Review: the €10m Star Alliance lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

This is our review of the brand new Star Alliance non-Schengen lounge at Paris CDG Airport Terminal 1.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to see Terminal 1 at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, which I thought Aeroport de Paris (ADP) had refurbished to a very high standard. I called my article “The perfect airport doesn’t exist, but the new Paris Charles de Gaulle ‘Extime’ upgrade is close”.

The project wasn’t just a light refresh: it was a huge, three-year project that saw virtually all parts of the flying-saucer shaped building replaced and restored. It also connected the existing satellite buildings – which is where the boarding gates were – into a single unified space and the creation of a new luxury shopping and dining hall.

The new boarding hall has also enabled the expansion of multiple new lounge spaces, one of which is the new Star Alliance Lounge. I was invited to the opening party on Thursday, the day before it opened to the public.

Star Alliance in Paris

Most of the time, airport lounges are run by airlines themselves in their own-branded facilities. Hence the United Club, Lufthansa Lounge, Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge etc at Heathrow Airport, which are all managed by their respective airlines.

Occasionally, however, you will find an alliance-branded lounge, with both SkyTeam and Star Alliance operating a number of lounges worldwide. oneworld has plans to open its first in the future, with the first speculated to be in Seoul and then potentially Amsterdam.

This usually happens when there is no ‘home’ airline and an airport is served by multiple Star Alliance members, none of which is big enough to take a leading role in opening a lounge.

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is the perfect example. The home carrier here is Air France (which is part of SkyTeam) but the airport is served by 20 different Star Alliance airlines who fly to 22 destinations globally with 464 weekly departures.

That’s a lot of flights collectively but fewer when split between each individual airline. (Lufthansa does operate its own lounges but these are likely too small to accommodate other Star Alliance guests.) In order to cater to premium and status-holding passengers, Star Alliance manages an alliance-wide lounge here.

In fact, it now manages two lounges at Charles de Gaulle Terminal 1: the existing Schengen lounge remains in the main building before the exit immigration control, whilst the new lounge now caters to passengers flying internationally to non-Schengen destinations from the satellite node.

Inside the new Star Alliance Lounge in Paris

The new non-Schengen lounge is a €10 million investment into the lounge experience in Paris with a brand new facility sitting on the top floor of the new boarding hall building. Simply turn right when you enter the luxury shopping area and follow the signs up to the third floor, accessible via stairs or lift.

The lounge has a footprint of 1,300 square meters. It is marginally larger than the Qantas London Lounge at Heathrow and can accommodate over 300 passengers.

After walking down a 20m long corridor you are greeted by the lounge entrance, with automated access gates as well as a big marble reception desk:

The space itself is fairly long and thin, with reception in the centre. Gensler, the architects and designers, have spoken of the challenges of working in such a space but I think they have largely been successful.

One of the benefits of such a long space is that you are never more than 5m from a floor-to-ceiling window. The lounge is lovely and bright and commands great views across the airport, including of a parked Emirates A380 below during my visit. Immediately as you enter is a welcome bar plus some casual seating:

The left hand side of the lounge is primarily a space for lounging and working. There are – gasp – magazines:

There is a winter garden with programmable LED lights as well as an open-air terrace:

The lounge is so new the covers are still on the furniture:

There are plenty of armchairs facing the windows:

Connectivity is second to none, with multiple mains and USB sockets at every seat, including USB-C.

In the semi circular space at the rear you’ll find a tea salon, with specialist teas, a coffee machine and various sweet treats such as macarons:

The onyx sculpture at the end is beautifully framed.

Behind this is a working area with individual boothed armchairs as well as four sound-proofed rooms should you need to take a call in private:

At the very far end are the toilets and showers, with four shower suites available:

Toiletries are by Sothys:

The men’s loos are also spoiled with floor-to-ceiling windows!

Feeling peckish? Just turn right when you enter and you’ll pass the oval-shaped wine bar:

and

Following this is there are some individual booths:

…. as well as the dining area with restaurant style seating and a buffet:

Unfortunately, I can’t comment on the range of food that will be available as the kitchen had put on a menu of canapes and finger food specifically for the event. However, if what we had is anything to go by then it should be good.

It’s clear to see where the money has been spent here: this is a stunning lounge. It feels luxurious and residential, like the lobby of a luxury hotel, with a nod to Parisian heritage and design.

Who can use the new Star Alliance lounge in Terminal 1?

The usual Star Alliance lounge access rules apply to this lounge:

• First class passengers travelling on a Star Alliance airline
• Business class passengers travelling on a Star Alliance airline
• Star Alliance Gold status members
• United Club members
• Air Canada Maple Leaf Club members

The lounge is past border control, so you need to be flying to a non-Schengen destination. These are flights from gates 10 to 38 in Terminal 1.

It is open from 6am until 9:30pm seven days a week.

Conclusion

The new non-Schengen Star Alliance lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is an impressive facility and a serious upgrade for Star Alliance passengers travelling from Paris.

With a capacity of over 300 people, it should also reduce overcrowding in the Schengen lounge in the main terminal building.

It will be interesting to see how the lounge works in practice when it opens properly tomorrow. How busy will it be? What food and drinks will be on offer? Do let us know if you pass through any time soon.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (September 2024)

Here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.