Air France’s impressive investment in its passenger experience is continuing, as the airline has today unveiled a refreshed lounge at its global hub.
In this post:
Air France Lounge Terminal 2E Hall K renovated, expanded
On April 2, 2025, a new Air France Lounge has opened in Terminal 2E Hall K at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). I actually reviewed this exact lounge two years ago, and since then, it has undergone a renovation and expansion.
The lounge has been expanded by around 900 square meters (9,700 square feet), with seating for an additional 200 guests, and an additional floor. In total, the lounge now spans 2,800 square meters (30,100 square feet), can accommodate 638 guests, and covers three floors.
This is a standard SkyTeam business class lounge, so it’s open to SkyTeam business class passengers, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus members. Note that Terminal 2E Hall K is generally used for long haul and non-Schengen flights, so if you’re flying outside of the Schengen zone, it’s possible that this is the lounge you’ll be directed to. The lounge is open daily from 5:30AM until 11:30PM.
Air France has been investing a lot in its lounges in recent times, and this one follows the new design template, which I like, as it’s functional and stylish.
As far as lounge features go:
- The lounge design includes lots of posters reflecting Air France’s heritage and promoting its current network, as well as frequent use of Air France’s logo, the winged seahorse
- The lounge’s new third floor is a “petit salon,” which is intended to be a place to rest or work, as there’s seating for relaxing, as well as a co-working space and meeting room
- The lounge has a dedicated space for top tier Flying Blue Ultimate customers, with views of the runway, and its own restaurant-style catering service
- The lounge has different dining areas that change throughout the day, with hot and cold options, as well as sweet and savory options; menu items include beef cheek piperade, fish fillet with lemon sauce, veggie “burgal,” and a mango and passion fruit-flavored dessert
- The lounge has a rest area with loungers that offer bed-like comfort
- The lounge has a Clarins spa, with complimentary treatments, and options including “goodbye dry skin,” “revitalizing youth booster,” “healthy glow,” and “beauty in a flash”
- The lounge has sevel shower suites, for guests to recharge between flights
- The lounge has Air France’s signature AF001 fragrance, which is increasingly being introduced throughout the Air France experience; this is described as a “comforting musky scent, combined with mimosa from the south of France, that adds a sunny, natural vibrancy”
Below you can find some pictures of the new lounge.
Air France’s lounges are a cut above the competition
I’ve gotta say, I consistently find Air France’s hub lounges in Paris to be a significant step up from what the competition offers, in terms of the business class lounges of carriers like British Airways, Lufthansa, etc. Yes, of course every business class lounge is going to be crowded during peak periods, but Air France just puts a lot more effort into the experience, in my opinion.
Air France lounges have legitimately tasty food, champagne, shower suites, and even spas and saunas in select lounge. It’s a much more pleasant experience than you’ll find at other hubs.
Bigger picture, I can’t help but give Air France credit for its premiumization. Of course there are so many airlines that talk about all the investments they’re making in the passenger experience, but Air France’s execution of this is better than at the competition.
Just look at the pace at which Air France is rolling out its new business class product and refreshing lounges. For that matter, the airline will shortly debut its new first class, and is also expected to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi in the near future. It’s quite a contrast to what we’ve seen over in Frankfurt, in terms of saying vs. doing.
Bottom line
Air France has just opened a refreshed and expanded lounge in Terminal 2E Hall K at Paris CDG Airport. This is a positive development for long haul passengers on the carrier, given that this should offer a much more pleasant experience. I continue to be impressed by Air France’s direction, and the pace at which the airline makes positive changes.
What do you make of the new Air France Terminal 2E Hall K CDG lounge?
Trying the new 2E Hall K lounge now. First impressions:
The food and beverage offering and quality has not changed (it is not bad) and for all the champagne and wine lovers there is still the same good selection
Upstairs feels more cramped than the old lay out and was crowded
Downstairs has a much more open feel, less crowded but an uninspiring view of a concrete wall
Seating options are more varied and...
Trying the new 2E Hall K lounge now. First impressions:
The food and beverage offering and quality has not changed (it is not bad) and for all the champagne and wine lovers there is still the same good selection
Upstairs feels more cramped than the old lay out and was crowded
Downstairs has a much more open feel, less crowded but an uninspiring view of a concrete wall
Seating options are more varied and comfortable - finishings and decor more modern
I happily spent 3hours here working, making calls and eating more than I needed to.
