Review: Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)

The Long Way to Abu Dhabi

More from this series:

• Introduction: The Long Way To Abu Dhabi
• The Unglamorous Reality Of My Review Trips
• Review: EVA Air Business Class Boeing 777 (IAH-TPE)
• Review: EVA Air Infinity Lounge Taipei Airport (TPE)
• Review: EVA Air Business Class Boeing 787 (TPE-HKG)
• Review: Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong
• Review: Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
• Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
• Review: Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
• Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
• Review: Qantas Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
• Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class Airbus A350 (HKG-SIN)
• Review: Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore Airport (SIN)
• Review: Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Singapore Airport (SIN)
• Review: Singapore Airlines First Class Boeing 777 (SIN-CGK)
• Review: Garuda Indonesia Lounge Jakarta Airport (CGK)
• Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Jakarta Airport (CGK)
• Review: Garuda Indonesia Business Class Boeing 777 (CGK-JED)
• Review: Aerotel Jeddah Airport, Saudi Arabia
• Review: Etihad Business Class Airbus A321 (JED-AUH)
• Review: Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
• Review: Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
• Review: Pearl Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
• Review: Etihad First Class Airbus A380 (AUH-LHR)
• Review: British Airways Concorde Room London Heathrow (LHR)
• Review: British Airways Galleries First Lounge London Heathrow (LHR)
• Review: British Airways First Class Airbus A380 (LHR-ORD)

During my review trip, I had the chance to check out Abu Dhabi Airport’s new Terminal A, which is such a massive improvement for the airport. I visited all the lounges in the terminal, including the new Etihad Business Class Lounge, Etihad First Class Lounge, and Pearl Lounge. In this installment, I’ll be reviewing the Etihad Business Class Lounge, which I visited prior to my Etihad A380 first class flight.

The new Etihad Business Class Lounge is quirky — it’s across three floors, it’s incredibly narrow and long, and the layout is downright confusing. But I have to say, on balance I think it ranks among the best business class lounges in the world.

The lounge has tons of natural light, endless seating, direct boarding from the lounge to select gates, and a variety of amenities, ranging from a beautiful bar, to relaxation rooms, to shower suites. The food perhaps isn’t that exciting, but it’s still good on balance, in my opinion. Let’s get into the review.

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi location

For a newly constructed terminal, the Etihad Business Class Lounge seems oddly difficult to find, regardless of whether you’re coming from the immigration checkpoint or the transit security checkpoint. Below is a map of Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A, to give you a sense of the layout.

The Etihad Business Class Lounge is located on the north side of the terminal, between the C gates and D gates. More specifically, the lounge is between gates C27 and D43 (yes, that sounds weird, but I think the above map explains why that is). The signage in the terminal for Etihad Lounges isn’t necessarily great or intuitive.

If you’re in the central part of the terminal, the fastest way to get to the Etihad Business Class Lounge is to walk through the hallway for toilets, and then the lounge is in the corridor on the other end of that. Yes, it’s a rather odd way to get to a premium lounge, eh?

Once you enter the lounge, there are Etihad employees who will scan you into the lounge.

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi hours

The Etihad Business Class Lounge is open 24/7, given that Gulf carriers operate flights all hours of the day and night, so the lounge never closes. In terms of crowding, you can generally expect that the busiest periods will be around midnight and around 7AM, with the lounge being particularly empty mid-morning and mid-afternoon (reflecting when the biggest banks of flights are).

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi entry requirements

The Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi is open to all Etihad business class passengers. On top of that, Etihad Guest Silver members can access the lounge with no guests, while Etihad Guest Gold members can access the lounge with one guest.

Etihad economy passengers can also buy access to the Etihad Business Class Lounge. I believe the current cost is $120 or 16,000 Etihad Guest miles for up to four hours, or $150 or 20,000 Etihad Guest miles for four to eight hours.

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi seating & layout

Okay, so I’m going to need everybody to pay attention for a second as we discuss the layout of this lounge, because it’s really confusing. In particular, there’s one part of the lounge that people would never even naturally come across, so let me explain.

The Etihad Business Class Lounge is absolutely massive, and it’s spread across three levels. I don’t know how many square feet it is but it’s huge. It’s also a very long and very narrow lounge — I can’t help but wonder if thought just wasn’t put into the lounge when the airport was first designed, or if this is intentional (for some odd reason).

