On October 17, 2025, Air France officially unveiled its new lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). This is the first lounge for the French flag carrier in Chicago and is the latest lounge opening in Terminal 5 at the airport.
Air France Lounge Chicago Location and Entry Requirements
The new Air France Lounge is located airside in Terminal 5, the international terminal at Chicago O’Hare, near Gate M17. The lounge spans 5,000 square feet and is open daily from 5:00a to 11:30p.
Air France Business Class and Flying Blue Elite Plus customers can access the lounge along with eligible KLM travelers, including KLM World Business Class customers can enter. The most exciting item of note is the fact that the lounge is a member of Priority Pass.
Historically, the only Priority Pass lounge available in Terminal 5 has been the less than appealing Swissport Lounge. Because of this, I expect the lounge to get extremely crowded during the peak departure hours and Priority Pass access will be limited or shut off leading up to Air France and KLM Flights.
The opening of the Air France Lounge is the second major lounge upgrade we’ve seen in Terminal 5, after the opening of the new LOT Polish Airlines lounge.
Air France Lounge Chicago Overview
As I mentioned earlier, the new lounge spans 5,000 square feet and has seating for over one hundred passengers. The lounge has large, floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the ramp and provide a ton of natural light in the space.
Like other Air France lounge openings, the carrier’s primary design elements are in blue and white with small pops of red throughout. Air France’s design teams worked in collaboration with the agency SGK Brandimage to develop the lounge.
While Air France does not offer flights to Chicago on La Premiere (First Class) equipped aircraft, the lounge does have a dedicated space for Flying Blue Ultimate members. This space is small, equipped with only four seats, but provides additional privacy for the airline’s top flyers.
The lounge has a mixture of seating areas including relaxation areas with ottomans, quiet work areas, and a dedicated booth for phone calls to avoid disturbing other passengers.
Air France Lounge Chicago Food and Beverage
On the food and beverage front, the lounge promises a French-style culinary experience. The dining area has seats for almost forty guests and a range of dishes will be served throughout the day.
According to Air France, guests can enjoy dishes like beef bourguignon, country-style chicken, and chocolate mousse with caramel cream. The carrier is also placing an emphasis on local and seasonal produce as well as limiting food waste where possible.
The bar is inspired by the atmosphere of Parisian hotels and is intended to create a festive and elegant atmosphere. Depending on the time of day, the bar will either be staffed by a bartender or setup as a self-service station. Champagne, French wines, and a selection of spirits are on offer.
My Thoughts
With Air France moving towards a uniform design palette for its new lounges, I find that the space really makes or breaks the design. The recently opened Air France Lounge at Boston Logan International Airport feels more like a hospital cafeteria rather than a lounge thanks to its low ceilings and lack of windows. The new Chicago lounge space is quite the opposite with the large windows and tall ceilings making the space appear warm and inviting.
Prior to the opening of this lounge, Air France and KLM used the nearby Delta Sky Club for its premium passengers and loyalty program elites. The Chicago Sky Club is a great lounge in its own right and it will be interesting to see how the Priority Pass angle affects the Air France Lounge experience. Personally, I can’t imagine they would be serving Champagne and high end wines outside of Air France departure windows but, I’d love to be proven wrong.
Summary
Air France has opened a brand new lounge space at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). The new lounge measures over 5,000 square feet and has seating for 105 passengers. While this is exciting news for Air France customers, the most notable fact about this lounge is that it participates in Priority Pass. This marks a major upgrade for passengers in Terminal 5 when compared to the other Priority Pass space.
(Images courtesy Air France)