For the next stop of my Orient Express adventure via Africa trip, I had the chance to visit the Air Algerie VIP Lounge at Algiers Houari Boumediene International Airport (ALG). I had just landed from Montreal (YUL) in Air Algerie’s A330neo business class, and was connecting to Tunis (TUN) in Air Algerie’s A320 business class (a wet leased flight).
The Air Algerie VIP Lounge Algiers is actually pleasant enough. It’s quirky, as it has a ton of seating, and almost feels more like a furniture store than an airport lounge. But I appreciate that the space isn’t crowded, so it’s a nice enough place to pass some time. The food and drink selection is totally unremarkable and okay, so at least it’s not negatively memorable.
Algiers Airport international transit experience
The Algiers Airport transit experience was interesting. Algeria is a country that really doesn’t want tourists (getting a visa is a pain), and Air Algerie doesn’t get much connecting international traffic, so not that many people are in international transit.
Upon landing from Montreal, I followed the signage in the direction of “Flight Connections.” Interestingly, I seemed to be among the only people on my flight with an international connection, as everyone else headed to immigration.
I ended up in the “transit room,” as it’s called. There my boarding pass was checked, and then I was given a form that I had to fill out. A form to transit internationally? Odd, but whatever. I then had to wait for an immigration officer to be ready, but he just seemed to be sitting in his window for several minutes without signaling he was ready, so I just waited.
After about five minutes, it was my turn. Then there was a security check, except the security guy clearly wasn’t quite ready yet for anyone, so he was caught off guard by me, and took a second to set things up.
All-in-all, it was a painless enough transit experience thanks to the lack of crowds, even if it was a bit bureaucratic. The Algiers Airport terminal is really big, and it just felt totally deserted during my early morning visit (when a lot of flights leave, in theory).
Air Algerie Lounge Algiers location
Once in the international departures area, it was easy to find the Air Algerie VIP Lounge, as there was signage for it right there. The lounge is in the center of the terminal, up a level, so you can either take the elevator, escalator, or stairs.
Once on the upper level, the entrance to the lounge was right there. I loved the Air Algerie Boeing 767 airplane model at the entrance. I’m not sure if this was intended to be a throwback, or if they just hadn’t bothered getting a new model in the nearly decade since the aircraft type was retired. I have a guess, but… 😉
Air Algerie Lounge Algiers hours
The Air Algiers VIP Lounge Algiers is open 24/7, or something like that. The hours aren’t actually published, but the idea is that if there are flights, then the lounge should also be open.
Air Algerie Lounge Algiers entry requirements
The Air Algerie VIP Lounge is the primary lounge at Algiers Airport. So in addition to being open to premium passengers on Air Algerie, it also acts as the contract lounge for premium passengers on EgyptAir, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Saudia, Tunisair, and Turkish Airlines.
Oddly, the lounge isn’t open to Priority Pass members, despite clearly having the capacity to handle more passengers.
Air Algerie Lounge Algiers seating & layout
The Air Algerie VIP Lounge Algiers is quite a large facility, especially in relation to demand. The lounge basically consists of one large room, and it “opens up” into the rest of the terminal, as it’s essentially just on top of the main passenger concourse.
As I said above, the only way I can describe this lounge is as having very strong furniture store vibes, as there’s just a sea of couches and chairs, all of which are quite plush. I’ll let the pictures speak mostly for themselves.
The lounge was really quiet during my visit. There were maybe a total of a dozen people in the lounge, and I’d say fewer than half of those were passengers, and the remainder were airport staff having their morning coffee, and helping themselves to the buffet.
The lounge was quite well staffed — there were two staff members responsible for overseeing the buffet, while for reasons I can’t figure out, there were three people at the front desk of the lounge (I don’t think a single other person entered during my hour stay, so that strikes me as an overkill, but…).
Air Algiers Lounge Algiers food & drinks
The Air Algerie VIP Lounge Algiers has a self-serve food & drink selection.
When it comes to food, the selection included finger sandwiches, whole fruit, veggies, cheese, cold cuts, yogurt, cereal, pastries, etc.
There were also some hot options, none of which looked particularly appealing to me (and I also wondered for how long these items had been sitting around). This included eggs, sausage, potatoes, and veggies.
When it comes to drinks, this is a “dry” lounge (so there’s no alcohol). Options included coffee, tea, soft drinks, and water, all of which guests could help themselves to.
Air Algiers Lounge Algiers bathrooms & showers
The Air Algerie VIP Lounge Algiers has bathrooms that are located just inside the entrance and to the right. They’re down a hall, right next to the kitchen area.
The men’s room had three sinks, three toilet stalls, and two urinals.
In theory there was also a shower suite, but as you can see below, not really.
Bottom line
The Air Algerie VIP Lounge Algiers was the best part of my Air Algerie experience, which isn’t saying a whole lot. The carrier’s flagship lounge is large, and has an okay selection of food and drinks. In an era where so many lounges are crowded, it’s at least nice to have a quiet space like this.
Admittedly this is otherwise a pretty uninteresting lounge, with few amenities, and a lack of variety when it comes to seating options. I definitely wouldn’t arrive early to use this lounge, but it’s also not a bad place to pass some time.
What do you make of the Air Algerie VIP Lounge Algiers?
