Emirates has four lounges for business class passengers in Dubai Airport’s Terminal 3 – two massive lounges in Concourse A and B, a smaller one in Concourse C, and a tiny one further into concourse C. After visiting Emirates’ lounge in concourse C, I headed towards Concourse B, where my flight would be departing.
Emirates’ Concourse B lounge is situated near gate B16. It’s one floor above the main deck (and spans the length of half the terminal, with the other half occupied by the first class lounge) though you can board your aircraft from select B-gates, including B17, where our flight would be departing. I was welcomed by a friendly lounge attendant, and told that there wouldn’t be any boarding announcements for my flight.
Since the lounge was recently touched up, the furniture and furnishings were quite modern. Near the entrance was a circular area with lots of seating.
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B
There were many “zones” of seating, all featuring various armchairs that faced each other. Now, I do think that’s a bit of a missed opportunity, since I enjoy a variety of seating for different preferences; that being said, at least all the armchairs were comfortable. The zones were themed by the different food spreads situated there, though the chairs were all beige/red with wooden finishes, in line with Emirates’ lounge design ethos.
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Seating
At many points throughout the lounge you could also find table seating, with pairs of chairs facing each other with a flower laid onto the table (these tables were a better height for working and dining, compared to those by the armchairs).
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Table Seating
Meanwhile, you could also find seating along the length of the “walkways” that adjoined the seating areas. Here you could find some other seating, such as higher-backed chairs, etc..
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Hallway Seating
While most of the lounge was quite uniform in terms of the seating it offered, my favourite part by far was a room by the end of the lounge called “The Champagne Bar”. Apart from featuring a champagne bar (as the name suggested), the room was also the brightest and airiest of all the rooms in the lounge, especially during midday; it also featured the biggest variety of seating, and was also least busy, as it was tucked into a corner of the lounge.
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Mediterranean Area
Per its namesake, the lounge features a champagne bar by Moët and Chandon, which the airline touts. I wasn’t old enough to drink from the bar (the drinking age on the ground in the UAE is 21), though I did have a sip of Dad’s rosé, which was fresh and oh so crisp – miles better than the Moët and Chandon served onboard.
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Moët and Chandon Bar
Coincidentally the food spread in this area of the lounge, the Mediterranean food spread, was also my favourite, featuring bright, fresh small plates including octopus and quaint pastries.
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Mediterranean Food Spread
Speaking of food spreads, as I mentioned, each area of the lounge was “themed” differently, with the respective themes driven by the food spread. The Asian food spread featured rice, sweet and sour pork, vegetables, curry, etc. as well as a standard cold food spread with smoked salmon, etc..
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Asian Food Spread
The Western food spread featured fruit salads, hot proteins (e.g. fish), an area with pancakes, etc..
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Western Food Spread
Meanwhile the Arabic food spread featured hummus, muhammara, etc..
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Arabic Food Spread
Overall, I thought the lounge was a pleasant place to spend time in, particularly by the champagne bar area. I quite liked the “themed” food spreads, though didn’t find most of the options to be particularly premium, with exception of the Mediterranean food spread.
I’m not sure what quite to make of the food spread situation. On one hand I think it’s quite creative that Emirates offers “stations” with different cuisines, and it’s quite useful for people who feel “at home” sticking to their own cuisines. That being said, for those who like to bounce around and/or like trying a variety of cuisines, this just translates into unnecessary walking.
In addition to the above seating areas, the lounge also featured a multitude of facilities. Near the entrance was a business center, with plenty of PCs.
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Business Center
There was also a games room, with a couple of games consoles. A guy approached me and asked me to play a round with him, though I politely declined, as I was pressed for time (not because of my transit, but rather because I wanted to check out the business class lounge in concourse A as well).
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Games Room
In addition, there was also a Costa Coffee stand by the entrance, where all drinks and food items were free. There wasn’t a long wait during my stay and I was able to get a coffee quite easily, though I imagine the same can’t be said during peak hours. Nevertheless, the Costa Coffee stand functioned as a “barista coffee” feature for the lounge, and was very much appreciated.
The lounge was very empty during my stay, though I visited around 1 PM, which I imagine is off-peak time for Emirates (Dubai Airport is busiest during early morning hours, due to Emirates’ extensive transit system and the airline’s hub-and-spoke model). That being said, due to the size of the lounge, I doubt it would ever reach capacity even at 5 AM in the morning. WiFi at the lounge was fast, free, and worked perfectly.
As I mentioned earlier, you can board your A380 directly through one of the gate areas situated outside the lounge. Now, the caveat is that boarding from this gate typically starts around 10 minutes after the main boarding gate. Wanting to be first onboard for pictures, I made my way down to the main boarding area to get onboard our A380.
Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B Premium Boarding
Bottom Line: Emirates Business Class Lounge Dubai Concourse B
The Emirates Concourse B lounge was recently renovated, so I quite like the design. In addition, it was comfortable, and I particularly enjoyed the Champagne Bar area, which was tucked into a corner of the lounge and provided a quiet, comfortable space with abundant natural light. While I can’t fully speak for the lounge’s capacity during peak hours, based on the size of the lounge and the fact that Emirates has another massive lounge at Concourse A, I doubt this lounge would ever reach capacity. I also enjoyed the variety of food options, and found it interesting how the different cuisines were stationed around the lounge (though it can get a bit annoying sometimes, especially if you have favourite foods across multiple cuisines).
If I was on a flight from Concourse B in business class, I wouldn’t mind spending some time in this lounge. Although Concourse A’s Emirates lounge is bigger (I’ll be reviewing that next), I don’t see an asset to walking an extra 20 minutes to access that lounge.
Read more from this trip:
What’s your favourite Emirates lounge at Dubai Airport?