Review: Dublin Airport DAA Executive Lounge T1

The Dublin Airport Authority or DAA operate two lounges which are used by a variety of carriers serving the airport. These include Lufthansa, Swiss, KLM, British Airways, CityJet, Iberia and Turkish Airlines. In addition, the lounges are available to members of the Priority Pass scheme or by paying a fee of €20.00 upon entry for the general public.

The lounge food and beverage offering has been given a thorough make over this year and this review will mainly focus on the improvements in this area.

DAA Lounge T1

You turn left out of security screening and climb stairs to the lounge. At the top of the stairs there is a reception desk and you can go to either the left or right half of the lounge. Newspapers and magazines are available in a rack beside the entrance. This lounge was previously the BMI lounge before that airlines takeover by British Airways and nowadays the ambiance is functional rather than luxurious. Swivel chairs and arm chairs are grouped around tables throughout the area.

Windows admit natural light but there is not really any view outside. Wireless Internet is free, which it is throughout Dublin Airport. The toilets are located outside the lounge and are nothing to shout about, being rather old fashioned.

Breakfast

Happily the food and drink offering was given some attention earlier this year. Previously the offering was woeful and now it provides a satisfactory selection for the hungry flyer. Breakfast includes offerings of scones, muffins, danish pastry and bread.

The smoothies are quite delicious, though the paper straws tend to disintegrate if left too long. There are also muffins, yoghurt and museli pots and fresh fruit pots. This is in addition to the actual fresh fruit on offer. A selection of biscuits is on offer for people who wish to have their coffee or tea with a biscuit. I decided to try a little bit of everything as usual. The scone was disappointingly dry however all the rest was delicious!

Lunch

Breakfast finishes around 11am and the lounge attendants bring out the lunch offering. There is quite a decent selection of sandwiches and rolls on offer featuring fillings such as egg and lettuce or beef. Trail mix and prezels in little pots are offered which go with a drink quite nicely. There are also pots of olives and an interesting selection of cheese which also includes the black veined Guinness Cheese. It is Ireland after all!

A soup of the day is always offered – tomato or potato or vegetable usually – and this is generally very tasty. For those with a sweet tooth, never fear! There is a stand with bite sized cakes for your pleasure! Overall it is a solid effort and head and shoulders above the previous offering.

Overall Thoughts

The DAA lounges at Dublin Airport are functional and provide most of the requirements for the modern traveller. Drinks are self-service and the food selection is much better than previously. Charging sockets are available along the walls which means anyone seated in the centre of the room does not have access to one.

The Wi-Fi is quite speedy but does require you to reconnect if you put your device down for any period of time. The lounge attendants are friendly and the separated sides of the T1 lounge means you can avoid families with noisy children by changing sides. Overall it is an acceptable effort from Dublin Airport. Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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