Airport Lounges Reviews

Etihad Business/First Lounge Washington D.C. (IAD) Review

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This is part of the Around the World 2015 Mega Trip



For anyone who travels domestically let’s put a hand up and say:

EXCUSE ME, WHAT IS WRONG WITH U.S. AIRPORT LOUNGES?!?!

There are exceptions, of course, the series of Centurion Lounges being rolled out for Amex Platinum and Black Card customers are quite nice, but nothing compares to foreign carrier lounges. The thing is, unless you frequent the foreign lounges you don’t even know what you’re missing.

We are so accustomed to the old and dull, the “I’m gonna have to search for an outlet”, the make-d0 with pretzels, seltzer, and a weird slightly dried hummus mound – that when faced with an Etihad lounge it’s as though a mirage has appeared in the desert.

What is this glorious oasis of indulgence and plentitude? It’s all so beautiful and free. I’m not sure I’m supposed to feel so welcomed and catered to. This isn’t the “premium”feeling I’m accustomed to in my everyday domestic lounge premium experience.

That’s cause Etihad actually makes you feel “premium”

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I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Jay Z started rapping and a little fairy dropped out of the sky and brushed my shoulders off when I entered the lounge. In fact, it reminded of the time I was looking to get my first nice car, and my mom landed one of her many adages on me: “You’ll never know you needed a heated seat, until you have one, and then without one, you will be very cold and lonely.” Ok maybe she didn’t quite say that, but let’s pretend she did.

Ain’t that the truth mom, Ain’t that the truth. Once you go foreign you don’t go back. That’s the saying, right? 

It’s like once you go business class you can’t really fly coach again, well, technically you can but you’ll just be overcome with envy, jealousy and I’m pretty sure the other 5 deadly sins in no specific order.

I know, I digress, but that is what this lounge did to me.

It made me not want to go back! I’m experiencing the heated seats of lounge experience!

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It’s not that it was so overwhelmingly large, or tricked out with huge soaking tubs, masseurs, or was I delivered here in a Porsche,( To all of you who are unaware of such luxuries…they do exist, I’ve yet to experience them, but Miles is dead set on having some knots worked out post TSA screening – what can I say….Monkey see, Monkey want), but…

The thing that made my jaw drop was the fact that once we left the normal troubles of travel at the door, we escaped, never to look back again. Yes that is right. We never set foot again in the termainl. B-YAH

They served us food. You could use the buffet, but they also served us food. Waiter style. Yessir.

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The food was great. But the best part was yet to come

I’d mentioned earlier that all your worries are left at the door. This is true. Typically once you’ve filled your belly, had a couple drinks, and relaxed you must lose that ‘premium’ luster and file back out into the herd. Not here, not here. You actually board from the lounge yes –

You board straight from the lounge. Mic Dropped.

 

 

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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