Malaysia Airlines First Class Lounge Paris: ICARE Lounge

Malaysia Airlines First Class lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is among the saddest First Class lounges I have ever visited. Although I have only visited a few First Class lounges, the Paris CDG Malaysia Airlines First Class lounge is a far cry from a First Class lounge. In fact, it’s not even a First Class lounge, it’s a third party lounge that operates for far flung African Airlines (it was a good AVGeek lesson) that I have never heard of such as EcAir, Camair-Co, and Afriqiyah Airways, and other companies such as Priority Pass, Club Med, and Diners Club. Yet either way, Malaysia Airlines believes that their First Class passengers should use the ICARE lounge instead of the Air France Salon Premier, which Malaysian Airlines uses for their Business Class lounge.

The ICARE lounge in Terminal 1 is landside located near the other lounges above the main departure hall. The lounge is old and dingy and looks like it hasn’t been updated since the early 1980s. The faded leather furniture has had more use than a retired B727 and like the plane, should all be scrapped! The small closet of a lounge has three sitting areas, separated by partials walls, three computer work station, and a tiny bar along with a prepackaged food area. If there were more than 20 people in the lounge it would be packed!

The bar is staffed by the same lady who works the door, as it shares the same work space. Drink options are limited, but the bar is stocked with a small selection of alcohol and wine. Drinks must be asked for on an individual basis and no menus are displayed. Since there is no menu, and the bottles are kept behind the bar, one must inquire to find out what is offered, as options are not readily visible. I half enjoyed a glass of cheap champagne.

Bar area

The food option is the lounge reminded me of the cheap prepackage goods one would find at a dive bar rather than a First Class lounge or airport lounge. Options consisted of chips, cookies, biscuits, breads, and processed junk food that I opted not to partake in. Thankfully I had enjoyed a better meal at the Marriott Champs-Elysees before heading to the airport. The only highlight to the food area was the espresso machine, but since it uses nepresso like capsules, even figuring out exactly how to use the machine was a bit of a challenge!

The one highlight to this lounge is the little garden the lounge looks out at. And by that I mean the little bit of natural light that enters the lounge. Otherwise, there are no tarmac views, no plane spotting, and nothing good about this lounge!

The ICARE lounge should truly be renamed the NoCare Lounge, as this is ranks among the worst lounges I have visited in Europe! Its small, dated, and lacking most amenities! As a priority pass lounge I could half accept its short comings, but as a “First Class” lounge I am appalled. If Malaysia Airlines wants to offer a true First Class experience and compete with Air France’s First Class lounge and redesigned product they really need to step up their game! As my first impressions with MAS were far from impressed and based on the airport experience I can now understand why I was the ONLY passenger booked on Malaysia Airlines A380 in First Class. Tragedies aside, the Malaysia Airlines First Class ground experience straight up stinks!

Oh and traveler beware, this lounge is not only used by OneWorld member Malaysia Airlines, but SriLankin also uses this lounge! If traveling through CDG, do not arrive early, do not waste your time, bypass the lounge all together!

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About Rocky Horan