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Air France has opened its new lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4 and finally given its flyers their own lounge in London. Originally, the lounge was set to open last month, but as with most things related to Heathrow airport, there were issues which have delayed the opening.
The details
The new lounge, which opened this week, is the first Air France-branded lounge to operate at Heathrow in almost 17 years. The last lounge was located in the old Terminal 2 building which was demolished in 2009. A little ironically, the last flight out of that terminal was an Air France flight to Paris.
The new facility isn’t completely new as Air France has taken over the space formerly occupied by the Malaysia Airlines lounge which never reopened after the Covid pandemic, but it’s had a complete makeover so it’s “new” in every other way.
If you’ve visited an Air France lounge before, the design will look very familiar. The usual mix of signature colours is there – shades of blue, bright white, and red – the winged seahorse logo is on show and there are heritage posters throughout.
We’re told that the furniture was chosen specifically to showcase French designers including Margaux Keller, Pierre Paulin, Patrick Jouin, and Christophe Pillet.
The space covers over 8,000 sqft (750 sqm) and seats almost 150 guests with the dining area catering to sixty guests, with a mix of 2-seater tables and a large communal table.
As with most lounges, the menu here changes throughout the day, with a mix of hot and cold, savoury and sweet dishes as well as vegetarian options (Beef bourguignon is on the opening menu).
Additionally, a staffed bar serves champagne, French wines, and spirits.
There’s also a Clarins treatment area (open Monday to Friday only) where guests can choose one complimentary 15-minute treatment from three options on a first-come-first-served basis:
- Anti Jet-Lag
- L’Instant Detox
- Focus Regard
Bookings can be made at the Clarins reception in the lounge, although it’s worth noting that La Premiere flyers are given the option to book ahead by calling a dedicated phone line.
La Première customers also get their own dedicated five-seat area with in-seat dining, modelled on the La Première suite available on some long-haul flights from Paris CDG.
Flying Blue Ultimate members also get their own separate space, with four chairs.
Elsewhere in the lounge there’s a quiet relaxation area, a workspace, TV screens, and, we’re told, an ample supply power outlets and USB ports near the seats.
Lounge access
The lounge is open daily from 05:00 to 22:00 for Air France La Première and Business Class customers (excluding the Business Light fare).
Flying Blue Elite Plus members, and eligible Business Class or status-holding passengers flying KLM or other SkyTeam airlines are also permitted entry.
Quick thoughts
Seventeen years is a long gap for a major carrier like Air France to go without its own lounge at one of Europe’s busiest airports, and given how much of Air France’s Heathrow traffic almost certainly connects onward through Paris, this is good news for flyers.
A key thing here is something that Air France makes a point of in its press release when is says that the lounge is bathed in light and offers a view of the runways because, for once, this isn’t just PR speak.
This lounge will be bathed in light (when the London weather permits) thanks to its floor-to-ceiling windows that go back to the Malaysia Airlines days.
Annoyingly, I don’t have any good images from days of the Malaysia Airlines lounge, but this old image should show you that the windows in the Air France renderings are genuinely that big. And they will let in a lot of light.
The one oddity about this lounge is the decision to only offer the Clarins treatments on weekdays and not on weekends. I don’t understand the reasoning here (I’m assuming there is some), because I would have expected demand on the weekends to be as great if not greater than during the week.
Overall, however, I’m looking forward to getting a chance to check this lounge out because Air France does lounges well (generally speaking) and this lounge’s location is excellent, so this should be a good one.
Bottom line
Air France’s new Heathrow lounge is now open and it makes the first time in almost 17 years that the carrier has had its own lounge in London. It’s a sensibly sized space, with a proper dining area, a nice-looking bar, lots of light, and great views, so there’s not much not to like (except perhaps the lack of treatments on weekends).
