REVIEW: Air France Business Class Lounge – Paris CDG – Terminal 2E – Hall K

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Intro

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Although we were taking the very short hop from Paris to London in Air France Economy, we were entitled to lounge access since we were connecting from our Business Class flight out of Tunis. What was less clear to us was which lounge we’d actually have access to. 

CDG is a Kafkaesque nightmare of an airport and despite always being assured that Air France flights will depart from Terminal 2 that’s where the certainty ends. Terminal 2 is sub-divided into Terminals 2E, 2F and 2G, all of which are used by Air France. Terminal 2E is sub-divided once again into K, L and M sections.

I like to think of myself as a relatively well travelled individual but honestly I cannot fathom what bizarre justification there is for this absurdly complex system. I feel like you need a PhD in airport design just to catch a connecting flight here.

As luck would have it we were both arriving and departing from Terminal 2E – Hall K. This made our choice of lounge mercifully simple. 

The Air France lounge in the K concourse is located on the level below the shops and departure gates.

It took a minute or so fro the lounge agent to verify our eligibility to enter since our inbound and outbound flights were on separate tickets but once she did we were warmly welcomed into the facility and offered wifi codes.

 

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The Lounge

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Being underground means that this lounge was never going to be bright and spacious and whilst an attempt has been made to bring in some light via the windows to nowhere, the low ceilings and beige colour scheme really make for a depressing, bunker-like feel. 

Given how busy this facility got I found it strange that there was a fenced off area for First Class passengers that was never used. We managed to find a spot right next to it though with local power sockets and slow charging USBs 

Another similarly disused space was the Clarins spa. Ostensibly offering complimentary treatments to all passengers, it was closed throughout the duration of our stay. Then again I’ve never seen the spa open at the Qantas First Class Lounge in Sydney and never cleared the waiting list for a foot massage at The Pier First Class in Hong Kong, so perhaps I’m jinxed.

So far so beige. One thing about this lounge that isn’t depressing though is the self-service bar located in the centre of the room. The large champagne bucket and selection of wines and spirits are presented very elegantly. Small touches like the coasters under the reds show that some thought has gone into this display.

In terms of wine quality this is more akin to what you’d expect in a First Class lounge: £25 bottles of Châteauneuf du Pape, Glenlivet whisky and of course…

…free flowing Laurent Perrier champagne.

The food however was not so good. 50 shades of slop.

Although I do commend AF for putting some healthy options out.

I really appreciated the individual bottles of Evian being available, given that I was headed on a short haul economy flight. Similarly there were portable snacks, ready to take with you. The coffee was also of above average quality.

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Conclusion

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An underground lounge with zero views was never going to be somewhere you’d want to turn up early and enjoy. If you’re stuck here on a long layover you’ll probably begin to lose your sanity.

However, if you’re in the mood for a couple of drinks and need to stock up on water and snacks for your next flight, you’ll find that the lounge delivers admirably.

 

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