You’d be a fool to skip the CDG Air France Lounge (Terminal 2F)

You’d be a fool to skip the CDG Air France Lounge (Terminal 2F)

I don’t give out awards for airline lounge experiences, but if I did, the CDG Air France Lounge in Terminal 2F would win the prize for being the most interesting airport lounge I’ve visited in the last three years.

It’s a beautiful two-level lounge with lots of open space to stretch out and relax. There’s lots of really good food, drinks of all kinds, and I even found myself dreading having to back out in the main terminal to catch my flight (which is rare for me).

It’s almost as if the Air France execs read my article explaining why I hate airport lounges, and set out to prove me wrong. Just to spite me.

How to find the Air France Lounge in Terminal 2F at CDG

Finding the Air France lounge in terminal 2F at CDG (Charles de Gaulle Airport) is really easy. Once you pass through the security checkpoint, turn left. It’ll be just ahead on the right in less than 200 feet (61 meters).

Air France Lounge CDG Terminal 2F entrance
I normally start my airport lounge reviews with something along the lines of “it was really frickin’ hard to find” but – I found this one on my very first try. It’s hard to miss.
Air France salon lounge entrance CDG T2
That moment when you remember you’re in Europe so the entrance might be the exit and the exit might be the entrance. Which side of the road do they drive on here again?
Air France salon lounge main entrance Charles de Gaulle airport
Two things I learned from this pic. First, the left side is the exit. Second, it’s an Air France Salon Lounge (and not just an Air France Lounge). It looks fantastic though, so I’m going in…

The layout of the CDG Terminal 2F Air France Lounge

The first thing you’ll notice about this particular Air France lounge is how spacious it feels. It’s broken up into two separate levels, with plenty of seating options on both. I also liked the fact that there are multiple food bars on each level.

Air France salon lounge T2 F CDG
Oh my god. The amount of style and design you’ll be hit over the head with as soon as you walk in will leave a lasting impression (but thankfully no scars). This is nice!
Air France salon lounge design CDG
I was actually getting a pretty strong TWA Hotel vibe in the first few moments, which is an honor I’ve never bestowed on an airport lounge before.
Air France salon lounge self serve alcohol CDG
It’s basically the TWA Hotel with self serve alcohol (every AvGeeks wettest dream).

The walkways / corridors are large and uncluttered, and it’ll really feel like you’ll have room to roam. That’s rare for an airport lounge – I can’t think of any other that I’ve ever visited that felt this spacious.

Air France CDG salon lounge layout
This is the kind of lounge that will make you do a complete walkthrough before deciding on a place to sit (just as a dog will sniff all the trees before choosing one to pee on). There are so many good options!
SANspotter selfie Air France lounge CDG
“How the hell did they let me in this place??”
Air France Terminal 2 F lounge CDG staircase
I have no idea where these stairs lead, but I’m going for it…
Air France Terminal 2 F lounge CDG stairs to second level
You’ve got to be freaking kidding me. This is such a cool lounge!
Air France CDG lounge stairs to second floor
A look back at the stairs I just climbed. Just nuts (in a good way).
Air France CDG lounge second floor
The second level seems even more spacious than the first, which leads me to believe that they read the book on how to create an airport lounge, set it on fire, and proudly proclaimed “screw it – we’ll do it our way” (in a thick French accent of course). 

Basically, I found the layout of this lounge to be extraordinarily intuitive (and beautiful). Everything just felt right – which isn’t something I could say about the Air France Lounge in the Munich Airport.

What is the seating like?

Whether you need to get some work done or you just need to catch up on sleep, there is a chair (or seat) for every situation in the Terminal 2F Air France Lounge.

Air France CDG lounge partitioned off seating areas
What’s not to like about seating areas partitioned off from the walkways? This is much better use of space compared to, say, the KLM lounge in Amsterdam.
Air France lounge CDG terminal 2 F private seating
There are also many semi-private nooks and crannies to help you seek refuge from annoying travel bloggers who are walking around taking pics of everything.
Air France lounge CDG terminal 2 F seats with tables
For those of you who actually enjoy ending up in random travel blogs, there are seating options for that as well.

