While I’ve written posts about the best first class lounges in the world and the best airport lounges in the United States, it occurred to me that I’ve never written a post about the best business class lounges in the world.
In this post, I figured I’d share my favorite business class lounges around the globe — after all, a nice lounge can contribute to a great business class experience.
Let me of course acknowledge that we’re all looking for different amenities from airport lounges, depending on the purpose of our visit. Furthermore, there are many factors that can impact our perception of a lounge, including crowding levels. As a result, two people can have vastly different experiences at the same lounge — heck, the same person can have very different experiences visiting the same lounge at different times.
Because of the number of variables, I’m not going to create a ranked list, but rather will just share what I consider to be the several top business class lounges in the world. Then I’d love to hear what OMAAT readers think, and how your list compares to mine.
With that out of the way, here are some of my favorite business class lounges in the world…
In this post:
Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge Doha (DOH)
Qatar Airways has two exceptional Al Mourjan Business Lounges in Doha, and frankly both are great, and I’m not sure which I prefer more. So let’s keep the original lounge on the list. This has to be the world’s most architecturally stunning business class lounges, which is what impresses me most about the lounge.
On top of that, though, the lounge features a couple of great dining options, including a bistro if you’re looking for a quick bite, plus a proper restaurant with a la carte dining. The lounge also has rest areas, civilized smoking rooms, showers, and more.
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse London (LHR)
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is my favorite business class lounge in Europe, and it’s probably the business class lounge with the most fun vibe. It has a quirky design, amazing views, an outdoor terrace, friendly service, a la carte dining, and top notch drinks (including great cocktails and coffee).
This lounge experience is such a stark contrast to what you’ll experience if you’re flying business class on an airline like British Airways or Lufthansa.
Emirates Business Lounge Dubai (DXB)
While the Emirates Business Lounge Dubai isn’t about to win any design awards, it has some cool amenities, is massive, and has a good food and drink selection. While food is entirely from buffets, the options are endless, regardless of what kind of food you’re looking for.
Personally I prefer the older Concourse B lounge to the newer Concourse A lounge. That’s because this lounge has an awesome Moet & Chandon champagne bar, plus a Costa Coffee store, where you can get a (complimentary) barista made coffee. This is a great transit stop when traveling between other regions.
Turkish Airlines Business Lounge Istanbul (IST)
Turkish Airlines offers a top notch lounge at its hub in Istanbul. Admittedly this lounge can get really busy, given the size of the carrier’s operations, but I still find it to be very good. The lounge has nice decor with plenty of different places to sit, an incredible food selection, and even private bedrooms for those with extended layovers.
Air Canada Signature Suite Toronto (YYZ)
While the Air Canada Signature Suite Toronto has strict entry requirements, it really takes business class lounge dining to a whole new level. This is separate from the standard Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, so think of it almost like a great restaurant that business class passengers have access to.
The lounge is heavily focused on dining, with dozens of tables. In addition to an extensive buffet selection, the lounge also offers a la carte dining, as well as all kinds of wine, beer, and cocktails.
United Polaris Lounge Newark (EWR)
One thing United has done a great job with is its Polaris Lounges. They’re all pretty great, and I’m not sure one is actually that much better than the other, but I do like the one in Newark quite a bit. Polaris Lounges are the best business class lounges offered by any US airline, with comfortable seating, quiet rest areas, cocktails and barista made coffee, and a la carte dining.
Honestly, if flying United long haul I’d highly recommend just eating in the lounge, because the food gets much worse once you board a flight.
Cathay Pacific Lounge London (LHR)
I’m a fan of Cathay Pacific lounges, though Hong Kong Airport continues to have limited lounge capacity. Fortunately the airline also has some great outstation lounges, and one of those is in London Heathrow.
The Cathay Pacific Lounge London Heathrow has elegant decor, amazing apron views, great food (including Cathay Pacific’s signature dim sum and noodle bar), and barista made coffee. Premium oneworld travelers departing Terminal 3 really are in for a treat when it comes to lounges.
