When many frequent travelers think of Air France, the first thing that
comes to mind will often be their incredible La Premiere first class
seat, which I have never flown and will most likely never fly. Putting
that seat aside for a moment, though, Air France does tend to have a
reputation for quality, and this expectation carried forward to their
lounge in Terminal D of George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, TX. Unfortunately, though, my recent visit disappointed me.
How do you access the IAH Air France Lounge?
Most people flying through Terminal D will be (attempting to) access this lounge via Priority Pass, included with many major credit cards. Passengers flying in premium cabins aboard SkyTeam airlines may also access the lounge, as well as folks with FlyingBlue Gold or SkyTeam Elite Plus status. One important thing to note is that Priority Pass customers are dead last in the priority list for access – if you’re in Terminal D at peak times without access through SkyTeam or Flying Blue, they will most likely turn you away or severely restrict the amount of time you can spend. The same access policies apply to the KLM Crown lounge a few gates away, so you might try there, but your luck isn’t likely to be any better.
What should you expect to see once admitted?
Thankfully, the physical space of the IAH Air France lounge is quite nice (if small) once you do manage to get admitted. You’ll find plenty of space between tables in the buffet room, as well as a few couches and chairs in an area cordoned off from the buffet room by a glass divider. This is where those restrictive access policies for Priority Pass members become critical. One common problem with lounges available through lounge consolidators is that they become loud and obnoxious in a screaming hurry. This lounge was the exact opposite of that, in that it was quiet and peaceful for the entirety of the time I spent there.
What’s the food like?
The best way to describe the food here would be as “better than the terminal”. You’ll have a small buffet, the standard battery of coffee and soft drinks, and a variety of alcoholic beverages (which are free!). Pictures of these are shown here:
I think the best I can say about these options is that they are better than a kick in the pants, but nowhere near what I’d expect from an international departures lounge operated primarily for the premium passengers of a major airline. My food options included small turkey sandwiches, salad, and shrink wrapped fruit. I’m not a wine person and cannot speak to the quality of the wines on offer, but their liquor selection is mostly composed of lower-mid shelf bottles that you’ll likely want to mix with something. Some lounge review sites note that these are self-pour, but this was not my experience during my visit.
What about other amenities?
Similarly disappointing was the limited availability of power outlets – they’re there, but you might have to hunt to find one in range of your seat. Even more importantly, there are no bathrooms in the lounge – you’ll have to leave and use the nearby terminal restrooms!
The Bottom Line
To me, the primary function of an airport lounge is to serve as a place to dodge the hustle and bustle of the terminal. Even lounges like the Centurion (also in Terminal D), which accomplishes most of the auxiliary tasks of an airport lounge quite well, sometimes fail at this basic task, having grown more popular than they have capacity to comfortably support. The Air France lounge in Terminal D of IAH in Houston, Texas flips this script on its head. If you’re able to get in, it will almost certainly be quieter than the Centurion or a genero-lounge from Priority Pass, and you will be able to comfortably relax before your long international flight in an elegant, pleasant space.
However, it is notably worse at achieving the auxiliary functions of an airport lounge – food, drink, power, entertainment, a business center, et cetera – than most other name-brand lounges and even than some of the Priority Pass genero-lounges (which tend to, you know, have private bathrooms available). As such, my recommendation to you would be that you decide which of those sets of benefits you prioritize before deciding where to spend your time in Terminal D.