Swapping Miles for Lounge Access

[Gouabafla]

In a month or so, I've got a six hour layover in Paris on the way to Bangkok. I've got lots of miles with AF, but I don't have a gold card and working for a charity, I only get to fly economy. Is there anyway that I exchange some of my miles for a seat in the lounge at CDG? (Yes, I know I could use vast amounts of them to upgrade to business - but I'd like to avoid that if possible).

For those wondering how I end up with a six hour delay out of the UK - it's because I'm flying out of SOU rather than LHR. This way takes a couple of hours more, but the wait in CDG is better than the drive up the M3.

[spanishflea]

I've never come across swapping miles, but you should be able to buy into a lounge at CDG for about £20. Do a bit of a search on google and see if you can come up with something in advance, failing that just go in on the day and see what their rate is.

[Globaliser]

Thinking laterally, if this is a one-off then an alternative might be to walk to the Sheraton (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=125) which is IIRC between 2CD and 2EF (ie over the train station), and park yourself in a bar there? It depends a bit whether somewhere nice to sit and drink and read is all you need, or whether you want other lounge facilities as well. But that's an option - and it should be an easy walk from anywhere in T2.

[slim_slag]

Give yourself an hour to a decent part of Paris using the RER, a couple of hours in a nice restaurant, and an hour back to the airport leaving you with plenty of time to get bored in the departure lounge.

[Gouabafla]

Thanks Gents, the bar at the Sheraton sounds good. Ideally I want to be able to get my laptop out and do some work, but I don't suppose that will be a problem.

[Final 3 Greens]

I've never come across swapping miles, but you should be able to buy into a lounge at CDG for about £20.

Not in T2, AFAIK, Skyteam Elite PLus is required.

[PAXboy]

Increasingly there are independently operated lounges that cater for those carriers that have, say, only flight a day but need to provide lounge acces. It is then cheaper for them to pay a third party. These places then also have a pay-per-visit policy. In the UK Servisair do this.

I haven't used that airport for a couple of years and then used Priority Pass anyway. This is the operators site for CDG (http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/fr-FR/Passagers/?wysistatpr=http%3A//www.alltheweb.com/search%3Fq%3D%2522Charles+de+gaulle+airport%2522) although, surprisingly ;) I cannot find an 'English' button and you will need the language of the world to see if it holds details.

[SXB]

I can't believe that site isn't available in English ! I had a quick look through the site and coundn't find anything about whether lounges are available on a pay per visit basis.

We have a travel agency on our premises (Carlsson Wagonlit Travel) and they offer a service where we can buy access on an individual basis to certain lounges when we're not fortunate enough to be travelling on business class tickets, I'll ask them tomorrow if it's possible at CDG. I occasionally buy access at FRA and it costs me €19 per visit

[Final 3 Greens]

Guys

I can't logon to the Priority Pass website currently, but the last downloaded lounge list I have says the lounge at CDG is in Terminal 1, the Icare lounge.

It does not give any lounge availability in T2, the Air France terminal. Its a pretty safe bet that PP would have an arrangement with a "pay as you go" lounge, were there one available.

Neither does Flying Blue show any miles for lounges options, so I think that Sheraton may be a good option.

[tezzer]

KLM before the merger used to have a buy lounge access option on the mies programme. I din't know if AF did or do have a similar scheme, but will have a trawl,see what I can find.

[Gouabafla]

Thanks Gents, much appreciated.

[SXB]

Gouabalfa
I asked our travel people and it's possible to buy access to the ICare lounge in CDG1. You can book access here (http://www.airportviplounge.com) Apparently it would be either €25 or €30, they weren't exactly sure.

Good luck

[5711N0205W]

it's possible to buy access to the ICare lounge in CDG1.

This is true, however it is not possible to access it unless you have a boarding pass for a departure from T1 (speaking from recent personal experience), there is no airside transfer option between the two.

Cheers,
5711

[SXB]

5711N0205W, I could be wrong but I'm sure I've taken an airside transfer via bus between the 2 and 1 in the past.

Gouabafla, which terminal are you flying from ?

[Globaliser]

5711N0205W, I could be wrong but I'm sure I've taken an airside transfer via bus between the 2 and 1 in the past.I know that I have done this: in a fit of pique one day when AF canx my CDG-LHR flight because of a light load (or so the gate agent said). I had the time to traipse over to T1 by the airside bus to see whether BA might give me a freebie. The answer was of course no, but it was an interesting trip around the airfield there and back.

But maybe it's now gone.

[Cyrano]

It seems the airside transfer is still there. From the Aeroports de Paris site (http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/Adp/fr-FR/Passagers/Arrivees/EnCorrespondance/AParis-CDG/DeParisCDGAParisCDG.htm):

Vous atterrissez à Paris-CDG1
À votre descente d'avion, suivez les panneaux « Correspondance Transfer » jusqu'aux comptoirs de correspondance pour vérifier votre terminal de départ.
Votre correspondance se trouve à Paris-CDG1
- Vous n'avez pas à passer les contrôles de police.
- Rendez-vous à l’un des deux comptoirs de correspondance, entre les satellites 2-3 et 4-5, pour connaître votre satellite d'embarquement.
Votre correspondance se trouve à Paris-CDG2
- Pour un vol international : prenez la navette Aéroports de Paris (sous douane) au satellite 3 (trajet gratuit), [fréquence des différentes navettes ?]
- Pour un vol intérieur ou vers un état de l’Espace Schengen
- suivez les panneaux « Sortie » et passez les contrôles de police,
- prenez la navette Aéroports de Paris (ligne 1) au niveau départ, porte 22.


(the comment "[fréquence des différentes navettes ?]" is on the original web page - I think ADP hasn't quite quality-checked the web site yet.):cool:

In other words: the airside shuttle goes to/from satellite 3 of T1 (if I recall correctly, the bus gate is on the far right when you come into the satellite on the rubbery horizontal escalator thing).

C.

(Edited to add: in the other direction, according to the website, the airside shuttle goes from beside the airside transfer desks in the various T2s.)