Air France offers the world’s best first class ground service, in my opinion, and you can even buy access to this experience if not flying first class, under select circumstances. I want to take an updated look at this, as the price of this has gone up considerably over the years, and access restrictions have also been added.
Let me say upfront that for a vast majority of people, buying this service won’t be worthwhile, even if eligible. However, a reader recently asked me if Air France was still selling this access, so that’s what I’m providing an update.
Why Air France’s La Premiere Lounge is great
Based on my rankings, Air France offers one of the world’s best first class experiences. Air France’s 777-300ER first class is the world’s third best first class product in my opinion, after Emirates’ new 777-300ER first class and Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 first class. The airline is also soon introducing a new first class, which should be a very nice improvement over the current experience.
Not only that, but Air France offers the world’s best first class ground experience at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, with the spectacular La Premiere Lounge.
If you’re connecting in Paris, you’ll be picked up from your arriving flight and will be brought to the lounge. After relaxing (and not having to worry about anything, since the staff keep an eye on the time), you’ll then be driven to your connecting flight when it’s time.
The food in the Air France La Premiere Lounge is the best of any lounge I’ve experienced. There’s also a spa, where you can receive a complimentary treatment. Perhaps best of all, the entire experience is performed with such French confidence, which I can’t help but love.
The Air France first class ground experience is available to those traveling in Air France first class. Air France exclusively has first class on select Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, operating to key destinations globally.
The good news is that there’s another cool way to get access to this lounge. Unfortunately at this point it’s so costly that I can’t imagine that many people are interested in it anymore.
Air France sells access to the La Premiere First Class Lounge
Given the relatively small footprint of Air France’s first class, the good news is that you can buy access to the Air France La Premiere Lounge if you’re traveling in long haul business class. This has been possible going as far back as 2015, though unfortunately this has continued to get more expensive and also more restrictive.
Nowadays there’s one primary type of Air France La Premiere package that you can buy, which is a departure or connecting service package. This offers access to the exclusive La Premiere check-in facility, access to the La Premiere Lounge, and transfers between flights.
Back in the day the airline also sold the La Premiere arrivals service, but that’s no longer available — I suspect that’s because Air France has launched a paid concierge service, so that can be used for arrivals.
So, how much does this package cost? A staggering 990 EUR per person. This price has gone up massively over the years. Less than a decade ago it cost 300 EUR, then the price was increased to 500 EUR, then it was increased to 650 EUR, and now it’s 990 EUR.
By the way, there is an additional “upgrade” option here as well. Air France recently introduced suites in the La Premiere Lounge, each of which has a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and terrace.
Under the same conditions, business class passengers can buy access to these, but the cost is additive. The suites cost 800 EUR per person for a three-hour block, so for 1,790 EUR, you could buy access to the La Premiere Lounge, plus a three-hour block in one of these suites.
Restrictions on buying La Premiere ground services
Even at this high price tag, there are some other conditions that have to be met in order to buy the Air France first class ground experience:
- You must be flying on a long haul Air France flight in business class (and not on a codeshare or joint venture partner)
- The flight must be operated by a plane without a first class cabin
- The flight must be on a route that doesn’t ordinarily have first class (in other words, you couldn’t buy access on a flight between Paris and New York, since some frequencies have first class)
- You must have flown Air France La Premiere in the past 12 months (it doesn’t matter if it was a revenue ticket, an award ticket, or a paid upgrade)
- Your ticket must be issued by Air France
- There are capacity controls, so during periods of high demand it may not be possible to buy access to the lounge
Is buying the La Premiere ground experience worth it?
Back in the day, virtually any long haul business class passenger could buy access to the Air France La Premiere Lounge for 300 EUR. There was no requirement to have flown La Premiere in the past 12 months, and the pricing was still easy enough to justify.
Sure, it would be a splurge for many, but when you consider the value of two private car rides to the plane, a spa treatment, and an amazing meal, it’s something that many people could see the value in for a special occasion. As you can see, times have changed:
- If you’re looking to justify the value of the price you’re paying, it’s probably harder for most to make the numbers work on paying 990 EUR for lounge access
- Then there are the other restrictions, including having to fly La Premiere in the past 12 months, and restrictions on which routes are even eligible
At this point I’d say the opportunity to buy the La Premiere ground experience is truly for those who would otherwise pay for first class if it were available on a route, rather than those just looking for a fun experience. It’s for those where money is no object.
Bottom line
I consider the Air France La Premiere Lounge to be the best in the world, between the (aircraft) door-to-door service, amazing food, spa, and French service. Fortunately it’s possible to buy access to the experience even if you’re not flying first class, though there are an increasing number of restrictions, and it’s now also outrageously expensive.
I can’t blame Air France for wanting to maintain the exclusivity of the La Premiere experience, and encouraging people to pay for first class rather than just buy portions of the experience. Ultimately part of what makes the La Premiere experience so great is how customized the service is, and how few people are in the lounges.
What do you make of the Air France La Premiere lounge access policies and pricing?
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