Bottom line
There are some fantastic business class lounges out there, though admittedly everyone will have their own favorites. The above are some of my picks for the best business class lounges I’ve visited. They all have something special, whether it’s great buffets, a la carte dining, barista made coffee, or other cool amenities.
This list is by no means exhaustive, because there are lots of amazing lounges out there. I look forward to hearing what business class lounges OMAAT readers like most.
What are your favorite business class lounges in the world?
JL's Sakura Lounge (NRT) & SQ's Silverkris (SIN) are among my favs, but QR's Al Mourjan (Garden) is the absolute best IMO.
Singapore airlines lounge in Singapore? Great food selection and endless silver moon TWG! Also recently enjoyed Alaska Airlines lounge in Seattle, a much welcomed refuge.
Agree on the great food in SQ lounge. (the old) Al Mourjan also has TWG, even better food and more bells and whistles.
An honorable mention from me would be JAL's Sakura Lounge at NRT. Even during the peak afternoon rush hour, it still didn't feel crowded. It's not as flashy as Virgin's LHR Clubhouse (which is my favorite) but I was still impressed with the food/beverage options and their hospitality.
The Polaris Club at Newark while beautiful was very over crowded during my layover to London. The buffet was pretty average and we were not able to order from the menu. The saving grace was they served very nice wine.
Just visited Pier J lounge. Even more beautiful and classy than I remembered. Along with Al Mourjan, my 2 favorite J lounges.
I just spent time in the Turkish and Virgin lounges mentioned here just a few weeks ago. Though it was my first time in Istanbul I have visited the Clubhouse many times since it opened. It's true that they are nice lounges and offer a lot of food but the crowded conditions at both would have removed them from this list in my opinion. Both were far from relaxing and rather hectic, not to mention...
I just spent time in the Turkish and Virgin lounges mentioned here just a few weeks ago. Though it was my first time in Istanbul I have visited the Clubhouse many times since it opened. It's true that they are nice lounges and offer a lot of food but the crowded conditions at both would have removed them from this list in my opinion. Both were far from relaxing and rather hectic, not to mention Virgin has removed many services over the years, taking the "fun" out of what it used to be to fly with them.
I just spent time in the Turkish and Virgin lounges mentioned here just a few weeks ago. Though it was my first time in Istanbul I have visited the Clubhouse many times since it opened. It's true that they are nice lounges and offer a lot of food but the crowded conditions at both would have removed them from this list in my opinion. Both were far from relaxing and rather hectic, not to mention...
I just spent time in the Turkish and Virgin lounges mentioned here just a few weeks ago. Though it was my first time in Istanbul I have visited the Clubhouse many times since it opened. It's true that they are nice lounges and offer a lot of food but the crowded conditions at both would have removed them from this list in my opinion. Both were far from relaxing and rather hectic, not to mention Virgin has removed many services over the years, taking the "fun" out of what it used to be.
I'd add KLM Crowne Lounge (non-Shengen) and maybe Air France (can't remember K/L/M gates)
The Emirates smoking lounge at Dubai is a haven of tranquility, and there is no smell of smoke.
Their Gatwick lounge is pretty good as well.
I think the WestJet lounge in Calgary deserves a mention - it’s certainly the best Priority Pass-accessible lounge I’ve ever been to!
This is one of those posts that I think the bloggers do not consider people's real experiences. Most people won't travel on a certain airline or to/from a certain destination or transfer city because of the quality of the lounge. Unless you have a long connection, most people won't spend much time in the lounge.
I won’t rate the Al mourjan lounge in Doha so high, on my travel in Apr from BOM-DOH-SFO at breakfast time there were very few hot vegetarian entrees and the sourdough bread was dry and hard. During my outbound flight to BOM, the experience was similar- the bar tender made a margarita with Vodka!
I would rate Cathay’s Pier @ Hong Kong higher, given it is about to reopen with a barista and a tea house experience.
