The Air France lounge at JFK (terminal 1) was fully renovated and opened in October of 2014. The lounge is located after security and not far from the Air France gates at JFK Terminal 1. Access to the Air France lounge is open to first class (Air France La Première), business class as well as SkyTeam Elite+ frequent flyer members. For more information about access, there is a convenient page for Conditions of Admission on the Air France site. At close to 10,000 sq/ft on two levels, this lounge provides unique views of the New York City skyline in a lovely setting for work, meals and relaxation.
As memorialized on the Air France website, this lounge features extensive food and beverage selections as well as a Clarins spa (spot treatment) area. Appointments can be reserved upon arrival at reception.
Air France Lounge at JFK Airport
– Current hours: 06:00AM to 01:00AM daily
– Location within the airport: Terminal 1, after security, not far from the Air France gates
– 2 buffets, hot meals served at dinner
– Selection of hot and cold meals
– Refreshments
– Clarins wellness area within the lounge, spot treatments available upon booking at reception
– VIP space on the mezzanine level for La Première guests
– Showers
– Free Wi-Fi access
– Free use of digital tablets
– Local and international newspapers
– Lounge is accessible to passengers with reduced mobility.
A few more shots of the lounge, which is a very open space. Note the view of the Air France logo unit on the wall from upstairs. It is a great space with large floor to ceiling windows and ample seating upstairs and downstairs.
The furniture is a bit minimalist, which seems to be the “style direction” for Air France. While the lounge was relaxing, especially at the later evening hours, I do find some of the furniture not to be my personal favorite from a comfort perspective.
The food offerings in the lounge are definitely more than adequate for dinner, allowing for maximum sleep on the rather short transatlantic flights from New York to Paris.
On the evening I visited there were mini sandwiches, two soup choices (saffron carrot and coriander soup and tomato soup) a wide range of salads (including roasted eggplant and grilled chicken), and multiple hot entrees. Options included sun dried tomato risotto, Chinese stir fried noodles, “Provencal” beef stew, and a lovely quiche. There were also a number of sides including jasmine rice and vegetables as well as a few sauces. To complete things there was an assortment of desserts as well as a cheese presentation.
I found a nice corner of the lounge, with readily accessible power; and had a pre-flight snack accompanied by some non-vintage Champagne. I must admit I did got back for more risotto, it was surprisingly good. The glassware used in the lounge is the same Air France glassware (two sizes) used inflight.
In addition there was a self-sevice bar with multiple wines and Champagne, and additional snack items.
This is definitely one of the better SkyTeam lounges globally, and while there have been improvements this lounge still far exceeds the food and beverage offerings at the Delta SkyClub used for KLM departures at JFK Terminal 4. Most definitely a nice way to start your trip to Paris, especially if you happen to be flying the new Air France 777 business class.
