Emirates is known for its in-flight first class experience, but what do passengers get on the ground?

Having attended the Altitude 22 conference hosted by Amadeus in Dubai, it was time to fly back to Frankfurt. I was booked to fly with Emirates in business class but was able to review the first class lounge in Concourse C of Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport as a guest of Emirates.

Emirates offers a complimentary chauffeur service for all passengers flying in business class and first class, except for those booked on a business class special fare. First class passengers can even take advantage of a complimentary home check-in service.

I could book my Dubai chauffeur pick-up quite easily on the Emirates website. Once I reached the booking form, I was asked to select my hotel and how far in advance of my flight I wished to be picked up. The maximum was five hours before the flight, with options in 15-minute intervals. To maximize my time in the lounge, I opted for a pick-up four hours and 15 minutes before the flight was due to depart, or 23:30.

I received various notifications on the day of travel regarding the transfer service, and at 23:15, I received a message that my chauffeur, Muhammad, had arrived in the hotel lobby (it also reminded me that I must wear a seatbelt throughout my journey). At 23:30 on the dot, my hotel room phone began to ring, with the reception informing me that my ride had arrived.

After I checked out, the hotel staff directed me to the waiting back BMW. The hotel employees loaded my suitcase into the boot, and I got into the back seat. Muhammad asked me to confirm my name and flight number, and then we were off.

It was a short 10-minute drive from my hotel to Dubai International, and the time flew past. Before long, we were approaching Terminal 3, the Emirates terminal.

I had been expecting that Muhammad would just drop me outside the main terminal like any other passenger, but as we approached the airport, I noticed a lane on the right labeled “business & first class only.” We moved across into the lane, then took a sharp right turn, arriving in a small courtyard before the main departure level at T3.

Here we entered a separate wing, away from all the hustle and bustle of the main terminal, with plenty of check-in desks for all business and first class passengers. I could have used the self-check-in machines, but as there was no wait, I walked up to a staffed counter to engage in a little bit of human interaction.

Before I knew it, the check-in agent sent my bag down the conveyor belt into the belly of Terminal 3, and I was walking away with my boarding pass. I proceeded down the long hall past more first and business check-in desks and found a small passport control facility at the end, with two staffed desks and a bank of e-gates. There was no queue for either of these, though, on this occasion, airport staff directed me to use the e-gate.

After this, there was a small security facility. Only a single lane was open, which would usually strike fear into anybody’s heart at a major international airport, but again, there was no queue. It took me no more than ten minutes to get from the terminal door to the main departure lounge.

As my flight was due to depart from the C concourse, I was invited into the relevant first class lounge next to gate C19 as a guest of Emirates. This turned out to be a very long walk from where we were dumped into the terminal, as we had to walk through most of Concourse B and a good portion of Concourse C. After around 10-15 minutes of walking, I found the lounge.

Unlike the relatively new lounge that takes up an entire floor in Concourse B, the first class lounge in Concourse C doesn’t have biometric entry gates. Instead, I handed my boarding pass to the gate agent the old-fashioned way. She confirmed that I was eligible to enter the facility and wrote my gate on the boarding pass, as this had not been available when I checked in.

The agent informed me that announcements were not made in the lounge and pointed out when I would need to leave to reach my allocated gate, Gate C7. However, I did hear a single announcement for a passenger traveling to Rome to contact staff at the welcome desk during my stay.

My initial impressions of the lounge were mostly positive, though I did note that it seemed a little bit dated. Concourse C felt like it was an older facility with dated jet bridges, and the lounge also had this feel. Compared to the main first class lounge, it was relatively small, similar in size to the Aer Lingus lounge in Dublin or the Royal Air Maroc lounge in Casablanca.

At the entrance to the lounge was a water fountain illuminated with bright colors, a mobile phone charging station, and a shoe shine station, though the latter was unstaffed throughout my entire visit.

Turning left into the lounge, you pass a small lounge seating area with maybe 20 seats before passing a corridor and staircase on the left. Toilets and showers are located down the hall, while a smoking lounge and quiet rest area are located upstairs - To honor the privacy of those sleeping in the quiet rest area and not disturb them, I didn’t take any photos of this room and only poked my head briefly through the open door. Continuing forward, you reach the fine dining area, laid out like a restaurant.

After having a look around the lounge, I proceeded straight to the fine dining area and took a seat at a table for two overlooking the apron and both runways. Unfortunately, the gate right in front of the lounge was closed for maintenance, but on either side of the lounge were a pair of Airbus A380s.

As soon as I sat down at the table, a waiter came over and gave me instructions on accessing the menu via QR code, a change that Emirates brought in due to COVID-19. He offered me still or sparkling water and asked if I would like another drink, such as wine or champagne. I ordered a still water and a glass of champagne while I browsed the menu.

My drinks were delivered shortly afterward, along with a selection of bread and butter. At this point, I placed my food order. I skipped the appetizer menu, diving straight into the main course.

While I was torn between several options on the menu, I ultimately opted for the Wagyu Beef Topside Steak. This was served with a choice of fries or mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables or spinach in a cream sauce, and peppercorn and mushroom sauce. I chose the fries, spinach, and mushroom sauce, with the steak cooked medium.

