Two years after returning to Newark (EWR), Air France is gearing up to open a lounge at the New York-area hub.

The French carrier has applied for a seven-year lease on an unspecified space in Terminal B, starting on January 1, 2025. The application is expected to be approved this week by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, owner and operator of Newark Liberty International Airport.

Air France currently operates lounges at six U.S. airports: Boston (BOS), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington-Dulles (IAD).

The Air France lounge at Los Angeles International Airport / Photo: Courtesy of Virginie Valdois

Each day, these airports offer multiple flights from Air France or its partner airline, KLM.

However, Newark is an exception, as Air France only has one daily flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) from this airport, and KLM has no operations there.

This raises questions about why Newark was chosen for Air France’s seventh American lounge. Notably, the airline only resumed flights from Newark in December 2022, ten years after it had ceased operations there to focus on its New York services at JFK.

Details of the Lease and Investment

However, Air France clearly believes in its Newark flight, enough to spend $13.4 million in rent for the around 6,000-square foot lounge space, plus a committed $3 million in refurbishments.

It also can’t currently give its premium travelers in Newark access to a lounge near its gates.

Photo: Courtesy of Newark Airport

Previously, Air France had a deal with British Airways (BA) that guaranteed its Flying Blue elites and premium ticketholders access to the BA lounge in Terminal B, Pier 2. However, that contract was terminated a few weeks ago, likely in an attempt by BA to manage overcrowding.

Air France is now directing its premium travelers to the Delta Sky Club in Terminal A, an AirTrain ride away, and handing out meal vouchers.

Rationale Behind the Lounge Decision

Air France has likely decided it’s worth a $16 million investment in a Newark to draw in well-heeled and corporate travelers who expect lounge with their business-class seats.

The airline is also known for monetizing its outstation lounges through third-party access programs, so elites with other airlines and Priority Pass members can access the lounge doors.

Details about the lounge are still scant. We don’t actually know exactly where it is in Terminal B’s Pier 2, where Air France’s gates are located.

Competition at Newark

The only operational lounges airside in the pier are spoken for. British Airways has just applied to renew the lease on its lounge there for seven years and pledged to spend at least $8.5 million to “fully rehabilitate and refurbish” the space.

French boutique airline La Compagnie will also renew the lease for its nearby Lounge&Co space, which it took over from Virgin Atlantic last year. The airline operates business class-only flights from Newark to Paris Orly (ORY), Nice (NCE), and Milan Malpensa (MXP).

Photo: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, Newark Liberty International Airport. Courtesy of Matteo Legnani.

That leaves the former Art & Lounge space landside in Terminal B or another corner of Pier 2 we’ve overlooked. Air France could also have snapped up space in the B1 and B3 piers, although those are distant from its gates in B2.

In the long-term, all of these lounges may be bulldozed as the Port Authority pursues ambitious plans to construct a brand-new terminal B for Newark, replacing the current dated structure.