A380 Extravaganza: Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai

A380 Extravaganza: Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai

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Update: See this post for a full, updated review of the recently renovated Concorde Room.

The driver was waiting for us at the Park Hyatt on-time in a 150,000km+ Mercedes stationwagon. I’m still a bit confused by why the first class Emirates chauffeur fleet isn’t any nicer than the business class fleet, not that I’m losing any sleep over it.

The driver was courteous and got us to the airport in under 15 minutes.


Emirates chauffeur

He dropped us off at the Emirates first and business class departures area, which I figured would be more blinged out, or at least have bellmen with golden with hotel style luggage carts. There was none of that, though it worked out just fine since we only had carry-ons.


First and business class departures area

The premium check-in area was massive, and actually felt awfully industrial and impersonal. There were separate counters for bag drop off, first class, business class, etc. I was surprised just how deep in the terminal the premium counters were buried, as it was quite a haul from the entrance.


Premium check-in entrance


Walkway to premium check-in


First class check-in

We already had our boarding passes so headed straight for the immigration and security checkpoint, where the queues were fairly short. At immigration the officer managed to text, eat candy, and sanitize his hands all while I stood at the counter, while at security they screened the bags without anyone actually looking at the x-ray screen. Go figure.

Once in the terminal we headed straight for the brand new Airbus A380 pier, where both the new first class lounge and our departure gate were located. This required taking a train to the “A” pier, which took a few minutes.


Terminal


Train system

While a majority of the Dubai terminal is very average looking, the new “A” pier is stunning, with extremely high ceilings and lots of duty free shopping and dining options.


“A” pier


Duty free shopping

We followed the signs to the first class lounge, which is located on the fourth floor.


Lounge signage

Let me stop here for a second and say that up until this point I was a bit underwhelmed by the Emirates ground experience. It’s not that there was anything bad about it, but it in no way compared to Lufthansa or Thai at their hub airports, where you’re escorted from the moment you arrive. Not only did the check-in area feel as sterile and as exclusive as a Walmart, but the area just seemed understaffed. And that’s puzzling to me, given the cost of labor in the UAE.

I think it’s worth making the distinction there, because this is the point at which my Emirates ground experience goes from mediocre to confusing to bad to amazingly good.

The Emirates first class lounge reception area is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen, with world clocks hanging above the welcome desk. Once inside the lounge our boarding passes were checked and we were invited to pass through the door and into the lounge. It was a bit like going through immigration in that you pass through a door behind the counter in order to enter the lounge.


Lounge entrance


Lounge entrance

At first I was confused as hell. Once we passed the entrance to the lounge and turned left we found ourselves in what looked like an under construction duty free shopping area. Hmmm, we must have made a wrong turn, because this sure as hell isn’t a lounge. We kept walking and got nothing but crazy looks from the construction workers building the shops. Eventually an Emirates agent came running behind us and told us that this wing of the lounge was still under construction, and to please use the other half of the lounge.


View past entrance

I was happy the agent told us we weren’t in fact in the right place, because it wasn’t adding up. Once she directed us the other way I asked her where the actual lounge is, though. She said “you’re in the lounge, sir.” I just didn’t get it. We were in a terminal with duty free shops, and not in a lounge.

But then I started to catch on. This entire floor, which spanned the entire terminal, was in fact the first class lounge. And up a level on the 5th floor was the business class lounge, which also spanned the whole floor.

Then I became frustrated. I kind of had the same reaction I did to the breakfast buffet at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi. It was so over the top and unnecessarily huge that I just couldn’t handle it.

And then I slowly began to love it for what it is — probably one of the best first class lounges in the world.

So basically the entire floor is an integrated first class lounge and departure gate area. Not only are there duty free shops inside the lounge, but you board the flights directly from the lounge. It’s impossible to describe just how massive this lounge is. Actually, I take that back, it’s not. There are 12 gates in the pier, so you can figure the lounge is about as long as the wingspan of six Airbus A380s — yes, it’s that massive. Figuring that there are 14 first class seats per Airbus A380 flight, that means there are at most 168 people in the lounge at a time. There’s probably seating for well over 1,000 in the lounge. Meanwhile there are 76 business class seats per flight, so if every flight were full that would be 912 people in the business class lounge which is the same size. Yes, this is quite possibly the biggest and most spacious first class lounge in the world.


Duty free shops

So the lounge has a handful of seating areas at each individual gate, each with their own buffet.


Seating


Seating


Seating


Seating


Seating

These buffets are well stocked with drinks and then have light appetizers as well.