Chefs cooked my food to order, and it wasn’t long before it arrived on my table. All in all, it was delicious and just what I needed ahead of a seven-hour night flight. Here’s how each component tasted,

My main criticism of the meal was how much sauce I was given. In addition to the mushroom sauce, I was given two large pots of sauce, one with ketchup and one with mayonnaise. This was far more than what was needed for the meal, so I left both reasonably full and imagine the leftover sauce went straight into the bin.

The waiter collected individual plates as and when they were finished, as opposed to all at once at the end of the meal. My glass of champagne was also refilled when it was nearly empty. Before I finished my main course, the waiter attempted to take my dessert order so that it would be delivered as I finished my main course. I asked to wait until I had finished the course to order dessert and explained that I didn’t mind waiting for it.

I opted for vanilla ice cream for dessert and was offered one or two scoops. Luckily I said two as they were pretty small scoops, and I think three would’ve made for a better portion size. The vanilla ice cream was tasty, though as a reasonably common flavor, there’s not too much to be said about it.

I opted to wash the meal down with a cocktail and ordered the one called “An Unforeseen Voyage.” This was made with Dark Rum (aged 8 years), Apricot Brandy, Lime Juice, Apple Juice, Pineapple Juice, and Angostura Bitters. While the rest of the service seemed incredibly speedy, I wondered whether the cocktail had been forgotten at one point, though it did eventually arrive. The cocktail was tasty, though I wouldn’t rush to order one again.

There was also a sizeable self-serve buffet adjacent to the dining area for those with less time to spend at the lounge or seeking a different eating experience.

The toilets seemed built to a reasonably high standard. Three or four cubicles were built into the facility as little rooms with marble walls and full-length wooden doors. At the end of the room were three urinals, though two were labeled as out of service to allow for social distancing.

There were four sinks in a row, each provided with lime and mandarin soap and hand moisturizer. Additionally, there were shaving and dental kits and combs. The tap on the sink I used looked a little past its best and had a wobbly handle.

I found no hand dryers or paper towels inside the restroom. Instead, a pyramid of small cloth towels was provided, though they didn’t seem to have the best drying capabilities. In all honesty, the hand dryers and paper towels would've been preferable.

After dinner, I opted to test out the lounge’s shower facilities. I spoke to the attendant and said that I would like to take a shower. He advised me to use the accessible shower as it “has much more room” and spent a good deal of time showing me how to lock the door - you must hit a light switch to disable the large pads that slide the automatic door open.

Passengers using the showers are given a large body towel and a bath mat and also have access to the aforementioned shaving and dental kits. There was also a large sink, though this was pretty low given the facility was designed to be accessible.

The shower itself was nice, but nothing to write home about. The water pressure was decent but not outstanding, though I liked that the shower quickly got warm. There was no barrier between the shower and the rest of the room, other than a line of raised floor, so I kept the shower head against the wall to avoid making too much of a mess.

After a quick rinse with some more mandarin and lime soap, I felt nice and fresh, which was excellent before the seven-hour night flight to Frankfurt. Ultimately, I would’ve survived without a shower, but it was a nice extra, and I can see the appeal for passengers changing between two long-haul flights. I was the only person to use the showers during roughly three hours in the lounge.

When I entered the lounge, it wasn’t at all busy, with single digits of guests. Around an hour into my visit, it had grown quite busy, with maybe 50-60% of the downstairs seats occupied, but by the time I left, the occupancy had again fallen to single digits. I was under the impression that many of the guests were taking a London-bound flight, with many perhaps accessing the lounge with status.

With around 15 minutes to go until boarding was due to close, I left the lounge and asked the desk attendants for directions to my gate. They said to turn right and keep going and confirmed my name as I was leaving the lounge, presumably, so they knew not to look for me there if I went missing.

When I reached the gate, first and business had already boarded, and there was a long queue of economy passengers waiting to have their documents checked. There was a separate queue for first, business, and premium economy passengers (though the airline offered no premium economy cabin on this flight).

As a business class passenger, I entered the premium queue, which was empty, and was immediately called up to the front to show my passport to inspectors before reaching the gate check.

Boarding was completed via two jet bridges attached to doors one and two. First and business passengers were directed to board via door one, while the economy passengers were boarding via door too. Bizarrely, door two was located halfway through the business class cabin, meaning that I had to rejoin the flow of economy passengers halfway to my seat.

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All in all, my experience of the premium traveler facilities at Emirates Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport was enjoyable. I can’t wait to try the main first class lounge in Concourse B. I would recommend that anybody traveling through Dubai and eligible for these facilities leave a little bit more time to enjoy it fully.

Have you visited the Emirates first class lounge? How did you find it? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!

Simple Flying traveled as a guest of Amadeus, and visited the first class lounge at the invitation of Emirates.

Content Manager – Degree educated in Aerospace Technology, this certified pilot is a passionate specialist in European aviation. Working closely with British Airways, Lufthansa and others, Tom provides commentary on topical issues for outlets including the BBC. Based in Frankfurt, Germany.

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