Air France will open a brand new flagship lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) — and elite members of rival British Airways could possibly be impressed to leap ship.
The provider has confirmed that it’ll open and function a premium area in Terminal 4 at LHR in spring 2026, offering devoted areas for premium-cabin passengers and elite members on the U.Okay.’s largest airport.
Associated: Air France extends its La Premiere network to Atlanta, Boston and Houston
What to anticipate from Air France’s new Heathrow lounge
The brand new lounge, positioned airside in Terminal 4 — which is dwelling to Air France, KLM and plenty of SkyTeam partner airlines (notably excluding Delta Air Traces and Virgin Atlantic, which function from Terminal 3) — will span roughly 8,000 sq. ft and accommodate seating for round 150 visitors. It’s being designed in-house by Air France with company SGK Brandimage, persevering with the aesthetic seen within the provider’s newest lounges in Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS) and Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD). It is going to embrace:
- French wonderful eating in devoted restaurant-style areas
- A full-service bar with a curated record of French wines and Champagne
- Spa and rest zones, plus quiet corners for working between flights
- Entry for La Premiere first-class passengers, business-class (excluding Enterprise Gentle) passengers flying SkyTeam airways, and SkyTeam Elite Plus members of Flying Blue and accomplice packages like Delta SkyMiles (Gold Medallion and above) and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership flying on SkyTeam airways departing from Terminal 4
This lounge is prone to be one of many best lounge options in Terminal 4.
Associated: Video from the first flight in the new Air France La Premiere first class
Heathrow is a key station for Air France’s short-haul community, with as much as seven every day flights this winter between LHR and CDG. From March 29, 2026, Air France will even add two every day flights between CDG and London Gatwick Airport (LGW), giving U.Okay.-based vacationers extra choices to hook up with the airline’s international community.
A part of a wider Air France lounge undertaking
The LHR announcement is the newest installment in a broader lounge enchancment initiative from Air France, which has been investing closely in its premium cabins and floor experiences because it targets prosperous leisure and enterprise vacationers.
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In 2025 alone, the airline:
- Redesigned and expanded its flagship lounge in Terminal 2E at CDG, spreading the area over three ranges and growing capability to 638 seats
- Reopened a completely refreshed lounge in BOS on Aug. 20, with over 5,000 sq. ft of area and 126 seats
- Inaugurated a brand-new lounge in ORD on Oct. 17, positioned in Terminal 5 and providing round 5,000 sq. ft of area and 105 seats
Associated: Chic new Air France lounge opens at LAX with a spa and exclusive first-class area
A brand new temptation for pissed off British Airways elite members?
The biggest airline at LHR, British Airways, has recently moved to a revenue-based system for incomes tier factors, with steep new thresholds for Bronze, Silver and Gold standing.
Beneath the brand new construction, vacationers who beforehand relied on intelligent tier level runs or discounted long-haul business-class fares on BA or accomplice airways now discover it considerably more durable (and costlier) to resume standing. That’s prompting some frequent flyers to contemplate crediting flights to different packages inside Oneworld or past.
Understandably, rival European airways have seized on this chance, providing British Airways Club elite members status matches to try to lure them and their journey spending. A serious downside for London-based members contemplating becoming a member of Flying Blue is the meager lounge entry accessible when selecting to fly with Air France or KLM from Terminal 4, save for the underwhelming Plaza Premium contract lounge at the moment utilized by the airline.
That is particularly stark in comparison with the quite a few airport lounge choices accessible when flying British Airways or its Oneworld alliance companions from Terminal 3, 4 or 5.
Nevertheless, this information of a brand new lounge in Terminal 4, from an airline identified for opening spectacular airport lounges, could also be sufficient for sad BA elite members to modify their loyalty to Flying Blue or one other SkyTeam loyalty program.
Backside line
That is an thrilling growth for passengers departing from Terminal 4 at LHR come spring. Whereas there may be no shortage of lounges throughout the sprawling airport complicated, there was a definite lack of premium choices for Air France, KLM and different choose SkyTeam airways’ premium passengers and elite members.
Delta will proceed to fly from Terminal 3 (the place business-class passengers can proceed to benefit from the outstanding Virgin Clubhouse), however this supplies a big incentive to e-book SkyTeam flights from Terminal 4.
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