Buffet


Buffet

They even offer the choice between VOSS and Evian water. Does life get any better than that?


Water selection

Then at the end of the lounge is a larger general seating area which is a bit more elegant. This lounge is brand new and I’m guessing the furniture hasn’t been used a whole lot, because when I sat down the cushion made a loud farting noise. On the plus side there was almost no one else seated there, though on the down side the lounge was so empty that I suspect almost everyone heard it.


Main lounge area


Main lounge area


Main lounge area

This part of the lounge features an a la carte menu (the same one posted below) as well as a cold buffet.


Buffet


Buffet


Buffet


Buffet


Buffet


Buffet

Then there’s the “fine dining” area, where we decided to have lunch. This dining area was massive, with dozens of tables.


Fine dining area


Fine dining area

This area features both an extensive buffet and an a la carte menu. We were more or less the only people in the dining area, and as I took pictures of the buffet one of the servers lifted the lids to all the hot dishes, which I thought was a nice touch.


Extensive buffet


Extensive buffet


Extensive buffet


Extensive buffet


Extensive buffet

I stuck to the a la carte lunch/dinner menu, which read as follows:

And the drink list read as follows:

And while it wasn’t applicable in this case, the breakfast menu read as follows:

I have to say that the service in the restaurant (and lounge in general) was uncharacteristically polished for the UAE. While we decided what we wanted to eat we were offered some garlic bread, which was delicious. Garlic bread (or naan) is the way to my heart.


Garlic bread

To start I decided to have the samosas.


Peas, corn and potato samosa

Then for the main course I had the signature club sandwich, which was also very good.


The Emirates classic club sandwich

Meanwhile my friend had the fillet, which he enjoyed.


Grilled prime beef fillet steak

As far as the rest of the lounge goes, I loved how many separate areas there were depending on what you wanted to do. There was a quiet room with both daybeds and lounge chairs with ottomans, all of which came with pillows.


Quiet room


Quiet room


Quiet room

There was also featured a very nice cigar lounge. While they didn’t have cigars yet, apparently they do plan on having a cigar case shortly.


Cigar lounge


Cigar lounge

One complaint I’ve heard about Emirates’ old first class lounge in Dubai is that the showers are horrible. This lounge featured spacious shower rooms, and there were lots of them.


Shower room


Shower room


Shower room

While this particular lounge doesn’t have a spa yet, the Timeless Spa should open in the next couple of months, so that’s something to look forward to.

At about 4PM we decided to head to our departure gate, which, after the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, has to be one of the most painless boarding experiences in the world. The first class lounge has a gate for each flight exclusively for first class passengers. There are obviously no queues, and once our documents were checked we walked down the hallway towards the elevator to the jet bridge.


Departure gate


Departure gate

I’d say the one slight design flaw is that the elevator to the departure level for each individual flight is shared between first and business class passengers. Business class passengers board on the fifth level, while the elevator stops at the fourth level to pick up first class passengers. The problem is that by the time the elevator gets to the fourth level it’s already packed, so we had to wait for about five minutes before an elevator stopped that had any room in it. I think they should have the elevator stop just at one level or the other to avoid this problem in the future.


Our beast to London!


Elevator signage


Elevator signage

Once on the second level a short corridor led to the first class jet bridge, at which point we found ourselves aboard the most puzzling Emirates flight of all…


Walkway to jet bridge


Our plane to London


Airbus A380 at gate next to us


Triple jet bridge action!


Our plane!


Check out the wingage!

There are no two ways about it, this lounge is amazing, easily one of the top three in the world along with the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt and Thai First Class Lounge & Spa in Bangkok. There are a few things Emirates could do to make the ground experience in Dubai beyond spectacular, like escorts from check-in to the lounge and from the lounge to the plane (maybe like Lufthansa they could fetch you when the flight is ready to board), but this is a truly phenomenal lounge.

Not only is the concept of a first class “concourse” innovative, but it’s really practical too. This lounge isn’t cozy or intimate purely because of how huge it is, but I think it’ll never have the problem of over crowding. There were at most 20 passengers in the lounge when I was there, along with maybe 100 employees, and I suspect that ratio will remain pretty consistent.

A big kudos to Emirates on this one!

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  1. Alfred Vachris Guest

    Wonderful report for the lounge. I can't wait to try it out! 6 days to go.

  2. lucky OMAAT

    @ Pointsloverrrrr -- I was on a paid ticket so didn't use miles here. Emirates often releases two award seats per flight, though it does require a bit of flexibility. From Membership Rewards there's not really a way to book Emirates. The best programs are Japan Airlines and Alaska (transfer partners with Starwood), as well as Korean Air (transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards).

