andysrc

Here's my situation. I'm flying from West Africa to IAD via CDG next month on Air France. I’m booked for economy, but will likely be upgraded on the flight out of Africa to business class, though probably not from CDG to IAD. Will I be able to use the SkyTeam lounge at CDG?

The FAQ says two things that I can’t quite figure out:

All international First and Business Class passengers traveling on or connecting to/from a same-day international flight operated by a SkyTeam member airline have access to our exclusive lounge facilities. Simply present your same-day (First or Business Class) ticket for an international SkyTeam airline flight

This makes me think that as long as either of my flights are business class, then I can use the lounge. However:

Lounge access will be provided only at your departure airport and not on arrival, unless you are connecting to a domestic flight or other qualifying international flight.

This makes me wonder if my access will depend on whether the second leg of my trip is a “qualifying international flight.” It will only be economy, so I’m not sure if it is...

WORLDWIDE TRAVELER

For answering your question, Yes you can enter doesent metter if you connecting flight is on economy
Cheers

Goldorak

I'm not so sure about this. You are given lounge access in case of connecting flight in Y when business class is not proposed on this connecting flight and if you were booked in J for the 1st leg. But if J is proposed on the connecting flight, there is no reason to grant lounge access. You should have booked in J if you want the benefits. As examples :
- you fly JFK-CDG in J connecting to MRS : CDG-MRS is Y only, so lounge access is OK in CDG
- you fly ABJ-CDG in J connecting to IAD in Y : J is proposed to IAD so if you want lounge access, you should have booked in J.

Furthermore, the OP is booked in Y all the way and expect an upgrade (under an undisclosed mechanism) on the 1st leg. So I would not expect too much in term of J perks...

MSPeconomist

If the OP were booked in J for the first leg, I would say yes, since I believe the words about not for arrival refer to arrival at one's destination, so no lounge in IAD unless connecting onward.

However, I too would want to know how the OP expects to be upgraded on the first leg. That could well affect whether lounge access is granted. Certainly if a FA upgrades the OP on board, lounge access would not happen. The lounge dragon will look at the boarding pass, where it's normally easy to see the fare class. If the boarding pass or a FF card is scanned, more information about the history of the ticket could appear on the screen.

KQ321

The OP would presumably have access to the AF arrivals Lounge in 2C (subject to proof of entitlement, such as J-class boarding pass from W Africa to CDG, as MSPeconomist points out). However, I am not sure if/how this would translate to one of the departure lounges in 2E (as these lounges would presumably be more interested in the onward flight, rather than the incoming flight). It's probably worth asking at the lounge, but I wouldn't count on gaining access (unless someone else can provide clearer evidence that someone in the OP's position would be entitled?)

And of course, welcome to FlyerTalk, andysrc!