After our early morning flight up from Dallas on Delta and an afternoon in New York, it was time to continue our journey to Belgium. The AirTrain deposited us at JFK Terminal 8 and a short shuttle bus ride later, we were curbside at Terminal 1. We stopped by the Air France counter to collect our boarding passes and then headed off to the lounge.
Location
Terminal one at JFK is on the smaller side, so you don’t have to go very far to find the lounge. Once you clear security, head to the right in the direction of Gate 1. Past the gate, at the end of the hallway, you’ll see the entrance to the lounge straight ahead.
Hours of Operation
Air France currently lists the hours of operation as 10:00a-11:00p daily. It’s worth noting that the American Express Global Lounge Collection website lists the hours as 9:45a-11:30p, so there are some discrepancies out there though I’m going with the times listed by the airline.
Entry Requirements
You can enter the Air France JFK Terminal 1 Lounge a few different ways. Passengers flying in La Premiere (First Class) and Business Class (Standard and Flex Fare) have access to the lounge with their ticket.
Flying Blue Platinum members can access the lounge and bring one guest, with no limit on children under 18. Flying Blue Gold members can access the lounge and bring one guest, with no limit on children under the age of 12. SkyTeam Elite Plus members can also access the lounge and bring one guest. All Flying Blue/SkyTeam elites and their guests must be flying on an Air France or SkyTeam operated flight departing from Terminal One.
In addition to Air France/SkyTeam elites, the lounge can be accessed using Priority Pass, though access may be restricted between 1:00p-10:00p due to space constraints.
There were a couple of people in front of us waiting to enter but with two agents we were helped quickly. One scan of our boarding pass and we were admitted into the lounge.
Layout
The Air France Lounge is split up into two levels, though there is no real difference between the two of them in terms of seating. There was a separate room for passengers flying in La Premiere though, obviously, I didn’t go in.
The majority of the seating was in the form of café style tables, given the short flight between New York and Paris, some passengers choose to eat in the lounge to maximize sleep. However, there were some lounge style seats available on the first floor.
Buffets and restrooms were located on both floors, though the Clarins treatment area (which we didn’t book anything at) and the showers are located on the first floor. The restrooms were on the smaller side, especially given the number of passengers utilizing the lounge.
We grabbed a table near the windows on the second floor which had some massive windows overlooking the approach road to the Terminal and the AirTrain.
The other side of the lounge had views out over the ramp and I managed to snag a shot of an ITA Airways A330neo, Turkish Airlines 777-300 and F-GSQB, an Air France 777-300 that would taking us to Paris later that evening.
Food and Beverage
After we dropped our bags at the table, I went off to check out the buffet. It’s worth noting that, due to the short flying time between New York and Paris, Air France offers to let passengers dine in the lounge to maximize sleep on board. The Air France website officially lists flights AF9 and AF17, but we were extended the same offer on AF11. Since we were full from our early dinner/late lunch at Red Farm, we opted to eat onboard.
The buffet had a decent spread, and consisted of one long, ‘L-shaped’, bar with the drinks located opposite. There was a large selection of meats and cheeses along with some desserts and fruits/juices in a chilled area.
Also in the chilled area was a build your own salad bar.
For the warm dishes, there were two quiches, a ham and cheese as well as a broccoli and cheese, as well as three platters. The platters consisted of some roasted potatoes with vegetables, a lightly fried flounder, and a beef stew.
Finally, there was a selection of fruit, nuts, trail mix, and pies available at the end of the buffet.
The bar was located opposite the buffet on both levels and was completely self service. There was a decent selection of drinks, though nothing groundbreaking. For wine, there was champagne and three whites in an ice bucket. Next to this was a selection of three reds.
There was a small selection of spirits, though I hadn’t heard of any of them really and was a little underwhelmed (maybe the brands are more popular in Europe/France).
Coffee, water, and espresso machines were located next to the spirits and sodas, juice, beer (Heineken), and hard seltzer (White Claw) were located underneath.
Since we had eaten earlier in the city, I wasn’t very hungry and grabbed a couple slices of quiche and a piece of flounder which I accompanied with a glass of champagne. I ended up going back for two more slices as hunger started to creep in due to a slightly delayed boarding time.
Atmosphere
The lounge was fairly nice though it was very busy during our stay. The staff was working quickly but tables were hard to come by and they had trouble keeping the food stocked. I’m fairly sure it was a combination of the delays that impacted New York area airports causing flights to back up, full summertime flights, and the evening departure bank. It wasn’t a terribly relaxing lounge experience. Though, it was definitely much quieter and less chaotic than being in the old, cramped Terminal 1 concourse.
Summary
The Air France Lounge JFK Terminal 1 is an above average lounge in a below average terminal. I would absolutely spend time here again rather than the chaos that is JFK Terminal 1. The lounge does get crowded at times so be aware that it may not be the most relaxing space.
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