New premium lounge coming for eastern flights at Dublin Airport

The Dublin Airport Authority or DAA have put out a tender document for a new premium lounge at Dublin Airport. This new DAA lounge will be used by carriers operating long-haul flights to the east.

There is already a lounge for western flights called 51st & Green, serving international flights to the United States. Located after US immigration, it is the nicest airport operated lounge in Dublin.

Which Airlines Will Use The New DAA Lounge?

Several airlines operate to the Middle East and Asia from Dublin. Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways serve Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha respectively. Etihad do have their own lounge, however I expect this is going to change considering they outsourced the one at London Heathrow.

More recently, services to Asia have commenced from Dublin. Hainan Airlines serves Beijing and Shenzhen, and Cathay Pacific added Hong Kong to the map. Considering these are all premium carriers, it makes sense for them to have a lounge to match.

Where Will It Be And What’s Planned?

The new DAA lounge is going to be located in the airside corridor between Terminal 1 and 2. At present, there are three lounges here – the Aer Lingus lounge, a DAA lounge and the Etihad lounge. Will it be refurbishment of the current DAA lounge or a takeover of the Etihad lounge? If it’s the Etihad lounge, it already looks pretty premium, judging by the below pictures.

According to the tender document, the new lounge is to feature barista coffee, a high end bar and a large tea selection. It will also have “front of house food preparation and cooking”. Who doesn’t like seeing fresh food cooked to order while you watch? Dishes are expected to be Middle Eastern with halal dishes on offer as well as Asian. That is in addition to food that reflects Ireland.

Overall Thoughts

Contracts are expected to be awarded by May 2019, so the facility will presumably come online sometime this year. The new DAA lounge is going to be the best one they operate at Dublin Airport, as the food alone promises to be better than anything they currently offer.

Perhaps it’s a good thing that an external company will manage the lounge and provide the catering. Finally the top customers at some of the airlines will get a ground product in Dublin befitting their on board product. The current offering is certainly not great.

Cross fingers that other airlines can use the facility too. I’m looking at you, British Airways! What do you think of this development? Have you used the current DAA lounges in Dublin? Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image via Dublin Airport.
Hainan Airlines image by Tomás Del Coro via Wikimedia Commons.
Etihad Dublin Lounge images via Glenbeigh Construction.
Originally reported first in a Fora article by Conor McMahon.