Review: Emirates Lounge Johannesburg Airport (JNB)

For the return portion of our trip to Zimbabwe, we flew Emirates’ A380 first class from Johannesburg to Dubai to Houston. Our first stop was the Emirates Lounge Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB).

Emirates’ lounge network sort of puzzles me, frankly. Emirates operates its own lounges at an impressive number of outstations, so it’s a massive investment for the airline, especially since Emirates avoids monetizing these lounges by offering them to other airlines, by admitting Priority Pass members, etc.

Emirates’ outstation lounges are consistent to a fault. They feature an excellent selection of self-serve food, which is among the best buffet food you’ll find in an airport lounge. They also have a pretty solid selection of self-serve drinks.

At the same time, I can’t help but feel like Emirates fails to make its outstation lounges special. The decor and design is consistently uninspiring, and there are no differentiated ground services for first class passengers. I also think the airline could elevate the food and drink selection a bit, at least offering drinks prepared by bartenders, or barista coffee. Anyway, let’s get into the review…

Emirates Lounge Johannesburg location

We were in transit at Johannesburg Airport, as we had arrived on Federal Airlines from Buffalo Range, after an amazing stay at Singita Pamushana Lodge. The Emirates Lounge is located in International Terminal A, so once you’re inside the terminal, walk down the main hallway, and follow the signage in the direction of airline lounges.

Eventually on the left side you’ll see stairs, escalators, and elevators, leading to lounges. This is where you’ll find the British Airways Lounge, Emirates Lounge, and South African Airways Lounge.

After getting off the escalator, the Emirates Lounge was straight ahead and to the right.

Emirates Lounge Johannesburg hours

Emirates typically operates three daily flights to Johannesburg, and you can expect that the lounge will be open just under four hours before any flight’s departure. Currently the lounge is open daily from 9:30AM until 1:30PM, and from 3:30PM until 10:20PM, though you can expect that to change based on flight schedules.

Emirates Lounge Johannesburg entry requirements

The Emirates Lounge Johannesburg is open to the following passengers:

• Emirates first class passengers
• Emirates business class passengers (excluding those on “basic” business class fares)
• Emirates Skywards Platinum and Gold members traveling in economy
• Emirates economy passengers can purchase access for $125 if they’re a Skywards member, or for $155 if they’re a non-Skywards member

Emirates Lounge Johannesburg seating & layout

The Emirates Lounge Johannesburg is 312 square meters (~3,360 square feet), with seating for 146 passengers.

The main part of the lounge consists of one huge room, with seats arranged in rows and clusters, facing one another. While the seating is quite comfortable, I do wish that Emirates had a bit more variety in terms of seating options, since it’s all more or less the same.

The other main part of the lounge is the dining area in the back right corner of the space, which has around a dozen dining tables, each seating two to four people.

There’s also a communal table with four chairs, facing the windows.

Speaking of the view, the lounge looks out over the apron, so it has good views of some heavy jets. Unfortunately unlike many other Emirates Lounge locations, this one doesn’t have direct boarding from the lounge.

The lounge also has a small business center near the entrance, with several PCs, plus a printer.

There are also a variety of reading materials, including magazines and newspapers.

Wi-Fi in the lounge was fast during our visit, though is such a complicated Wi-Fi password really necessary?

As far as decor goes, it’s worth noting that the lounge was renovated in late 2023. Emirates is historically known for its heavy use of gold and dark wood, but even with some fresher furniture, I still didn’t find the lounge looked particularly modern.

The lounge never got too busy during our visit, though this is very dependent on each particular flight (how full premium cabins are, and how many elite members there are).

Emirates Lounge Johannesburg food & drinks

The Emirates Lounge Johannesburg has one main buffet, where guests can help themselves to food and drinks.

As is standard at Emirates Lounge locations, there was a refrigerated area with individually plated mezze, salad, cheese, and dessert.

Then there were a variety of hot dishes, which the staff do a great job constantly replenishing. Options ranged from yellow rice, to beef, to cheesy asparagus, to alfredo pasta, to tandoori chicken, and more.

There was also a coconut buttermilk soup, with crostinis, along with a selection of bread.

Self-serve drink options included soft drinks, juice, water, coffee tea, beer, wine, and liquor.

There’s a second drink station back near the entrance, with a similar selection.

Emirates’ food selection impresses, at least as far as lounge buffet food goes. The quality of self-serve drinks is great as well. There aren’t many airline lounges that just have Moët you can help yourself to.

But still, it sure would be nice if that liquor selection could be used for proper cocktails, rather than having to make drinks yourself.

Emirates Lounge Johannesburg bathrooms & showers

The Emirates Lounge Johannesburg has bathrooms inside the entrance and to the right.

The men’s room had three sinks, three stalls, and two urinals, and was constantly refreshed. I appreciate how Emirates always has “proper” hand towels in bathrooms, which is something you don’t often find in a business class lounge.

The lounge also had a single shower suite inside the men’s room, which didn’t otherwise contain a sink or a toilet. So you’ll probably only want to shower here if it’s absolutely necessary, since I can’t imagine the ventilation is great either.

Lastly, as is standard for an Emirates Lounge, there was a prayer area.

Bottom line

Emirates invests a lot of money in its lounge network, and as a result, has a huge number of outstation lounges. The Emirates Lounge Johannesburg offers a solid experience, with comfortable seating, lots of natural light, and a great selection of self-serve food and drinks.

As good as this lounge is, I do think Emirates could do a bit more with its lounge network, given how much money the company invests in the real estate used for these lounges. While I’d love to see things like proper cocktails, I’m not surprised by the lack of this, since it’s also something Emirates doesn’t offer in many of its Dubai lounges.

Just as a point of comparison, I’d argue that Qatar Airways’ outstation lounges are way better than Emirates’. Then again, the lounge network is also much smaller.

What’s your take on the Emirates Lounge Johannesburg?