Dublin Airport and Shannon Airport in Ireland are unique in Europe as they offer US Preclearance which means passengers complete immigration formalities before flying rather than on arrival. It is a wonderful service as the immigration staff based in Dublin are far friendlier than those based in the USA.
When Terminal 2 opened in Dublin, you proceeded through preclearance and then waited by the gate for your flight. As passengers are encouraged to clear in good time for the flight this could mean quite a wait until boarding time. I experienced it and it was tedious in the extreme.
51st&Green At Dublin Airport
Happily the airport recognised the issue and created a lounge called 51st&Green. As the lounge is past US Preclearance, you are technically in the United States while still being on Irish soil, hence the name.
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- Food options are contemporary
Business class passengers are granted complimentary access and others can pay €35 online or €39 at the lounge for entry. While this is pretty steep, the lounge certainly looks great with its airy feel and great views.
Flying Aer Lingus? Be Warned!
Imagine being a passenger on the way to San Francisco flying Aer Lingus. You arrive at the airport early, go through security and enter the Aer Lingus lounge. After some time there, you’re told it is time to go to Preclearance and off you go. Once through, you would naturally head to the 51st&Green lounge to spend the remaining time before you fly. Sounds fine, right?
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- Your second lounge for the day?
Wrong! You are permitted to use either the Aer Lingus lounge or the 51st&Green lounge but not both. People have found themselves without access to 51st&Green because they had the audacity to use the Aer Lingus lounge before preclearance. This is not really communicated very well so please take note.
Overall Thoughts
My advice when flying Aer Lingus is to avoid their lounge altogether as it really is pretty basic. Head through preclearance and enjoy the floor to ceiling windows, better views and better food offered there. American Airlines, United and Delta also use 51st&Green at Dublin Airport and I would advise the same when travelling with them. None of them have their own lounge in Dublin so it is a no brainer really.
Thank you very much for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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All images by Dublin Airport.
I have always used the “Executive Lounge” at Terminal 2 , whether flying Business or using a Priority Pass………….Wow! This is an eye-opener! Is it new? Thank you, Trent!
Yes, I know which one, that is the lounge run by the airport. I use the other one in Terminal 1 all the time as that’s the one BA use. The 51st&Green lounge is new enough, it opened about 9 months ago in July 2016. I haven’t flown transatlantic from Dublin in that time so I haven’t experienced it yet. Looks fabulous though, doesn’t it!
So 51st&Green is in Terminal 2? Emirates flies to Dubai out of Terminal 2….can Business Class Emirates also use it? Or just US airlines? Thanks.
Yes, it is in Terminal 2 however Emirates passengers would not be able to use it. The reason for this is that the lounge is after you go through US Preclearance, so you must be travelling to the United States. It’s after you formally “enter the USA” so only those passengers can use it. Hope that helps!
How did I not know this? The Aer Lingus pre-clearance lounge at DUB is a disgrace. Who in their right mind wants to load up on mediocre cookies and bread before a long flight? There’s not so much as a grape offered. And the sub-cellar location is the icing on the cake.
I agree with you – the Aer Lingus lounge was opened during the bust and since then they haven’t done anything much to improve the food offering or anything like that. Glad you found the article useful! Thanks for the comment!