I recently wrote about how the Air France Lounge Washington Dulles will be closing for several months, as the lounge is being renovated. As it turns out, that’s not Air France’s only US lounge that’s now closed.
As reported by The Flying Dutchboy, the Air France Lounge New York JFK has just closed, and should reopen in about six weeks. While the construction here isn’t as major as at the Washington Dulles Lounge (where they’re adding a floor), Air France is refurbishing this lounge to include a new “enhanced” pre-flight dining area for business class passengers on their late night services.
Air France Lounge JFK
So, what lounges can Air France passengers use in the meantime?
- First class passengers will be directed to the Korean First Class Air Lounge, though will continue to receive the same escorts from Air France employees through security and to the gate
- Business class passengers will be directed to the Lufthansa Business Lounge
- SkyTeam Elite Plus members will be accommodated at SkyTeam Lounges on a space available basis, which would include the Korean Air Business Lounge as well as the Alitalia Lounge
Korean Air Lounge JFK
The Korean Air Lounge and Alitalia Lounge at JFK are awful, so I actually think business class passengers are getting the best arrangements here, as I’d choose the Lufthansa Lounge over the Korean Air Lounge.
Alitalia Lounge JFK
However, I imagine all of the lounges will be extremely crowded during this period, given that they have the same number of passengers but less collective lounge space.
The Air France Lounge also belongs to Priority Pass, so for the time being has been removed from the network, until it reopens. The other Priority Pass location in Terminal 1 is the Korean Air Lounge.
So you’ll want to spend as little time in T1 as possible over the coming weeks. The challenge is that security lines in this terminal are awful, so you always want to leave plenty of time so you don’t miss your flight.
Anyone find out where China Eastern is sending their passengers during this period?
SQ would never close down the lounge for this. SQ would personally wipe
Everyone’s backside if this happened. SQ crews are trained to the highest level possible. PERFECTION!
@GuruJanitor your statement contradicts itself.
Terminal 1 is owned by a conglomerate of airlines
the plan is to align airlines to their respective partners once (and if) the North/South terminals are built out.
Each terminal is independently owned and operated, even the new unbuilt ones. I doubt they will ever group up the alliance. Port Authority is a dinosaur that even Albany can't handle.
Actually... I think BR daytime flight uses LH (since LH lounge closes early) while the post-midnight flight uses AZ.
Justin and Ben. That's great news. I am on the Taipai flight. Thank you!
Actually, BR daytime flight J pax get to use AZ lounge at JFK T1
@Carla & Justin: For the daytime BR flight, J pax get to access AF lounge while the night flight, they get LH lounge.
@Carla ash: I thought EVA used the Lufthansa lounge? I flew the late evening EVA flight to TPE in business class (no status) less than a year ago and we were put in the Lufthansa Business Lounge.
@GuruJanitor
JAL will most likely stay in the new South Terminal (T1/T2). They already partnered and is partly funding for it.
What happens to EVA business class passengers who were entitled to use the Airfrance lounge? Can we now use Lufthansa? What hours is it open? I have a flight tonight in terminal 1. Many thanks!
It's really a testament to how bad the Alitalia and Korean Air lounges are that Air France is moving their business class passengers to Lufthansa instead of their Skyteam partner lounges... The Lufthansa business lounge isn't even that great.
The loss of the largest lounge in T1 is huge for these six weeks. The KE, LH and Alitalia lounges already get packed at peak hours. There is such a lack of spare lounge capacity that I wonder if the airlines will offer restaurant vouchers to try to alleviate over-crowding during this period.
@JDS - Terminal 1 is owned by a conglomerate of airlines including JAL, and also Air France, Korean and Lufthansa. A lot of airlines are hodgepodged together at whatever space they can get, and these airlines came together when they couldn't get space elsewhere. Alliances mean very little if you look at what airlines use what terminals at JFK.
I think the plan is to align airlines to their respective partners once (and if) the...
@JDS - Terminal 1 is owned by a conglomerate of airlines including JAL, and also Air France, Korean and Lufthansa. A lot of airlines are hodgepodged together at whatever space they can get, and these airlines came together when they couldn't get space elsewhere. Alliances mean very little if you look at what airlines use what terminals at JFK.
I think the plan is to align airlines to their respective partners once (and if) the North/South terminals are built out. Delta will likely take over the majority of Terminal 4 with select partners (likely VS), while the rest of the Skyteam airlines move into the new South Terminal (T1/T2), while oneworld takes over the majority of Terminal 8, especially if it gets built out, and Star alliance and the unaligned airlines move into JetBlue's new North Terminal (T6/T7). Will it actually happen? Who knows.
Slightly away from topic, but why don't JAL and ANA swap terminals at JFK? ANA would then be with their Star Alliance partner Lufthansa at T1, and JAL with their OW partner BA at T7.
Noo! Any word on where MU J passengers will be accommodated? This is very disappointing.
How embarrassing. Subjecting Air France most premium pax to the pathetic offerings of a Korean Air's "First Class Lounge" is worthy of compensation.
—Justin Ross Lee
What about the Wingtips Priority Pass lounge n T4?
I enjoyed the "Night Service" meal option at JFK two years ago. Nice to be able to eat at a regular meal time (8 PM), then get on the plane at 10 PM and go straight to sleep. The only thing lacking in my mind was that the food was exactly the same as that catered for the plane- I wonder if they are installing a full kitchen to cook those meals on site.
But it's a great service to be able to maximize sleep time on a relatively short red-eye.
What!? Argh. I'm booked on China Eastern business class for a flight in three weeks and I hate the idea of being relegated to a packed Korean Air or Alitalia lounge (both of which are widely regarded as terrible). Does anyone know where China Eastern passengers will be sent to? There really are not many options at JFK T1 and Air France was the only decent one!
how about JAL passengers? do they also get redirected to KE (first) and LH (biz)?
Also does the Delta airside bus stop at T1? Because if it does, I can see some skyteam passengers go over to the T4 skyclub
Always intriguing when airlines choose non-alliance partners for lounges (at GIG last week on a British Airways flight, I was sent past the American Airlines lounge to, er, GOL’s. Which, as it happens, was rather nice).