Air France Lounge Review: JFK Terminal 1

I decided to drive up from DC to New York for the recent Norwegian Air inaugural flight to Martinique.  If you haven’t read my review on that flight, it’s worth taking a look at super-cheap flights to the Caribbean.  Since I arrived early, I had time to kill in the airport.  Some of the friends I was traveling with arrived early as well, so we went to go hang out in one of the lounges prior to boarding.

The Air France lounge is located in Terminal 1 at JFK. Directly after clearing security, a right-hand turn and a short walk to the end of the hallway will take you to the entry door. We had a festive greeting for the holidays as we proceeded to the counter to get access to the lounge. I was a guest of Tommy using his Priority Pass membership that comes with his American Express Platinum card.

The lounge occupies two floors at the corner of the terminal, coincidentally right above the gate for our departing Norwegian flight to Martinique. We asked the agent whether it was better to go upstairs or downstairs. She told us both levels were essentially the same (and they were). We chose upstairs for the chance to catch some planespotting prior to departure.

The food selection was pretty meaningful, definitely heavier than a snack and a good enough variety to make a lunch out of. It made me regret the decidedly mediocre slice of pizza I had upstairs before coming through security.

For hot items, there was paella of sorts as well as some noodles. There was also a cold pasta salad, a quinoa salad (my wife would have loved it but I passed) and a fruit salad.

There was a pretty decent selection of wines and spirits available. I made sure to quality check the Mumm champagne. There was a Sancerre, a Beaujolais and a Bordeaux for those that like wine. I’m not a liquor afficianado, but the choices there were definitely middle of the road, though with a decent variety.

A Nespresso machine was available along with an assortment of tea, instant noodle cups and individual snacks.

It was a quick 30-minute stop for us that hit the spot, especially the champagne. For those holding Priority Pass memberships, it’s worth the price of admission if you find yourself in Terminal 1 of JFK.