I will be flying out of Dubai International Airport Terminal 1 for my BA flight. Most airlines in Dubai use Terminal 1. T3, which is the newer one, is exclusive for the use of Emirates. We are left with contract lounges over here in T1. The terminals do look rather drab for Dubai standards. I am clearly not expecting this. I guess it is just not that important for them to improve this. Your DXB experience might really vary depending on what you fly. As expected, there are no Emirates lounges here. We are left with the contract lounges. Many airlines use this lounge, including Singapore Airlines. It should have some standards, bah. You can also access it via a lounge program like Priority Pass. I am certainly hoping that this will be much better than the atrocious Marhaba Lounge.

Access Requirements

The Ahlan Business Class Lounge is open 24 hours daily. You can access this lounge through a lounge program membership, such as Priority Pass. I have an unlimited Priority Pass through my UOB Reserve Card or my Citi Prestige Credit Card, which provides me with 12 yearly visits. I access the lounge primarily using these two cards. A standard entrance will cost 35USD. Typical guest entitlements follow.

Arrival & Location

The Ahlan Business Class Lounge is located one level above the main terminal. You can find it near the Krispy Kreme. They actually have three lounges over here. There is a first class lounge, a business class lounge and a normal one. The normal lounge is closed on the day of my visit. I am not sure what the difference is between the three. It feels like what they do in Bangkok. The lounge was packed despite the late hour. 

Ahlan Business Class Lounge 

The lounge was packed and busy. This is, after all, a pretty packed time for Dubai departures. Late nights are their peak over here. The lounge has a couple of seating areas. To the left are some overflow seating areas. To the right, you can find the bar. I will share more on this later. 

Over in the lounge, you can also find some typical dining tables that are more suitable for dining. There are more chairs and couches lined up along the side. Some of the seating areas come with power outlets. Let me include some pictures of the place. 

Toilets and showers 

I did not manage to check this out during my stay.  

Food and Drinks

This aspect is actually pretty decent. The food and drinks exceeded my expectations. Back to the bar by the entrance, they have a healthy selection of alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic options. Let me include the menu.

Around the lounge, you also have some self-serve alcohol, like wines, available. Bottled water is available too.

The selection over here is enough for a small dinner. It might look busy, but the items look quite good, and I love that they had these items in little individual potions. The chicken and salmon were pretty good. Other than this, there are also sandwiches and fruits. 

Conclusion

This is definitely a much better lounge than the Marhaba. That was yuck! If you are choosing one to use your limited contract lounge passes in DXB, this is the one to go for. The lounge boasts a nicer environment than the main terminal area. DXB T1 isn’t nice. With complimentary food and drinks, it makes for a great spot to wait for your flight. I did wish that the airport could improve the terminal and perhaps a decent airline could also open its own lounge here, but this surely suffices for the time being. Next up, the Marhaba!