Previous Installments:

• Introduction: Flying All 3 Big Gulf Carrier Airbus A380s in First Class on a Single Trip
  
• Check-in and Houston Airport Executive Club

The airport’s Executive Club has hot food, but no bathrooms. It’s non-descript and was busy while I was there. I didn’t stay long.

Instead, I grabbed my Priority Pass card and headed down to the middle of the terminal, and later to the end of the terminal, to check out two other lounges.

Terminal D is connected to the rest of the airport airside, meaning you can visit any of the airport’s lounges when flying out of there, for instance you can use a United Club if you’re a member.

What’s especially strange is that terminal D itself has both a KLM lounge and an Air France lounge — two separate lounges operated by Air France KLM. In the same terminal. An easy walk from each other. And with overlapping lounges. Even if they’ve got both on long term leases it seems gratuitous to staff and supply them both. Now, Air France’s Paris flight usually leaves just an hour after the KLM Amsterdam flight most of the time. But even if they needed both lounges to support the two overlapping flights it’s strange that they keep the lounges open throughout the day.

First up was the KLM lounge since it’s smack near the middle of the terminal.

I was immediately struck by the contrast in design between the airport’s Executive Club lounge and the KLM lounge, which was much warmer and welcoming.

While busy I had no problem finding a seat, with power ports.

There was a business center space and a dining area, though the dining area offered sandwiches and snacks as well as self-serve bar there wasn’t the array of hot items found in the earlier lounge.

This was my favorite lounge of the day. It was well-provisioned and generally bright, with restrooms inside. However I wanted to do my duty and check out the Air France as well so I headed down the corridor towards the end of the terminal.

I wasn’t going to visit every lounge in terminal D, however, since I didn’t have a means of visiting the British Airways lounge while flying Emirates and armed with a Priority Pass card. Years ago I would have — I had British Airways status, and BA used to have an ‘open doors’ policy of allowing their elites use of lounge regardless of whom they’re flying.

Instead I headed for the non-descript Air France lounge by gate 12.

The Air France lounge was pretty much empty and had windows. But no hot food, and no bathrooms. Still it was more stylish than the Executive Club.

There was a roped-off VIP area although it wasn’t in any way better than the rest of the lounge. Throughout most of my visit no other passengers were in the lounge and there was a staff member at the desk only. Yet I wasn’t temped by this area at all.

Ultimately one other passenger came in, and sat down in the dining area.

The KLM lounge was the best designed and most pleasant of three lounges I used in the terminal, and had its own bathrooms. What it lacked in outside views it made up for with splashes of color. So the KLM lounge was my favorite, accessible with a Lounge Club or Priority Pass card.