  3. Pointsloverrrrr Guest

    Lucky - quick overview... How many miles for the one-way? How many seats are open to awards (guessing two). Best miles currency to transfer to from MR points? Thanks and keep up the good work!

  4. lucky OMAAT

    @ wwk5d -- I thought the food quality was comparable to Lufthansa's lounges, which I consider to have the highest quality lounge food of any airline.

  5. wwk5d Guest

    Lucky, how was the quality of the food in the lounge compared to the LH FCT and TQ lounge in Bangkok?

    Also, someone mentioned something about the crazy bling in Dubai ending with the financial crisis, but Dubai keeps it coming...well, as long as Abu Dhabi keeps bailing them out when the bottom drops out, Dubai will keep it coming ;)

  6. Marcos Guest

    Finally, an airline that correctly identifies those chocolately, nibbly things! Look deep into the a la carte menu...Petit Fours! Lucky, I think you were led astray by Cathay, who lists them as Pralines.

  7. Al Bu Guest

    Frictionless Boarding - as Emirates describes this A380 terminal. Awesome!!!

  8. Diana W Guest

    I thought your love was for pretzel bread?

  9. lucky OMAAT

    @ Lark -- LOL, that's a great question.

  10. Lark Guest

    Why would they not make the 5th floor F and the 4th floor C?

    I always want my (hotel) status to get me on the highest floor!

  11. Qfflyer Guest

    Don't forget with the impending commencement of QF-EK, platinum status members of both programmes can access the first class lounge irrespective of travel class & bring an additional guest.
    The first class lounge will start to fill up soon.

  12. wwk5d Guest

    @ Pranav M.

    In many Muslim countries, pork products are available at different levels. In Dubai, you won't see it on the menu at restaurants, but you will find it in many supermarkets in rooms marked "For non-Muslims" only.

  13. RQ Guest

    Emirates is introducing a new status tier that should increase the ranks of people allowed into that lounge. Plus the Qantas partnership might swell it as well

  14. Rahul F. Guest

    Sorry... saw that above comment! How coincidental...

  15. Rahul F. Guest

    Just wanted to point out- that particular garlic bread was not naan. Naan is a special flatbread; it comes in many varieties such as garlic, butter, peshawari, etc.

    Anyway, loving this trip report and that food looks tasty!

  16. lucky OMAAT

    @ Mohsan -- Right... but I like garlic bread AND garlic naan.

  17. Mohsan Guest

    Just wanted to point out that garlic bread is not the same thing as Naan.

  18. german_vielflieger Guest

    Lucky, you as half-german should know that 150.000 km is just the beginning of the lifecycle of many Mercedes... I have driven with a taxi driver in Germany that had over 350.000 km on his car, and according to him he just recently had his first gearbox changed...

  19. Lantean Diamond

    the 24th... i guess too soon? :(

  20. lucky OMAAT

    @ Lantean -- When are you traveling? The spa should be open soon.

  21. Lantean Diamond

    @lucky

    drat! so much for my 6 hr layover there... not sure what i'll do then... bummer. :(

  22. lucky OMAAT

    @ Nick -- I didn't notice any, though frankly in these types of lounges I feel comfortable just leaving my belongings unattended somewhere for hours at a time.

  23. lucky OMAAT

    @ Rowena -- If you're not flying an A380 your flight won't leave from there, though you may still have access to the lounge.

  24. lucky OMAAT

    @ Lantean -- The business class spa isn't open yet either.

  25. Alex Member

    Wait till all the Qantas Platinums start using it when access is granted. Lots more people then!

  26. Lantean Diamond

    if the spa in the lounge was not ready... did they offer to go to business class lounge spa?

  27. Jorge Guest

    No Mercedes to the gate? Geez I was expecting at least a Rolls Royce.

    Double yawn!!!

    :-)

  28. holatriho Guest

    hmmm i will fly business from dubai to venice in about 10 days. unfortunately not a big a380. we will departure in terminal 3. is the new lounge far away? or will we not have acess since our flight is not on a a380? THANKS

  29. CDKing Guest

    @meegs. You should take the shower anyways. If my layover is long enough i even hit the showers at the UC in EWR when all i have flown is BOS-EWR :)

  30. Nick New Member

    Lucky, Question- Do any of these lounges have coat checks so I can leave my winter coat and pick it up when I fly back?

  31. lucky OMAAT

    @ meegs -- I'm not positive, though I do believe a vast majority of A380 flights depart out of the new pier already.

