My British Airways flight from London arrived in Dublin at 9:40AM, while my connecting Aer Lingus flight to New York was departing at 4:10PM. I intentionally planned a long layover so that I’d have plenty of time to review both of the business class lounges that Aer Lingus passengers have access to.
Since British Airways and Aer Lingus have the same parent company I hoped the connection process would be easy, though that wasn’t really the case. British Airways operates out of Terminal 1, while Aer Lingus operates out of Terminal 2. So on arrival I had to clear immigration, walk out of the arrivals hall, and then turn right and follow the signage to Terminal 2, which led me down a long path.
Terminal connector at Dublin Airport
That let out on the second level of the terminal, so then I had to take the escalator down a floor to get to the check-in level, as I still didn’t have the boarding pass for my Aer Lingus flight.
Terminal 2 Dublin Airport Aer Lingus check-in
Aer Lingus’ check-in area was pretty civilized, and on the left was the premium check-in area, which I used.
Dublin Airport Terminal 2 Aer Lingus premium check-in
This just consisted of two counters and a few seats, and within a couple of minutes my boarding pass to New York was issued.
Dublin Airport Terminal 2 Aer Lingus premium check-in
At that point I had to go back up the escalator to the departures level.
Terminal 2 departures area Dublin Airport
Security lines were non-existent, and I was through in a few minutes.
Dublin Airport Terminal 2 security
The terminal had lots of Christmas decorations, and once airside I turned right and followed the signage towards airline lounges and the US Pre-Clearance facility.
Dublin Airport Terminal 2
That was a short walk away, and at the end of the hallway I had to take the elevator down a level.
US Pre-Clearance & airline lounges Dublin Airport
US Pre-Clearance & airline lounges Dublin Airport
Around the corner was a hall with the entrance to most of the airport’s lounges.
Airline lounges Dublin Airport
Given the Pre-Clearance facility in Dublin (meaning you clear US immigration before getting on your flight), Aer Lingus passengers have access to two lounges:
- There’s the standard Aer Lingus Lounge, which I reviewed back in 2012 (and am reviewing in this installment)
- There’s the 51st & Green Lounge, which is after the Pre-Clearance facility, and available to all premium cabin passengers traveling to the US, even those on American, Delta, and United (I’m reviewing that in the next installment)
The Aer Lingus Lounge has a modest exterior, so it’s much bigger than you’d expect based on that.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport exterior
Inside the lounge my boarding pass was scanned and the agents reminded me that I still had to clear immigration before my flight. I had visited the lounge over five years ago, so was curious if anything had changed. Nope, it hadn’t really.
The lounge is two floors, though roughly the first half of the lounge doesn’t have a second floor, meaning you have really high ceilings, which creates a nice visual effect.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport seating
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport seating
On the near end of the lounge are some newspapers.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport seating
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport magazines & newspapers
Along the other wall is a small business center with some chairs along a communal desk.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport business center
There’s an Irish tribute wall spanning two floors.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport
Past the general lounging area is the dining area, with several tables along the window.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport dining area
Past that is another area with more tables, as well as traditional lounge chairs and couches.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport seating
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport seating
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport seating
The entire lounge looks out over the apron — there are short-haul planes parked closest to the lounge, and in the distance you can see the planes headed to the US.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin Airport view
I thought that Aer Lingus was making a push to improve their soft product a while back, so I was disappointed by the quality of the food in the lounge, as there weren’t any hot options aside from oatmeal.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin buffet
Food options included whole fruit, fruit salad, yogurt, cereal, cheese, crackers, scones, croissants, pretzels, etc.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin buffet
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin buffet
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin buffet
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin buffet
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin buffet
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin buffet
To drink there was a coffee machine, liquor, wine, beer, and soft drinks, all of which were self serve.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin buffet
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin wine & liquor
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin drinks
The lounge also has a second floor, and the stairs to that were at the back of the lounge (I couldn’t find an elevator, though I imagine there has to be one somewhere).
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin buffet
The lounge has a nice view of the lower level (including of the plane suspended from the ceiling).
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin
The upper level has more seating, though it’s a smaller area than you’ll find downstairs. While the entire lounge was quiet, this area was especially quiet, as most people won’t find it necessary to go to the second floor.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin upper level
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin upper level
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin upper level
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin upper level
There’s also a small buffet with coffee, pastries, yogurt, cookies, and drinks.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin upper level
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin upper level
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin upper level
All the bathrooms to the lounge are also on the second floor. I figured I’d take a shower in the lounge, and one of the lounge attendants brought me to an available room.
Little did I know that THIS IS THE WORST SHOWER I HAVE EVER TAKEN IN AN AIRPORT LOUNGE. The shower room looks decent(ish) enough, right?
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin shower room
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin shower room
There were so many things wrong with it:
- The shower room has zero ventilation, so it gets steamy as hell
- The shower wouldn’t actually stay on, so every 10-15 seconds I had to push the button to restart the shower; it was like one of those sinks with water that’s timed
- The tiles seemed dirty and in bad condition, and toiletries were lacking
- The lights in the shower room are on an auto-timer, and after a few minutes of sensing no movement the lights shut off; the problem is that it doesn’t seem to sense movement in the shower itself, so it was pitch black, I couldn’t see anything, and I was in a dark shower that wasn’t even working
- The water didn’t get hot, but rather was lukewarm at best
DON’T SHOWER HERE. Really Aer Lingus should just shut down these showers, as they’re a safety hazard, if nothing else.
I spent a bit of time in this lounge, and then decided to check out the 51st & Green Lounge after clearing immigration. We’ll pick up there in the next installment.
Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin bottom line
Physically this is a mostly okay lounge (well, minus the shower situation). It has plenty of natural light and feels airy. The lounge was also quiet, which is a big plus. However, other than that I was quite disappointed, especially with the soft product. This hardly ranks anywhere near my list of best airport lounges in the world, which is tough to say for the flagship lounge of any airline.
If you’re flying to the US out of Dublin I’d recommend going straight to the 51st & Green Lounge, which I found to be significantly better. More on that in the next installment.
If you’ve visited the Aer Lingus Lounge Dublin, what was your experience like?
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