A new Air France Lounge is opening at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Friday, June 21, 2024. All the official details about the lounge have now been revealed, and this sounds pretty impressive to me!
In this post:
Details of the new Air France Lounge LAX TBIT
A new Air France Lounge is opening at Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at LAX. Here are all the details we know about the lounge:
- This lounge is located in the west gates, known as the Midfield Satellite Concourse (this is a bit of a schlep from the main part of the terminal, but it’s also where Air France and KLM flights depart from)
- The lounge is 11,500 square feet, and has seating for up to 172 passengers
- The lounge is open daily from 9AM until 11:30PM
- The centerpiece of the lounge is a dining area showcasing French cuisine, which is supposed to be in the style of a Parisian brasserie, with individual seating, large communal tables, and private alcoves
- The lounge’s food selection includes hot and cold options, savory and sweet dishes, and vegetarian menus; hot dishes include monkfish provençal, beef bourguignon, and braised chicken, and there’s even an open kitchen where a chef prepares dishes on request, like pan-fried prawns and cassoulet with duck confit
- The lounge has a bar with a selection of French wine and champagne, spirits, and local beers, as well as cocktails and mocktails
- The lounge has a Clarins Spa with two treatments rooms that’s open daily from 11AM until 8:30PM; complimentary facial treatments include “anti jetlag,” “instant detox,” and “illuminating eye-care” (this only opens September 2024)
- The lounge features a dedicated area for La Premiere (first class) passengers, which can seat up to 12 guests, and which has its own dining area; first class passengers also get access to a special “de-stress” treatment at the Clarins Spa, designed exclusively for them
- The lounge also has shower suites, so guests can freshen up prior to their flight
- Flying Blue Ultimate members have access to an area of the lounge reserved for them, located close to the dining area
This is Air France’s sixth lounge in the United States, with other locations including Boston (BOS), Houston (IAH), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington (IAD).
Below are some renderings of the new Air France Lounge LAX.
Who has access to the Air France Lounge LAX?
The Air France Lounge LAX follows standard SkyTeam lounge access rules. While the lounge is intended primarily for Air France and KLM premium passengers, it’s also open to all SkyTeam international business class passengers, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus members on international itineraries.
Note that unlike some other Air France lounge locations in the United States, there are no plans for this one to belong to Priority Pass, at least as of now. That means LAX continues to not have any Priority Pass lounges.
This lounge is an exciting development, since previously the only SkyTeam lounge in the terminal was the Korean Air Lounge. I can’t think of any polite or non-offensive way to describe the Korean Air Lounge, so I’ll simply say that I’d highly encourage eligible SkyTeam passengers to visit the Air France Lounge instead.
The Korean Air Lounge is so bad that Air France hasn’t even sent its passengers there, prior to opening its own lounge. Up until now, Air France business class passengers were directed to the oneworld Lounge, while first class passengers were directed to the Qantas First Lounge.
Just keep in mind that it’s a bit of a haul to get to the Midfield Satellite Concourse, so if you’re traveling on another SkyTeam airline and your flight doesn’t leave from there, you’ll get some bonus steps in.
Bottom line
The Air France Lounge LAX is opening in Tom Bradley International Terminal. The 11,500 square foot lounge is located in the Midfield Satellite Concourse, and has a beautiful design. The lounge even has a Clarins Spa, plus a first class section. I’d highly encourage premium SkyTeam passengers to check out this facility.
What do you make of the Air France Lounge LAX?
its cray cay with that few showers.
I read somewhere recently that the AF lounge will be available to Delta passengers for a $50 guest pass. Anyone know whether that is true?
There are two showers, which may not be enough someday, but today there are only about 30 of us here at the moment.
The food and beverage are really stand out so far, and the service is much stronger than many the OneWorld lounge.
What a pleasant way to start a trip to Europe!
God priority pass is just pure, unadulterated trash
As an AF loyalist, I am thrilled to see this investment in LAX. I'm a La Premier regular, so I am also happy & relieved to see separate/exclusive areas and more refined offerings for La Premier and Ultimates within their own lounge. The Qantas First Lounge is nice but being escorted to an exclusive Air France lounge just feels better.
