenty of seating.

Never "turned right" so I can't comment on that one.

No Champagne? In the Air France Business Lounge?? That's a little shocking to be honest.

Champagne is available after 11:00A, after the majority of USA flights on Air France and Delta Air Lines have departed. A significant cost savings.

I was in the L lounge in November for a morning flight; 730 am to Canada. Champagne was available and plentiful.

The roped off area upstairs is for VIPs (spotted some political celebrities in there a few times) and I believe Flying Blue Ultimate members, the top status.The upstairs area was also used as the La Première lounge while the actual lounge was closed, the whole floor was roped off. I remember being very disappointed when I ended up there instead of the actual LP lounge :D .

Political celebrities (in France at least) are likely Hippocampe or Club 2000.

"you can only use the lounge corresponding to the gate area you’re departing from"

Please control that Ben, because I believe you can use whatever lounge in the 2E K, L, M terminals.

I have read lots of people doing that: of course you need to clear security everytime but otherwise I think this is possible.

It's not actually that easy. For example you’re in the departure areas of L or M, in order to get to K you would have to ask security to let you back through

This is not true. Air France operates Terminal 2E with three distinct "Halls", K, L, and M. If you transit Paris 2E via K, L, or M, you can only access the departure lougne from connecting flight, not arriving flight.

The Schengen Lounge, 2F, is now ONE lounge and the two downstairs lounges have been shutterted to make way for ONE seamless Air France Salon between the two terminals that comprise 2F. While...

This is not true. Air France operates Terminal 2E with three distinct "Halls", K, L, and M.If you transit Paris 2E via K, L, or M, you can only access the departure lougne from connecting flight, not arriving flight.

The Schengen Lounge, 2F, is now ONE lounge and the two downstairs lounges have been shutterted to make way for ONE seamless Air France Salon between the two terminals that comprise 2F.While beautiful, all Air France lounges have been serving the same food for the last 20 years. The photography from 2023 could have been taken in 2003 when it comes to food.

Hey Ben, thanks for the review, we’re taking this same flight this summer. Do you happen to know if the AF business class arrivals lounge is open? We’re arriving there in a few weeks on a different journey and get in around 530am, so am hoping to get cleaned up

There is no arrivals lounge. There was in 2C. It closed years ago.

Thanks, much appreciated

I've been to this lounge once and it felt like a high-style detention center with Champagne. It was unbelievably crowded mid-morning, people were pushing for food and crowding our table "encouraging" us to leave so they could sit down. It felt that much more crowded because of the low ceilings and shortage of natural light that you can enjoy in AF's nicer lounges at CDG.

Same experience here. I felt I was in a basement. Terribly crowded, people eating standing up, leaning against walls, worn out furniture. I would it give 1/5 stars.

If you look at the height of the room, that's exactly were you are. In a basement. With low ceilings.

Exactly same experience. See my post below. Horrible lounge and terrible food. Nothing better than a Priority Pass lounge.

Last time we were in this lounge it was so incredibly crowded that we had a hard time finding a place to sit. I agree it's an awful lounge. And the food was terrible too. However I have been in another AirFrance lounge also T2 that is really nice.

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CDG 2 is easy to use. I don't see a problem, although I agree it's lacking in food outlets. It's much improved over the years.Check in is designed into islands as is the case with multiple airports, 2f is a linear check inThe ceiling collapse was in 2004The architect is Paul Andreu, who also designed Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai pudong airports and the Grande Arche in La défense.CDG terminal 1 has undergone a revamp

There is no arrivals lounge. There was in 2C. It closed years ago.

The roped off area upstairs is for VIPs (spotted some political celebrities in there a few times) and I believe Flying Blue Ultimate members, the top status.The upstairs area was also used as the La Première lounge while the actual lounge was closed, the whole floor was roped off. I remember being very disappointed when I ended up there instead of the actual LP lounge :D .