The business class section is already open, only the first class lounge will reopen soon.
Is the Cathay lounge in LHR better than the Pier Business in HKG? I have visited the Pier recently and was really impressed by it, even better than the TK lounge in the old Ataturk Airport (haven't been after the new airport opened).
Spot on for me. The Virgin and Cathay lounges at Heathrow are utterly brilliant.
1) Qatar Business Doha.
2) Turkish Business Istanbul.
3) Emirates Business (DXB)
4) Polaris SFO
100) AA Lounges everywhere.
Having been in the QR J lounge numerous times now, I think it's fallen into the "overrated" category. I think the Soho lounge at JFK is better, as hard as it even is to admit that AA has done something well.
Qatar Airways lounge in Singapore is in some ways better than their Doha lounges.
Menu is higher quality, especially the steak is close to perfection.
Also great personalised table service which DOH lacks a bit. It never gets really crowded as most oneworld business travellers don’t know about this well hidden lounge.
Menu:
https://www.qatarairways.com/content/dam/hia/pdf/qr-singapore-lounge-en.pdf
Hate it when you go into a lounge it's way over crowded children running about no seats people piled up at door waiting to pay fee to enter lounge on economy ticket not good
Lucky, just a suggestion, but maybe provide a link to your most recent visit to each lounge? Just so people can see what the lounges offer in more detail. Not just for this list but for the first class lists as well.
And if I had to pick a Polaris Lounge in the US, I'd probably choose the one in San Francisco.
@ Julia -- I think I need to work on the color contrast when there are links, but I included links to my most recent review of each lounge in the header, so just click on the name of each lounge. Sorry it's not more obvious, but I'll see what I can do. :-)
The worst I've used is Gothenburg. Very poor facilites, no toilets, the closest ones were locked! Also virtually no food options except sliced cheese or ham, bread rolls, pesto pasta salad and crisps, nothing hot. No sparkling wine and only tap dispenser wine. Very poor selection of food and drinks although the lounge itself was reasonably nice.
Normally I would never recommend an American Airlines lounge, but the new Soho and Greenwich lounges in JFK are very nice. They're a definite step up from the usual Admiral's Club lounges in most U.S. domestic airports. They also have stricter access requirements than the Admiral's Club which means that they don't get as crowded even at peak times.
What about the Finnair Platinum Wing in Helsinki?
It definitely needs to be on a list. The Platinum Wing is close to a First Class Lounge. I get it that it is not on this list because you cannot acess it with a business class ticket. Only with OWE status.
Maybe this lounge is a „bonus“ and worth mentioning.
@ Felix -- Great point, that is a fantastic lounge! Definitely one of the best oneworld Emerald lounges, so am working on a post soon about what I consider the best lounges for oneworld Emeralds.
My two best business class lounge experiences are essentially on here: United Polaris and Hong Kong’s CX lounges at HKG pre-covid. None others I’ve been to were at their level.
I like the ANA lounges with their made-to-order noodle and sushi bars, the SQ Silver Kris lounge in SIN is decent, I have a soft spot for the Air Canada Cafe lounge concept in YYZ, and some of the newest LH lounges are solid too.
I did not like the ANA lounge. The printer machine did not work for me and the staff could not get it to work, even after following complicated directions about downloading an app. I was unable to print my flight itinerary or hotel reservations. The food and the seating area were average, at best.
The AC YYZ Signature is just that, a fancy restaurant. It's not a "lounge". After having a good meal and a couple of drinks, I found it impossible to work and actually relax. So come for a drink or two, have a meal if you decide to skip the dinner service on your flight but don't expect to relax and chill. The seating area next to the bar is tiny and people were putting their feet up and being on their devices.
It's also worth noting access is limited to those who have paid for a business class ticket or have used points at the highest tier. This eliminates a lot of readers here who travel aspirationally. But even if you are in Toronto and have paid for a biz ticket to Los Angeles say, you can't enter; long haul tickets (ie, overseas) only.