Just looking at the space, I could tell that they could’ve put a lot more seats in here if they really wanted to. I’m glad they didn’t, because of the added buffer zone between seating areas helps to make this a very peaceful and relaxing environment.

Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F design
Even if you can’t find a place to sit in this lounge, just walking around looking at everything is just as fun.

Is the food any good?

Yes, the food is excellent in this lounge! I arrived at 7 AM on Wednesday morning, there was a full breakfast spread consisting of eggs, sausage, potatoes, as well as cereals, yogurts and pastries/bread.

One of the most unique things about this lounge are the food bars themselves. Instead of clustering all the food together in one area (as you just saw in my Montreal Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge review), there are multiple food stations spread throughout the lounge on both levels.

Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F food bar
Whoever’s idea it was to have multiple food bars placed in various locations throughout the lounge (on both levels) is my hero. This is genius!

Not only will you not have to walk very far to get a hot plate of food or a drink, you won’t have to deal with massive crowds when you get there.

Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F food
Food. Everywhere.

Each food station features the exact same food as the others, so you’re not missing out by picking at the one that is closest to where you are sitting.

Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F breakfast
Did you really think I’d do a full review of an Air France Salon Lounge without any pics of croissants? That’d be like reviewing the LAX United Club and not including any pics of the cheese cubes.
Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F eggs and sausage
The truth is that I’m not all that into croissants, so I went heavy on the protein instead.
SANspotter selfie Air France CDG terminal 2F lounge
By the way, the green smoothies are excellent. I drank 3 of them…and I would have gone back for more if I wasn’t concerned about being kicked out for being annoying. 
Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F food options
Another food bar. It’s basically the equivalent of having separate 4 kitchens in your house, and now that I have a taste of what it’s like, I’m definitely adding it as a requirement for my dream home build. 
Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F food station
The lady on the couch back there seems really bummed about the fact there wasn’t any food on this one. 
Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F alcohol
For those of you who prefer a liquid breakfast, you’ll be thrilled to know that the selection of self serve alcohol is impressive (even at 7am).

How to get into this Air France Lounge

Getting into the Air France lounge in Terminal 2F at the Charles de Gaulle Airport is the same as getting into any SkyTeam lounge. Here’s the most common ways to do it:

  • By flying business class on Air France or any other SkyTeam partner airline. I was flying KLM 737-800 business class to Amsterdam on this particular morning, and that was all that was needed to get me in.
  • By having Flying Blue Platinum or Gold status.
  • By having SkyTeam Elite Plus status.

Keep in mind that entrance requirements and qualifications change all the time, so be sure to check the Air France website for the latest information.

Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F secluded seating area
How many people do you suppose decided to skip their flight altogether and hang out here all day instead? I’m sure it’s happened at least once.
Air France lounge CDG terminal 2F reading material
I’m also willing to bet that absolutely nobody has picked up one of these magazines in the last 7 days. How is this still a thing?

Pros and cons of the Air France Lounge CDG (Terminal 2F)

It’s rare that I’ll ever admit to enjoying spending time in an airport lounge, but I quite enjoyed this one. If all airport lounges were like this, I wouldn’t be so hesitant to to be a total lounge rat! To prove that I’m not just saying that to be nice, here are what I consider to be all the pros and cons:

Pros

  • It’s incredibly spacious! This is probably the only airline lounge that I’ve ever visited where I felt like I wasn’t a tripping over all the other guests.
  • It’s stunningly beautiful. Of course I know that looks are subjective, but beautiful architecture and interior design goes a long way towards calming frazzled nerves induced by the stresses of air travel.
  • The food is good (and plentiful). Having multiple food stations located throughout the lounge helps to reduce the chaos and clutter of a typical lounge experience.

Cons

  • Seating looks to be somewhat limited, so I would imagine that this lounge fills to capacity relatively quickly.
  • Sometimes being on the cutting edge of style and design sacrifices comfort and convenience. I noticed that there were some seats in this lounge that looked great, but probably aren’t all that comfortable.

Give a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.