  32. meegs Member

    I was in the new A380 Concourse lounge two weeks ago on my way to JFK.

    Isn't that lounge a kick? I thought the duty-free shop was hilarious. I mean, god forbid one should have to shop next to the hoi polloi!

    It is a shame that they don't have individual quiet rooms, like the Concorde Room cabanas, or LH's First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. I think that's about the only complaint I would have....

    I was in the new A380 Concourse lounge two weeks ago on my way to JFK.

    Isn't that lounge a kick? I thought the duty-free shop was hilarious. I mean, god forbid one should have to shop next to the hoi polloi!

    It is a shame that they don't have individual quiet rooms, like the Concorde Room cabanas, or LH's First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. I think that's about the only complaint I would have.

    And the showers are far superior to the other lounge. The other showers are tiny cubicles, barely large enough to disrobe and dress. Had I not just showered on the A380, I would have tried them out. Did you avail yourself of one? I imagine they have the horrid shampoo found in the other lounge or on the plane; it took forever to comb my hair after using that stuff. I have learned to bring my own shampoo and conditioner!

    Do you know if all A380 flights are going through that terminal yet? Or how one determines that? It would be such a letdown to find one's self in T3. Almost as bad as connecting from the A380 to an AA 737 : (

    I'm hoping they start flying to ORD soon.....

  33. MilesAbound Guest

    @wowed but sad - have to agree, that is what i mean by the bling opulence. it is crazy really when you think about it.

  34. MilesAbound Guest

    Absolutely amazing! Such opulence... I thought the crazy bling in Dubai would end with the financial crisis but they keep it coming. Oh and the farting chair cracked me up :) I am curious what the lounge access rules are. I am planning a trip to Maldives (yet again - I know!) with the whole family and was thinking of Emirates but have just my wife and I go in F and make the kids...

    Absolutely amazing! Such opulence... I thought the crazy bling in Dubai would end with the financial crisis but they keep it coming. Oh and the farting chair cracked me up :) I am curious what the lounge access rules are. I am planning a trip to Maldives (yet again - I know!) with the whole family and was thinking of Emirates but have just my wife and I go in F and make the kids "suffer" on their own in business now they are old enough. But would we all be able to access the F lounge I wonder? I am wondering if there is a guest policy?

  35. wowed, but sad Guest

    the lounge impresses with its over-the-top luxury, for sure, but I couldn't help being a bit sad about the waste involved. So much energy wasted to power an often empty floor, and food on countless lounge buffets that will only be pecked at and likely tossed at day's end.

  36. lucky OMAAT

    @ Joey -- We got there about four hours before departure, though you can stay there for as long as you'd like.

  37. Pranav M. Guest

    Great Report, Mr. Schlappig.
    I thought the UAE, as a Muslim country, would not have pork products available.
    I am waiting for your next report!

  38. Joey Diamond

    Cool! How early did you get to the lounge? Do they have time restrictions (let's say someone has a 15 hour layover in Dubai)?

  39. Carl Guest

    The old one is large as well, almost too big, but we enjoyed the ala carte menu as well. Concur on the check-in and ground service, we had the same experience, just no beating TG and LH in my view at their home airports. TG is a hair better than LH in my view, especially with the spa, but the immigration, security, and Porsche at the FCT evens it out.

  40. lucky OMAAT

    @ Joey -- Yes, there was indeed an entertainment/kids zone.

  41. Joey Diamond

    Wow! Thank you for sharing! Was there a kids area too? I recall the business class lounge in T3 had one that was quite fitting for kids.

  42. Jerry Member

    How can anyone have any stomach to eat, after the overkill FC concourse buffet.... :)

    I still think it's way overkill, where they could just merge 4th/5th floors together and that's still a world's first "concourse lounge"

    Anyway, first world problems indeed

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qantas lounge in dubai - is it any good?? - Page 3 Guest

[...] F lounges? Looks like an 11.25pm arrival and 1am departure. ie similar to those posted here: A380 Extravaganza: Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai - One Mile at a Time FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Six days in India via Swiss, Emirates and British First Class [...]

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Alfred Vachris Guest

Wonderful report for the lounge. I can't wait to try it out! 6 days to go.

0
lucky OMAAT

@ Pointsloverrrrr -- I was on a paid ticket so didn't use miles here. Emirates often releases two award seats per flight, though it does require a bit of flexibility. From Membership Rewards there's not really a way to book Emirates. The best programs are Japan Airlines and Alaska (transfer partners with Starwood), as well as Korean Air (transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards).

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