Air France has just formally announced plans to open a new lounge in New York. We’ve kind of known this was coming, though it’s now official. This will be absolutely massive for an outstation lounge, and I can’t wait to see more pictures of what it’ll look like.
In this post:
New Air France Lounge JFK Terminal One details
New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) is currently undergoing a major redevelopment. As part of this, we’re going to see the opening of the new Terminal One and Terminal 6 (I know the inconsistent branding is strange, but it’s called “Terminal One” to differentiate it from the existing Terminal 1, which is undergoing a redevelopment, while there’s not currently a Terminal 6).
In 2027, Air France will be moving all of its operations from the old Terminal 1 to the new Terminal One, and as part of that, the airline will be opening a new lounge. It’s expected to span more than 2,700 square meters (29,000 square feet), making it the carrier’s largest lounge outside of France.
The new Air France facility is expected to span two levels, and seat more than 400 guests. The lounge will feature a large dining area and bar, and will also have dedicated areas for beauty treatments, relaxation, and work.
Air France puts a ton of effort into its La Premiere (first class) ground experience, and the airline is promising a more seamless experience at Terminal One. That includes access to an exclusive area of the lounge, featuring a special a la carte dining offer. There will also separately be a dedicated area for Flying Blue’s top-tier Ultimate members.
You can expect the new Air France Lounge to follow standard SkyTeam lounge access requirements, and be open to SkyTeam business class passengers as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus members. Those are all the details we have as of now. So far, only the below rendering of the lounge has been provided.
Full list of JFK Terminal One airlines & lounges
For context on JFK Terminal One, when it opens, it’s expected to be home to around two dozen airlines that span the alliances. So far, airlines that have been announced for the new JFK Terminal One include Air China, Air Europa, Air France, Air New Zealand, Air Serbia, Azores Airlines, China Airlines, China Eastern, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad, EVA Air, Gulf Air, LOT Polish Airlines, KLM, Korean Air, Neos, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, SAS, Saudia, Turkish Airlines, and Viva Aerobus.
The terminal is expected to have a total of six lounges, including four lounges operated by airlines and representing all three major alliances, plus two independent lounges. So, which lounges does that include?
- When it comes to non-airline lounges, there will be two Plaza Premium Lounges, including a standard Plaza Premium Lounge, plus a Plaza Premium First Lounge
- When it comes to airline lounges, there will be facilities operated by Air France, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines
Bottom line
Air France has officially announced plans to open a lounge at JFK Terminal One, once the airline moves operations in 2027. The lounge will be huge, as it’ll cover nearly 30,000 square feet, and will be able to accommodate up to 400 passengers.
Air France does a great job with its lounges, and I’m sure this will be a lovely facility, and a great improvement over the current reality of operating out of the old Terminal 1.
What do you make of the plans for a new Air France Lounge at JFK Terminal One?
I imagine this new Air France Lounge will no longer be accessible through Priority Pass, like the current Air France Lounge at JFK Terminal 1 is?
Au contraire, with the enlargement it sounds like they're looking to accommodate more guests, not fewer
Just like with some of the lounges at the new Terminal 6, it's likely that you can board directly from the lounge!
I can't get excited about this knowing it'll continue to be reheated buffet slop, even for business class passengers.
Lounges are uninteresting to me now unless they serve proper sit down food and beverage (and no I don't just mean overpriced alcohol).
Delta will continue to offer the best ground experience overall for business class passengers at JFK. AA's new Flagship Dining push and changes to transcon have left NY based flyers with a downgraded experience.
Oof. Cheer up. Not very 'you-only-live-once' of you. The new T1 already looks glorious from the outside; it's a brand new terminal; it's going to be way nicer than you're suggesting. Fine, AA is devaluing some of its lounge access at T8, but that's not really at issue in T1 or with AF. And, yeah, most lounge food is not going to make the Michelin guide. Sacré bleu...
I don't need to cheer up, I'm already perfectly fine, it's called being cognizant of what's actually happening and calling it out for what it is.
Air France should have invested in a better ground experience food-wise, given how short JFK to CDG flights are, most business class travelers will prefer to eat before and maximize sleep.
What's actually happening... is that our three area airports in NYC are getting major, like, 'generational,' upgrades, specifically, LGA Terminals B & C (now complete), JFK Terminals 1 and 6 (replacing 6/7), EWR Terminal A (later B & C, but that'll be well into the 2030s).
As for AF, this looks like they are doing what you are asking them to (...a better ground experience). We won't know if the food is 'better' or 'same'...
What's actually happening... is that our three area airports in NYC are getting major, like, 'generational,' upgrades, specifically, LGA Terminals B & C (now complete), JFK Terminals 1 and 6 (replacing 6/7), EWR Terminal A (later B & C, but that'll be well into the 2030s).
As for AF, this looks like they are doing what you are asking them to (...a better ground experience). We won't know if the food is 'better' or 'same' until this opens and someone tries it. The existing two-level (with an escalator!) lounge at the old T2 is 'just fine,' but, yeah, not 'stunning' in terms of food or otherwise. The hard product should be a categorical upgrade; soft product can easily be changed if there's enough complaining. I'm hopeful.
Delta may have the best ground experience as far lounges at JFK goes, but it’s also not the best airline to fly out of JFK.
Zut alors! Can't wait for this! C'mon new T1, let's get it going! Chop-chop!