Star Alliance's Paris-CDG lounge wins Skytrax's alliance lounge award for a third year

The Star Alliance lounge at Paris-Charles de Gaulle has been named the World's Best Airline Alliance Lounge at the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards. It's the third year in a row the lounge has won, which covers every year since it opened in October 2023, according to the Lufthansa Group's Sept. 21 announcement. The Star Alliance lounge at Los Angeles took second place.

What's there

The lounge is in Terminal 1, which is where most Star Alliance airlines operate at CDG. It covers 1,300 square meters, with views over the runways. Star Alliance says the design is contemporary with French touches, and the standout features are a dedicated welcome bar at the entrance and a wine section the alliance describes as immersive.

The space is split into areas for resting, working and eating. Our directory lists two parts of the lounge separately: the non-Schengen side, which has four showers, and the Schengen side, which has two. Both score well with our users, and the Schengen side is one of the better-rated lounges in our Paris listings.

Who can get in

This is an alliance lounge, so the rules are the alliance's. Star Alliance Gold members get in when flying any Star Alliance carrier the same day, as do passengers in first and business class on Star Alliance flights. United Club members flying United also qualify, which our directory notes on the non-Schengen listing, and Air Canada Maple Leaf Club members have access too.

Twenty-one Star Alliance airlines fly to Paris, running more than 800 flights a week to over 30 destinations in more than 20 countries. For most travelers reading this, the relevant ones are United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Turkish, Singapore and Air China. All of them use Terminal 1 at CDG, so this is the lounge you'll get.

Why it matters at CDG

Terminal 1 is the circular original terminal at CDG, and for years its lounge options lagged well behind what Air France offers in Terminal 2E. The Star Alliance lounge changed that when it opened. Before 2023, Star Alliance Gold members and business passengers in Terminal 1 were spread across several smaller contract lounges, none of them memorable.

A single shared lounge also solves a practical problem for a terminal that handles so many different airlines. Instead of each carrier running a small space for its own flights, the alliance runs one large one with consistent hours and staffing. That's the model Star Alliance has used in Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam and Rome, and Paris is now the most decorated example.

How it compares

The Los Angeles lounge, which placed second, is bigger and has an outdoor terrace, and our users rate it highly as well. Paris wins on polish and on the wine. The welcome bar is a small touch that most lounges don't bother with, and the wine section leans into the location in a way the alliance's other lounges don't.

Against Air France's own lounges in Terminal 2E, the comparison is closer than you might expect. The Air France lounges in Halls K, L and M have more showers and a bigger footprint, and the La Première lounge is in another league entirely. But for a Star Alliance passenger, those aren't options. Within Terminal 1, this lounge is the clear best choice.

Managing director Virginie Auriol said the recognition "is incredibly rewarding" after the lounge's opening in 2023. Star Alliance vice president Ambar Franco credited the member airlines and the lounge's partners for the result.

Tips if you're connecting

Paris connections on Star Alliance airlines usually mean Terminal 1, and Terminal 1 means a security re-check if you're arriving from another terminal. Budget time for that before heading to the lounge.

If your onward flight is within the Schengen area, use the Schengen side. If you're flying to the U.S., Canada, the U.K. or anywhere else outside Schengen, you'll clear passport control first and then reach the non-Schengen side, which has the larger shower block. Both sides share the same design and food.

The lounge opens early enough for the morning transatlantic bank and stays open through the evening departures to Asia. Check the hours on our listing before an unusually early or late connection.