5 Things To Know About the Air France Lounge at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston [Review]

Priority Pass has just 2 lounges in network at Houston’s IAH airport, and I’ve visited them both in the last 2 months. They are panned online for restricting hours to Priority Pass cardholders, but if you’re aware of this in advance, you can set your expectations and avoid disappointment. And having been to both lounges, disappointment might be your impression whether you make it in or not.

Here’s a look at the Air France Lounge at IAH, including where to find it, how to gain access, what the food situation looks like, and what amenities are available.

1. Its Location Is Ideal for Terminal D Travelers

The Air France Lounge is easily accessible at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Terminal D near gate D18. At the time of my departure, gate D18A was assigned to an Air France flight to Paris (CDG), and gate D18B was assigned to KLM for a flight to Amsterdam (AMS); therefore, this lounge is ideally located for anyone departing on those flights.

Follow the signage east in Terminal D until you see the blue abstract painting and icon sign. Note that you will pass the KLM Crown Lounge near gate 16 en route to this lounge. Also keep in mind that the Air France website incorrectly indicates the gates for both of these lounges, and I went on a wild goose chase my first time trying to find them.

If you are not flying out of Terminal D, you can access it by walking from terminals C or E, or by taking the Skyway interterminal train.

2. There Are 2 Priority Pass Lounges at IAH

The Air France Lounge and aforementioned KLM Crown Lounge are the only Priority Pass lounges at IAH. Both lounges restrict Priority Pass guest access in the afternoon: Air France from 12 to 3:15 p.m. and KLM from 12 to 6 p.m.

I entered the lounge just after 11 a.m. using the Priority Pass™ membership I enrolled in with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. The woman who checked me in was clear in telling Priority Pass members that they would need to leave by 12 p.m. to accommodate Air France and Qatar Airways business class passengers. For other guests, she said, the food would also be refreshed at that time.

For guests without Priority Pass, here are the other ways to access the lounge:

• Air France, KLM, or SkyTeam international business or first class
• Flying Blue Ultimate, Platinum, and Gold or SkyTeam Elite Plus on an international Air France, KLM, or SkyTeam flight

3. The Food Was Pitiful

I’ve seen some pretty meager food offerings at a lounge buffet before, but nothing at the Air France Lounge looked appetizing to me. The fact that the woman at registration was advertising “better” food coming out once the Priority Pass guests were removed was also off-putting, but it was also very telling as to how pitiful the food currently out would be.

Lunch included turkey and pimento cheese sandwich halves, a basic tossed salad, pasta salad, soup, prepackaged chips and cookies, and dried fruit.

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Salad and sandwiches.

With such mediocre dishes, my kids still would have been happy to grab a bag of chips or a cookie to go.

The dining area was cramped, with the small buffet at the center, surrounded by dining tables. The staffed bar was in a corner.

The alcohol was not self-service, so you needed to have the staff member pour your drink for you. The coffee and water were self-serve from a machine, and guests were free to grab canned drinks from a cooler.

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Bar.

The Air France Lounge at New York (JFK) also accepts Priority Pass and doesn’t offer a bare-bones buffet to those guests. Think multiple salad bar ingredients, charcuterie, hot entrees, breads, and desserts. It would be nice to see Air France step up its game at IAH.

4. Quarters Are Cramped

Even though guests were still being admitted, there was virtually no place to sit. The lounge was divided into several seating areas. Dining tables and chairs were closest to the buffet. Club chairs were scattered throughout the lounge, and one room featured a small workstation area. A small room in the back was designated for VIPs.

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Dining area near the buffet.

The space felt claustrophobic despite the abundance of windows. The Priority Pass website features a picture of this lounge with open windows along its length, but these windows now appear to be blocked out.

5. There Is an Obstructed View

I often look forward to my time in a lounge for views out across the apron, but since most of the windows in the Air France Lounge were obstructed, the only window open was in the dining room. If you squinted, you could see some United planes out toward a hangar, but otherwise, there was not much action to be seen in this area.

Final Thoughts

I happened to be departing on an Air France flight from a gate adjacent to the Air France Lounge at IAH, so the location was ideal for me, but the experience wasn’t, with mediocre food and a crowded, cramped space.

While I appreciate being able to grab a canned drink to take with me, I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit this lounge again. The regular terminal seating nearby was spacious and had several workstations, and I found it much more relaxed and easy to work from that area than trying to settle down in the lounge.