I don’t think Bob is here for a real convo. He’d rather just pull a drive by and imply that people who like a festive mimosa at the airport lounge are philistines and alcoholics. He also engages in some fun cultural stereotyping along the way. At a certain point you have to admire the economy of his gormlessness
"Air France lounges have legitimately tasty food, champagne, shower suites, and even spas and saunas in select lounge. It’s a much more pleasant experience than you’ll find at other hubs."
This is true but the Air France lounges outside Paris, especially in Norht America, are awful.
"Air France lounges have legitimately tasty food, champagne, shower suites, and even spas and saunas in select lounge. It’s a much more pleasant experience than you’ll find at other hubs."
This is true but the Air France lounges outside Paris, especially in Norht America, are awful.
Really wish they'd renovate/update the JFK lounge, or at least just update the F&B. It's been pretty awful for a while now - they never really revamped it from the pandemic. It was so much better pre-Covid.
This is where most Delta passengers depart from.
A very much needed upgrade considering how sad the old one was.
I was surprised how poor the food in the CDG AF lounges was. Few options and not very appealing.
Definitely varies widely throughout the day. Their AM good selection is very meh. Late afternoon and dinner time however it's much better.
Over the last year, I've enjoyed passing through the AF lounges at CDG...my only complaints: no champagne until 11am, so no pre-departure mimosas (though if you ask nicely they will bring you a glass!) and the Clarins spas have never been open the 6 times I've passed through, including the two times I was in the M Hall lounge two weeks ago. Total business class problems, I know ;).
I found the lack of champagne in the morning quite surprising considering that they have a bunch of strong spirits available at that time (which are far less "suitable" for breakfast time than champagne).
That's an interesting observation about morning drink availability. I wonder if champagne is truly more suitable for morning consumption than spirits, or if we're just attached to the illusion of form?
Both champagne and spirits share the same essential nature - they're alcoholic substances that alter consciousness. Their difference exists primarily in our social constructs and perceptions rather than their fundamental essence. The effervescence and lighter color of champagne creates an illusion of "breakfast...
That's an interesting observation about morning drink availability. I wonder if champagne is truly more suitable for morning consumption than spirits, or if we're just attached to the illusion of form?
Both champagne and spirits share the same essential nature - they're alcoholic substances that alter consciousness. Their difference exists primarily in our social constructs and perceptions rather than their fundamental essence. The effervescence and lighter color of champagne creates an illusion of "breakfast appropriateness" that we've culturally assigned, while darker spirits are deemed too "heavy."
Have our associations with champagne's form created an arbitrary distinction that masks its similar nature to other alcoholic drinks? Perhaps the morning champagne expectation reveals more about our attachment to conventional forms than any inherent suitability. What do you think - is champagne's morning acceptability merely an illusion of form?
It's a cost-cutting measure, nothing to do with intoxication.
The french don't drink at 10am. 9am is still very early for them. It's like being shocked that Chinese restaurants don't do dim sum after 2pm. Or French toast is not a breakfast item in France but a dessert.
I have to wonder about needing champagne at 10am.
@Bob - That's why the lounge has bottles of Armagnac, whiskey, vodka and a dozen of other spirits out at 6 AM, but no champagne, lol.
Champagne breakfasts are a thing; have you people never come across them?!
They are in some places on earth, but not in the country where Champagne actually is from.
You can get a glass of bubbly in some of the very touristy spots in Paris or the Côte d'Azur, the places where people with Emily-in-Paris ideas of France go to (mostly Americans, East Asians, Middle East). But go to a normal café, and you're lucky if you can anything other than coffee, an orange pressé, and some...
They are in some places on earth, but not in the country where Champagne actually is from.
You can get a glass of bubbly in some of the very touristy spots in Paris or the Côte d'Azur, the places where people with Emily-in-Paris ideas of France go to (mostly Americans, East Asians, Middle East). But go to a normal café, and you're lucky if you can anything other than coffee, an orange pressé, and some viennoiserie.
So the Air France lounges, being in France and run by a French airline, have to find some middle ground between local cultural customs and a global customer set which obviously passes through a lounge. Indeed, they shuold also not have whiskey and gin out as that isn't very French to drink that early in the morning. But there is less danger of hordes of Americans invading the bottle buffet and filling bubbly in their Stanley mugs to take away with them - as happens regularly with Champagne.
Great to see another great lounge by AF. Only what I am not sure as I don't see any photos of it - the co-working space - does this also include a space where calls or online meetings can be held? I do hope that this was taken into account - this is to address those who like to pride around the lounge with their highest pitch.....
Cheers!
This is the lounge for some long haul AF travelers, not really most or all. Those departing from “hall” L or M would use the lounges in those areas instead of this one (which are probably still the nicer lounges, given this one has limited views and light due to its location).