The lounge consists of level three, level five, and level six. It goes straight from level three to level five, so I assume that level four is skipped due to tetraphobia, or something? Across the three levels, the lounge consists of an east wing and west wing, but the two wings aren’t connected on all floors.

The three levels are connected via a set of escalators and a set of elevators at each end of the lounge (east and west):

• You enter the lounge on level three on the west side; level three has some lounge space on the west side, while there’s no east side (I believe this is where the Etihad spa will be located, which is opening in the future)
• Level five spans the whole length of the lounge, though the east and west side aren’t in any way connected, and this means the east side of level five consistently stays totally empty; that’s because you enter through level three west, then you’d need to take the escalator or elevator up to level six west, then you’d need to walk across the lounge, and then you’d need to take the escalator or elevator down to level five east (clear as mud, right?)
• Level six is by far the most popular place (this is referred to as the Roof Lounge), as it spans the entire length of the lounge; the Etihad First Class Lounge takes up a small portion of the east side of level six

So yeah, generally my recommendation would be to hang out on level six if you want to eat or drink something, since it’s where the bar and one of the main buffets are located. If you just want to the quietest space, go to the east side of level five, because I swear 99% of passengers never find this area of the lounge. What a strange lounge layout, but we can definitely make it work to our advantage.

With that ridiculously long explanation out of the way, let’s get into the actual review of the lounge. As soon as you enter the lounge, you’ll see the escalator going up to level five.

If you instead walk straight ahead and to the left, you’ll find Liwan Global Dining, which is one of the lounge’s all-day dining restaurants. In theory this cuisine is supposed to be more catered toward Emirati and Middle Eastern specialties, but I didn’t necessarily find the differentiation to be that huge compared to the other buffet (I’ll talk more about the actual food and drinks later on).

This area consists of all kinds of communal dining tables, booths, high-top seating, and more. The area is definitely intended to have some Middle Eastern flair, but personally I didn’t feel the finishes in this part of the lounge were particularly luxurious.

I appreciate the consistent amount of natural light throughout the lounge thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, which is such a treat, given that many lounges feel a bit like dungeons.

Now let’s take a look at level six (two levels above where you enter), which is called the Roof Lounge. This is the largest part of the lounge, and we’ll take a look at this space going from east to west. Right at the east escalator is the entrance to the Etihad First Class Lounge.

You’ll then first see a variety of seating clusters, ranging from lounge chairs arranged in rows facing the windows, to sofas and other seating options.

There’s then the first main part of the lounge, consisting of booths, communal high-top seating, and more. There’s only a small buffet of drinks and packaged snacks here, so this isn’t intended to be the main dining area.

At roughly the halfway point of the Roof Lounge is the Constellation Bar, which is the lounge’s stunning bar. This is decorated with a 172 piece, 25 meter long glass lighting sculpture, depicting the Abu Dhabi skyline. It’s nice that the bar has proper cocktails and barista coffee, so this is definitely the best place in the lounge to get the best drinks.

The Roof Lounge’s main buffet is near the bar, so there are also lots of dining tables in this area, as well as sofas.

Past the Constellation Bar is even more seating, arranged in a single row of tables, each seating two people.

In the very back of the lounge is another large seating area, with comfortable leather chairs, as well as booths. This area tends to stay pretty quiet, since most people sit near the dining and bar area.

Now, let’s go down to level five west, which is the part of level five you’re more likely to naturally come across (since it’s what can be accessed from the escalators by reception).

Level five west primarily consists of a long row of chairs facing the apron, as well as the family room and shower suites.

There are also some other seating arrangements.

Level five east is really the most hidden part of the lounge, given how most people would never naturally stumble across it. This also has rows of chairs (though in a different arrangement), and you can expect that you’ll typically have this part of the lounge to yourself. Level five east also has the relaxation rooms.

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi food & drinks

With the layout of the lounge out of the way, let’s take a look at the food and drink selection in the lounge. On level six at the Roof Lounge, you have one of the main all-day dining buffets. Frankly the dining area isn’t huge, given how many people have access to the lounge.

Over breakfast, cold options included cold cuts and cheese, all kinds of veggies and dips, cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries, croissants, and more.

There were also nearly 10 hot options, ranging from ful medames, to scrambled eggs, to baked beans, to noodles, to sausage, and much more.