Turkish Airlines have a amazing lounge in Istanbul but have few weaknesses.
Private Rooms are almost impossible to be accessed since you need to be flying on flights over 8 hours but layover needs to be between 4 and 9 hours. Majority of the flights don’t qualify and they have zero flexibility on the timings of their policy.
Food selection is spread around the lounge and you need to walk quiet a bit to get...
Turkish Airlines have a amazing lounge in Istanbul but have few weaknesses.
Private Rooms are almost impossible to be accessed since you need to be flying on flights over 8 hours but layover needs to be between 4 and 9 hours. Majority of the flights don’t qualify and they have zero flexibility on the timings of their policy.
Food selection is spread around the lounge and you need to walk quiet a bit to get the dessert, coffee, main courses while leaving your bags unattended to reserve the table. They should made a smaller selection of coffee and dessert within the main dinning area. Otherwise food is amazing! :)
Lounge is centrally located which is good for E gates but other gates especially A-B gates can be as far as 15 minutes running (20-25 walking). If you leave the lounge at the boarding announcement you will come to the gate as a last passenger hopefully not finding “Gate Close” sign.
And also gate statues at the Istanbul Airport are not great. Sometimes they will switch from Boarding to Gate Close in 5 minutes. And sometimes they will turn the Final Call even before they started with boarding.
And there is no Business Class busses for the remote stands at the international terminal while they have it at the Domestic Terminal when they pick you up at the lounge and drive you to the aircraft.
Great choices! I would add the SQ lounge at Changi! Very spacious, a huge selection of food options and Tattinger bubbles.
Nah SQ Changi, hardly, it has sub standard food and beverage options. They don’t even have a proper salad bar and fresh juices. Qatar Premium Lounge Changi beats the SQ one, and up next after that would be the Qantas Singapore Lounge. I would even put American Flagship/ Greenwich lounge ahead of any SilverKris Lounges
I would disagree with you. It was pretty bad, when you compare it to these airlines, and even other lounges. It does not at all compete with Cathay in HKG.
. While the Istanbul Lounge is good in many ways, the live food stations just does not seem up to manage the number of travelers in the lounge. You often have to hang out close to the station to wait for the next batch to be done and hope to be able to get some before it is all gone. Particularly the pide station seems to suffer, though they could probably produce them at a higher pace of they wanted to
While the Istanbul Lounge is good in many ways, the live food stations just does not seem up to manage the number of travelers in the lounge. You often have to hang out close to the station to wait for the next batch to be done and hope to be able to get some before it is all gone. Particularly the pide station seems to suffer, though they could probably produce them at a higher pace of they wanted to.
Agree with the Cathay Pacific lounge at LHR. Never had the opportunity to go into the first class section, but the business class area was always a treat. I'm partial to the Polaris Lounge at IAH. They've always treated us well and gave our daughter extra attention and made her feel welcome. Had some nice times in the ORD lounge as well, pre-child. So we'll see how it compares in a couple weeks when we visit for the first time in a few years.
Definitely check out The Pier Business at HKG next time you're around - it's like the LHR lounge, but better!
Pier HKG is better than Pier LHR.
The EWR Polaris Club quality really has to be weighed against the fact that the vast majority of its users are there during the evening rush to Europe, when it gets so busy that it really overwhelms whatever inherent appeal the lounge might have.
@ Bgriff -- I hear you, that's definitely true, but I am curious, which hub business class lounge is not "slammed" during peak hours? Frankly I think all of the lounges on this list are, unfortunately. That's simply the reality of how airlines schedule their networks, and the impact that has on the lounge experience.
Now that they've added the Brooklyn Brewery and the fmr Flahship Bridge, the Greenwich is only crowded if you sit in the former Flag. The displacement of Emeralds and First pax to other lounges makes it less slammed than EWR. Sure, the Polaris dining is cool, but only if you can get a table, which you often can't.