Dubai International Airport – Emirates Business Class Lounge Review – Is The Biggest Lounge In The World Mean The Best?
We were flying with Air Canada from Dubai back to Toronto in business class and just recently, Air Canada secured a strategic partnership with Emirates to depart from Terminal 3. This means that Air Canada business class passengers gain entry into the coveted Emirates Business Class Lounge. So that is exactly what we did!
DXB – Emirates Business Class Lounge – Location
Address:
Terminal 3 (Concourse C / C Gates, Dubai International Airport – Parking B – Airport Rd – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
DXB – Emirates Business Class Lounge – Overview
After we checked in our bags to Air Canada which was a bit of a stretch to find. We had to speak to three different personnel because many didn’t know where exactly the Air Canada check-in was. We ended up heading through a hallway to come out another end and find the Air Canada check-in tucked away at one side of the terminal. However, the staff were all very helpful and polite in trying to help us locate it.
Once checked-in, we proceeded through security and headed up to the lounge. We were told that the gate was very far away for Air Canada, so plan to walk 20-25 minutes to get to the gate, she was not kidding, it was so busy at 1am at the airport that it was like another world.
But before that, we got to sample the many varieties of food, drink and dessert.
DXB – Emirates Business Class Lounge – Shower
We didn’t need to use the showers here as we had a very late check-out from our hotel at The St. Regis, The Palm. From what we could see, the showers were plentiful and many were being used. I did get a chance to pop in and snap a quick picture though. It’s not the largest and doesn’t have a full bathroom with toilet and sink. So you can take your shower and get dressed but then you’ll have to dry your hair and brush teeth in a common area.
DXB – Emirates Business Class Lounge – Food
The food choices were broken up in different sections of the lounge. This is probably a good thing when it is busy so that it disperses people around the lounge, but we found it a bit annoying as it was a bit of a walk to find something that you like.
There were were sections like Middle Eastern & Western, then Asian and then Desserts. As there were two of us, one had to sit patiently with our belongings while the other would take about 10 minutes to get from one place to the other. By the time one would sit and the other would go get the food and come back, the other was already done. So we never could really eat together. Granted, the UAE is probably one of the safest places and you could leave your luggage at your seat but we really don’t feel comfortable doing so.
DXB – Emirates Business Class Lounge – Dessert
While there was a plethora of desserts to choose from and we did try some, we still always have room for ice cream. They have an old style ice cream cart there where a staff member will assist you. Pistachio and mango are always a must try for us!
DXB – Emirates Business Class Lounge – Drinks
For this lounge, you can help yourself to many types of teas or coffee from the automatic machines. My apologies, I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the other alcoholic beverages or soft drinks.
Conclusion
The lounge is certainly huge and if you are boarding an Emirates flight, no need to leave the lounge to get to your gate, you’ll be able to board directly from the lounge. However, Air Canada flights are a bit different and you will need to leave the lounge and walk about 20-25 minutes to the far end of the terminal to get to the gate. From what we have heard from other friends that have had to board through Terminal 1, it seems like a small trade off as Terminal 3 does have better duty free shops and other stores.
The lounge itself has all the comforts, lot’s of seating, many choices of food, showers and more private stalls to take a nap. At the end of the lounge there is also an entire area for food and where you can openly smoke. Completely took us by surprise because we haven’t seen an open smoking area in probably 15 years.
It’ll be interesting to see what will come next when Dubai completes their new airport, Al Maktoum International Airport. While not entirely new as it is currently being used for cargo since 2010, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum has approved it to be expanded and to handle up to 260 million passengers in the 2030’s. It’ll be 5 times larger than DXB, have 5 parallel runways and 400 gates.
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