Air France lounge review at JFK in New York. The same one that ITA Airways passengers can use.

In my recent post-pandemic travels. to the Big Apple and not only that, I had not yet been able to get through Terminal 1 of the JFK New York. This is the terminal historically used by Alitalia first and ITA Airways now; Lufthansa, Air France, Korean and many other airlines also depart from here.

Here Alitalia also had its only lounge outside the Boot., never reopened by ITA that at the moment just use the lounge by AF for business class passengers and Elite passengers in the Volare program.

Location

The lounge is located at the end of the aisle, just past the security checkpoints, just walk straight and don't turn towards the gates and you will end up exactly in front of the door of the French carrier's VIP Salon.

Access

To gain access, you must be a business class passenger of Air France KLM or any Skyteam airline with a ticket to fly on the day. It is, of course, open to holders of the Flying Blue loyalty program's Gold card or higher and to all users at least SkyTeam Plus in the aviation alliance.

This is one of the few lounges also accessible to ITA passengers, precisely because of a special agreement between our national airline and the transalpine carrier. It is also possible to gain access with the Priority Pass card, but only in the morning hours when no AF flights are scheduled.

The lounge

I admit that even when I flew Alitalia, I always preferred to go to this lounge. rather than in that of the Italian carrier. Incidentally, the AZ lounge will soon open under the Turkish Airlines banner.

The hall has two floors and the upper floor houses a mini restaurant. This is accessed only if you fly business or La Premiere with Air France.

All other guests can only enjoy the ground floor, where there is a traditional buffet.

Unfortunately, the pandemic took the SPA away. As in the lounges of Paris, Air France has always offered business and higher passengers a little free treatment, at the moment, however, there is no trace here.

The room overlooks a terminal maneuvering area, the beautiful glass wall allows you to browse outside and see what is happening on the runway, but it is certainly not a view comparable to what the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse or the Centurion Lounge by American Express T3.

The restaurant 

When you enter the lounge you are asked if you intend to use the restaurant, if so you are given a ticket indicating your flight number to present to the staff upstairs. Air France offers this service to premium passengers to allow them to eat before boarding and then sleep the entire flight until arrival in Paris. 

In fact, the menu offered in the lounge is the same as that offered on board the plane headed to Paris, you then have the option of eating in the lounge and not on board, or if you are particularly hungry, either in the lounge or on board.

Same option is offered to first class passengers, but in this case I would never do it since the experience in La Premiere is really the food service.

To guarantee a seat for passengers with the highest statuses, some tables are dedicated exclusively to those traveling in La Premiere or Ultimate Flying Blue level holders.

Food & Beverage

On the ground floor, however, there is the traditional buffet, I must say. I was not particularly impressed. But it is true that I have the same feeling every time I pass by Air France lounges in Paris as well. Beautiful, functional, but with very little gastronomic offerings.

Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the ice cream refrigerator, which was a must every time I passed by, has been eliminated.

Very rich, on the other hand, is the range of beverages, both non-alcoholic and wine and champagne, but here AF plays at home. Of course, the most sought-after bottles are upstairs, a treat for premium passengers and not for everyone.

In conclusion

The ability to dine at a restaurant and then embark on a full belly and sleep the entire flight is a pampering that AF offers to business passengers in this and other proprietary lounges around the world. I find this service to be really level-headed, especially since the offerings are the same as those found on board.

The lounge is nice, too bad, however, that the SPA is gone. Other airlines have also made the same decision, but AF-unlike BA and others-has not closed them in the Paris lounges.