6 things + 1 you (may) not know about Europe's best business lounge
During my trip to La Premiere I was fortunate enough to be accompanied on what I believe to be the [...]
Air France
SkyTeam
CDG
During my trip to La Premiere I was fortunate enough to be escorted to what I believe to be the best Schengen lounge in Europe and generally one of the best lounges in the world. I'm talking, of course, about the lounge at terminal 2F in Paris CDG., the home of Air France and the transalpine company's flagship lounge.
In this article:
I had a chance to chat with Rudy Faltiex executive chef of Servair, the company in charge of managing the two lounges dedicated to short/medium-haul passengers in Paris, and I ventured out to ask a few questions.
#1 How many people pass by Salon Vip 2F every day.
Every day No less than 2500/3000 people pass through this lounge. All passengers with Flying Blue status, or a Skyteam Elite Plus card in one of the alliance airlines of which Air France KLM is a major driver, can gain access here. During peak season it also reaches more than 4,000 admissions, and there are not a few mouths to feed.
The hall opens at 5 a.m., right on time to accommodate the early birds. More than 50% of the day's passengers transit in the early hours of the day, and around 11 a.m. it begins to empty out as they wait for lunch passengers.
#2 A brigade of nearly 100 people
In the 2F lounge alone, then excluding the Servair staff working in the kitchens where the main dishes are prepared, there nearly 100 people work in catering, room management, food preparation to Comptoir management, where dishes are freshly prepared.
#3 KM0 Products
Compared to my first visit to this lounge I have found the quality of catering much improved in the past 18 months. I understood why by talking to the catering manager. "We changed our proposal, focused on local and seasonal products trying to enhance the raw material, being careful about the sustainability of our work."
This translates into recipes based on vegetables and other ingredients that come daily and not from industrial and precooked products.
#4 The pastry is homemade
As Chef Rudy explained to me all the desserts are prepared by the Servair staff, considering that if there is one thing that has never disappointed me in this lounge it is the desserts I now understand why.
On the day of my passing, February 2, Candlemas was being celebrated, and in France it is a tradition to eat crêpes, and I could not resist trying two, obviously sweet ones: a crêpes suzette and a chocolate and whipped cream one.
#5 More than 250 bottles of champagne are uncorked every day.
So many people passing by, so many mouths to feed, and most of all thousands of thirsty people, literally gorges as dry as the desert. I asked the chef to give me some numbers and was really amazed. About 150 bottles of wine, including whites, reds and rosés are uncorked and made available to guests every day.
The most striking figure, however, are the 250 bottles of champagne that are opened and put on ice for guests each day. Let's say that if we get 6 glasses out of a bottle, about 1,500 flutes are served every day. Not a few if we think about the daily influx, but the fact is that more than half of the people visit this lounge for breakfast. Evidently they all belong to the same religion as me: "No matter what time it is, somewhere in the world it will be bubble time."
#6 The secret lounge for those with Ultimate cards.
Avoid crowding, treat with kid gloves the most valuable passengers, those who always and (almost) only fly Air France KLM and reach the Ultimate level. For these passengers Air France has created a lounge, inside the lounge.
The entrance is just past the turnstiles, on the side opposite the locker area. The door opens only with the secret code, and behind the door is absolute quiet. Of course if you want to eat, you have to go through the commoners' area, but if you just want to spend time in an environment, clean and sileptic this is the right place.
And for those who are just there for the job, there is also a small room where they can have their last meeting before taking off.
+1 Not everyone appreciates the central staircase
This secret was revealed to me by Alessandra, who has been in AF for 25 years but is originally from Bari (Barletta to be precise) she is the one who picked me up on board, took me to the lounge, pampered me, and finally she is the one who drove the Porsche Cayenne that took me to the first class lounge.
"You won't believe it," he told me, "there are also those who do not appreciate this magnificent staircase, because of its steps.... What can I say, the world is beautiful because it is stingy.
In conclusion
This lounge is really beautiful in all aspects: architecturally, in the facilities, in the furnishings, and now in the food and wine offerings. Being able to chat with the staff, walk around the kitchens and see behind the scenes was really a wonderful opportunity.
