Review : Air France Business Lounge

And here we go for the TravelGuys’ summer trip… to Manchester! Well, no, obviously, it’s a pre-positioning for the much more interesting continuation.

In any case, this trip requires to leave from Manchester, which implies to buy a round trip CDG-MAN on Air France in Economy (we don’t do hidden cities at TravelGuys…).

Check-in

I check in online 30 hours before departure. I notice a change of equipment from an A318 to an E190, which means boarding by bus without any doubt at terminal 2E.

I was offered an upgrade to Business for 59€. Even if Air France does not block seats on regional aircraft in Business, I choose to pay them to see what the service is like… I will not be disappointed with the trip.

59 € it may seem cheap, but for a seat not blocked and a poor meal it is already too much

So I assigned myself seat 03C in the Business cabin.

Terminal

I arrive by VTC from Paris, and get dropped off a little further away from the crowd, towards gate 10 of terminal 2E.

At this time of day (early afternoon on a vacation Friday), everything is fluid and I pass immigration and security in less than 5 minutes.

The departure board is always full at Terminal 2E

The security checkpoint has just been remodeled at Terminal 2E-K

Paris Airport has spent a lot of money to renovate the entire Duty Free area, but not Air France which continues to offer a lounge that is almost 20 years old…

Reception

The welcome is quite cordial. I scan my boarding pass, and the agent welcomes me (by name).I head to my usual space, the mezzanine, usually quieter than the rest of the lounge.

Monique is, as always, in great discussion

*Highway to Hell* or *Stairway to Heaven ?*

Lounge design

The design of this lounge, the oldest of the non-Schengen lounges at the Air France hub at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, shows its age.

A corridor and a leaflet rack worthy of the local social security or employment office

The furniture is very 90s, and in a poor state of maintenance. The tables and chairs for eating are very spartan, and laid out on a hospital-style tile floor that is not very appealing.

Welcome to the canteen of the flight attendants HQ… Oh no, this is the lounge!

Wherever you are, the design looks like a roadside restaurant

The chairs are lined up on a carpet that has suffered a lot and shows the stigma of 20 years of spilled coffee and drinks.

However, these chairs have recently been modified to include power and USB outlets, a big plus.

Downstairs, a library has been installed, but no discreet spaces to phone or work in peace. Another wise choice…

A space near the library that really serves no purpose

Catering

Here too, one can expect quality catering, with high quality products. None of the above.

Thanks for the reliefs of the previous passenger… Note the state of maintenance of the coffee table, without comment.

If the cold offer is quite good, especially the sweet offer, the hot offer is pitiful, with soft fish fritters (what a shitty idea to make fried food, when everyone knows that it doesn’t stand up to reheating…).