The Constellation Bar has everything from barista coffee, to cocktails, to wine and beer, so this is basically a full-service bar. It’s always nice when a business class lounge offers barista coffee and proper cocktails.

Then Liwan Global Dining is located on level three, and is the other main dining area. The buffet area is much larger, and almost feels like what you’d expect in a hotel.

I was expecting a bit more differentiation in terms of what was being offered compared to upstairs, but it was largely similar. The cold options were virtually the same, with the main different being a few more hot Middle Eastern dishes.

The lounge also has several food and drink stations on each floor, but the selection there is very limited. We’re talking coffee machines, canned soda, bottled water and juice, packaged snacks (chips, cookies, etc.), and whole fruit.

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi bathrooms & showers

There are several bathrooms throughout the Etihad Business Class Lounge, and they’re constantly cleaned. The cleaners are almost a bit too attentive, as they never seem to leave the bathrooms.

The lounge has 18 shower suites, located on level five west. They’re available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The shower suites are compact but functional, and have a sink, a toilet, and a walk-in shower.

The shower has both a rainforest shower head, as well as a handheld one.

The toiletries in the shower suites are unbranded, which is a bit surprising, given the extent to which Etihad tries to partner with luxury brands.

The only real criticism I have of these shower suites is that the ventilation is not good, so if you take a hot shower, expect that you’ll be sweating afterwards. This is such a common issue in airport lounges, and I don’t know if it’s just that hard to avoid, or if lounge designers don’t put more thought into it?

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi relaxation rooms

The Etihad Business Class Lounge has relaxation rooms located on level five east. Since level five east is the hidden part of the lounge, many people will never find these, unless they know to look for them.

While these rooms aren’t fully private, they exceeded my expectations in terms of ambiance. The relaxation area consists of semi-private rooms, each of which has a door, but the rooms don’t have floor-to-ceiling privacy. There are stars on the ceiling, and Armani / Casa bedding.

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi family & games room

The Etihad Business Class Lounge has both a family room and a games room. The family room is located on level five west, and is intended for smaller children. It’s a cute space, but doesn’t have much in the way of toys or other ways to stay entertained (which is perhaps intentional, since people might steal things, or something?).

On level six there’s a games room, with table football, air hockey, and digital games, for guests of all ages to enjoy.

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi smoking room

The Etihad Business Class Lounge has a smoking room on level six. The smoking room is small but elegant, and features Chesterfield sofas, with the capacity to seat around a dozen people at a time. That doesn’t seem like a very high capacity during peak hours, but then again, I’m not a smoker.

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi spa

While it’s not open yet, it’s worth noting that Etihad is in the process of opening a spa at Abu Dhabi Airport. The entrance is separate from the lounges, though I’m guessing it will somehow be connected internally once it opens, since it’s in the same general area.

Etihad hasn’t revealed any more details about that, so it remains to be seen what kind of treatments will be offered, how much they’ll cost, etc. It’s nice to see Etihad bringing back a spa concept, after shutting it down years ago in the old lounge, as part of a cost cutting measure.

Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi special boarding

Another cool aspect of the Etihad Business Class Lounge is that it offers direct boarding to select gates, allowing you to skip the terminal after your time in the lounge. On level five west there’s boarding for gate D43 and C27, and then on level five east there’s boarding for gate C29.

This is an awesome feature — there are double doors at each end, and then they open when boarding is ready. You then walk straight down the jet bridge and onto the plane.

You can generally expect that Airbus A380 flights, as well as select other premium flights, depart from these gates.

Bottom line

The new Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi is very good, and is an excellent hub lounge. On the plus side, the lounge is spacious, has lots of natural light, has generally nice design, offers direct boarding for select flights, has a gorgeous bar, and has lots of amenities, like shower suites, relaxation rooms, play rooms for kids, and more.

The lounge isn’t perfect, though. I’d say the lounge has a good but not amazing food selection, and the layout is also confusing (though you can make that work in your favor).

On balance, though, I’d say this ranks among the top 10 business class lounges in the world, give or take. Many airlines struggle with offering a great business class ground product at their hub, given the amount of demand, and this is one of the better run business class lounges I’ve seen. I’m a fan, and it’s particularly noteworthy what a massive improvement this is over Etihad’s previous facility.

What’s your take on the Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi?