After a phenomenal week touring Prague and Romania, it was time to head home. Our return flight to Dallas would again be in American’s Business Class, thanks to a premium cabin fare sale. After a restful night at the Hilton Paris Charles de Gaulle, I decided to head back to the terminal a little earlier than usual. Mostly, this was to get my VAT refund claim stamped and dropped off for processing. I also wanted to spend some time checking out the CDG Admirals Club.
Date of Visit: October 31, 2015
Location
Technically, the lounge is located in a satellite building between Terminals 2A and 2C. If you clear security and passport control for Terminal 2A, follow the signs to the elevator for the Admirals Club. It is up one level from the departures area.
Access
American Airlines Business Class customers, oneworld elite status holders, and certain Citi cards that come with Admirals Club access. As with other Admirals Clubs, day passes are available for $50.
Review
Upon entering around 9:15 in the morning, there was no line at the desk, and we were checked in quickly by a friendly agent. The lounge is a basic square shape featuring a single room, with three aisles of seating, and a larger center section flanked by smaller sections along each wall. Rows alternate between forward facing and rear-facing.
Towards the back are a couple of rows of desktop computers, with a printer also available for use. It looks like there are 6 computers available for use, though only five were functional at the time.
You can make out pretty quickly the pros and cons of this lounge. On the one hand, the design is modern and airy, with plenty of natural light courtesy of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the back. However, the lounge is pretty small, with a maximum capacity of 128 people. As a result, it gets VERY congested during peak times. If you need a quiet spot to make a couple of phone calls and get some work done, you’ll find that difficult here. Besides the congestion, there are no private cubicles or work areas. In addition, the tables are too small, making it difficult to place both a laptop and a drink and/or plate of food at the same time. At least there is an adequate amount of plugs at the seats, and the free WiFi was fast and reliable.
On the other hand, this lounge features among the best ramp/runway views of any that I’ve visited. Those large windows at the back make the Admirals Club a planespotter’s dream, even with the glare and reflections. Who wouldn’t be happy seeing an Emirates A380 and an Air Seychelles A330 in the same morning, after all? Getting a seat by the windows, though, is a major challenge.
We ended up finding two seats near the front of the lounge, which was both a blessing and curse. On the one hand, we were close to the food spread and the coffee machines, which made it extra convenient to grab something. On the other hand, this also meant a lot of foot traffic in our general area. There are also a few bar-style seats immediately behind the serving area; there are plenty of plugs, which makes this convenient for working and eating, though be aware that it does get a little noisy in this area.
Speaking of the food spread, I found it to be above average, especially for an Admirals Club. There are two refrigerators on either end of the back of the serving area, with the world clocks in between, containing a variety of soft drinks. I didn’t look specifically for alcoholic beverages – hey, it was 9:30 in the morning – so I can’t comment on how good the selection was.
On one side of the food spread is a variety of breads, cheeses, cold cuts, sandwiches, and fresh juices. Not pictured: packaged yogurt and a pot of soup.
On the other side was a selection of warm dishes, including scrambled eggs, quiche, sausage, and mini-pancakes.
I’m not much of a breakfast eater, though I did have some brie cheese and bread. The cheese was excellent, and the bread roll fresh and crusty. I also made a cappuccino from the coffee maker, which was alright. But there’s definitely enough here to satisfy pretty much any appetite.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, whether you find this Admirals Club a good one or not depends largely on what you’re looking for. It’s simply too congested and noisy if you’re looking for a quiet place to get some work done, and the lack of work spaces is a major negative. On the other hand, the food spread is quite good for an Admirals Club, and is an excellent club for avgeeks thanks to the runway views (just don’t expect to find a seat by the windows). I was just there for a little food and a little planespotting, so I was happy with my visit.
In the last and final installment of this trip report next week, we fly back home to Dallas in style in American’s Business Class.
This post is part of my trip report series about our trip to the Czech Republic and Romania in October. Click here for the introductory post and trip report index.
