Terminal 2

Security lines here have made people miss London flights.

Terminal 2 at Lyon Saint-Exupéry handles British Airways, Lufthansa, and KLM, so this is the legacy-carrier side of LYS. It splits Schengen and non‑Schengen flows, which means both security and border control can stack up. Frequent flyers on forums call the queues “ridiculous” at peak times, and short connections under 60 minutes feel risky in this building.

If you arrive by Rhônexpress from Lyon Part‑Dieu, factor in the walk from the station to Terminal 2 and the time to find the right check‑in banks for BA, Lufthansa, or KLM. Reviews that complain about the long trek to Terminal 3 are a good reminder: landside movements across this airport are slower than the map suggests, so add 10–15 minutes to whatever your app tells you.

Security and border control sit between the landside check‑in hall and the T2 gate area, with Schengen flights typically using the lower gate numbers and UK or other non‑Schengen flights pushed past passport control. Skytrax reviewers call border control at LYS “the worst” and mention no seating in that zone, so don’t count on resting there with kids or bags. If you’re connecting from a Schengen flight to London in T2, treat this like a fresh departure and budget 45 minutes just for queues.

Once airside in Terminal 2, you get a compact set of food options: Côté Bar for quick drinks and snacks near the gates, Cœur de Blé for sandwiches and salads, Columbus Café for espresso and sweet stuff, and La Croissanterie if you want a croissant or pastry before a morning BA or KLM flight. Pricing lines up with French airport norms: expect around €3 for an espresso and €6–€8 for a basic sandwich at the chains.

Columbus Café is the safest bet for a longer sit-down coffee; tables usually sit close to Schengen departures in T2, handy if you’re flying Lufthansa to Munich or Frankfurt. For the earliest departures around 06:00–07:00, Cœur de Blé and La Croissanterie tend to open in time for a quick grab-and-go breakfast, but don’t bank on hot food if you’re at the gate before 05:30. For late‑evening BA runs to London, Côté Bar becomes the last‑call drink stop.

Shopping is light but covers basics. Aelia Duty Free carries standard liquor, perfume, and local food gifts; bottles of Côtes du Rhône or Beaujolais often sit in the €8–€15 range. Relay handles books, magazines, water, and snacks right by the main paths to the gates. Travel & Co stocks last‑minute travel gear like plugs and neck pillows, useful if you’re connecting onto a long‑haul Lufthansa leg via Frankfurt or Munich and forgot an adapter.

For lounges, Terminal 2 has the Salon Air France and a separate VIP Lounge Terminal 2 used by several carriers and card programs. The Air France lounge serves SkyTeam passengers, mostly feeding domestic and regional flights, with self‑serve drinks and cold snacks, and usually opens early enough for the first departures around 06:00. The VIP Lounge Terminal 2 tends to host BA and Lufthansa premium customers and Priority Pass‑style access; expect basic hot drinks, packaged snacks, and Wi‑Fi rather than full meals.

Complaints about “poor passenger facilities” at Lyon often speak to limited seating and crowded holding areas in spaces like T2’s gate zones, especially on mornings with multiple BA and KLM departures within a 90‑minute window. Seats near the power outlets go first, so if you see a free plug by Relay or Columbus Café, take it immediately. Don’t count on charging points at every individual gate.

One practical tip: for a morning BA or Lufthansa flight out of Terminal 2, aim to be curbside 2 hours before departure and plan to be through security 60 minutes out; treat anything shorter as bonus time you can spend at Columbus Café rather than as slack to absorb a bad queue day.