Just walked by it yesterday. Looks pretty nice. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0794V1jlNvSVYH24LJxZarACA
This is welcome news for Air France first class passengers, who previously had access to the (OneWorld) Qantas lounge, since the other sky team lounges are so subpar. I’m also glad they have separate, more exclusive areas for La Premier and Ultimates.
The separate area reserved for FB Ultimate customers is a big plus, and proper recognition for the amount of business they give AF/KLM, and without diluting the La Premiere passengers' lounge experience. Smart move.
The one in BOS is absolute trash. Embarrassing, if this is what passengers are expecting.
AF had an abysmal lounge at ORD before shutting it down. They now use the new SkyClub with its unique direct boarding (the only real advantage for AF passengers at ORD). Seems it needs to be a La Premier hub for AF to invest in its own lounges. I believe Miami is the only La Premier route in North America without its own lounge now.
Love that matte blue, but maybe as an accent instead of almost everywhere? Combined with the gray the lounge gives off a very drab and depressing appearance. Here's hoping it looks better in person.
Very happy to see a proper SkyTeam lounge offering in TBIT (or should we now call it T3?).
Also - it's really nice to see complimentary spa treatments come back as part of lounge offerings. Recent trends have been to remove complimentary spa options & close spas altogether.
I don't think expect them to be part of Priority Pass. After refurbishment finished at their SFO lounge, they left priority pass.
"That means LAX continues to not have any Priority Pass lounges."
I'm starting to think this may not be unintentional. LAX has 2 united lounges (including Polaris), 4 AA lounges (including Flagship), 3 DL lounges (including One), 1 AS lounge, 1 AC lounge, 1 OW business lounge, 1 OW first lounge, 1 *A business lounge, 1 *A first lounge, new ST lounge options (per this article) and a large handful of international lounges in Bradley....
"That means LAX continues to not have any Priority Pass lounges."
I'm starting to think this may not be unintentional. LAX has 2 united lounges (including Polaris), 4 AA lounges (including Flagship), 3 DL lounges (including One), 1 AS lounge, 1 AC lounge, 1 OW business lounge, 1 OW first lounge, 1 *A business lounge, 1 *A first lounge, new ST lounge options (per this article) and a large handful of international lounges in Bradley. It's not for lack of lounges, but a good way for Collinson to save money.
On the other hand, if you could secure a long lease in the Bradley terminal, you'd probably make a fortune with a priority pass lounge there.
Totally agree Andrew. It drives me crazy when people say "LAX has no lounges." It has an abundance of lounges, but mostly airline and premium class access.
I see the benefit of a PP lounge in TBIT, but people flying domestically would still complain. It would probably be extremely popular and packed all the time! The Sapphire lounge will be a great proof of concept when it opens.
Are there really that many of us grease-covered and bellowing sapphire reserve holders that we spoil your domestic lounge experiences so terribly?
Just curious, what is so bad about the Korean lounge lol
It was nice on the first day. And then they chose light-tan seats and made it priority pass - so basically the huddled masses came in and decided that shoes + light tan furniture would be a great mixture. (I'm not even blaming kids for this, as I've seen adults do it.)
That mixed with the most horrible dry sandwiches, parched carrots and shin ramen, and the place was not a retreat at all.
Agreed with Andrew. It was glorified 7/11.
In the early days (when the T4 Connector to TBIT just opened) not many people knew it was there or that they could even get there airside + points & miles being 99% a business travel thing + PP being a perk of only 1-2 CCs = much much much smaller audience trying to access. It was okay to stop by for some quick sushi (even if...
Agreed with Andrew. It was glorified 7/11.
In the early days (when the T4 Connector to TBIT just opened) not many people knew it was there or that they could even get there airside + points & miles being 99% a business travel thing + PP being a perk of only 1-2 CCs = much much much smaller audience trying to access. It was okay to stop by for some quick sushi (even if it was dry af) and some complimentary alcohol before an AA flight, and was only cool to a young 20 something business kid who didn't know any better and didn't have AA lounge access.
Brilliant news. This may become my go-to while waiting for Virgin flights. Thanks Ben!
Also the lack of Priority Pass access is not a draw-back. It's a big advantage that shouldn't be understated. Helps combat overcrowding that could otherwise ruin a decent lounge.
but how many showers?