I got to visit the Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles (IAD) while flying Etihad business class to Abu Dhabi last month. I had booked an AAdvantage award that put me in American Airlines first class from Sacramento to D.C. via Dallas. From there, I had one more stopover in Abu Dhabi, before continuing to Male. Yes, it was as fun as it sounds.
The lounge is small but offers great amenities for business travelers and families alike. The best part is that if you’re flying Etihad, you can board your flight right from the lounge.
How to access the Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles
The Etihad Lounge IAD is accessible to business class passengers flying Etihad Airways. The lounge is also part of the Priority Pass network, accessible to Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders. If you have Priority Pass Select membership through the Sapphire Reserve, you can even bring up to two guests into the lounge, without paying a fee.
All other cardholders with Priority Pass Select membership can visit the lounge just once per year.
You can also buy a day pass for $75, though that’s not worth it.
Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles location
The Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles (IAD) is located near Gate A4. It was very close to my departure gate and the attendant informed me that we would be boarding the plane directly from the lounge.
She also stated that I would be informed when it was time to board, though no boarding announcement was made. I found out we were boarding when I saw a row of people passing by.
Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles amenities
I checked into the Etihad lounge around three hours before my flight, so I had some time to explore and enjoy the amenities.
Etihad Lounge IAD kids room
If you’re traveling with kids, you’ll appreciate the kids’ room in the Etihad lounge at IAD. It’s the first door on the right, behind the check-in desk.
The kids’ room is really an ingenious way to keep kids entertained…and far away from the adults, so they can enjoy peace and quiet.
The room has a TV and all kinds of toys for kids to play with. The door is propped open and as a non-parent, I don’t know if that’s good or bad. If I was traveling with my nieces and nephew, I’d want better proximity to them.
Etihad lounge Washington Dulles business center
It would have been perfect if they put the kids room upstairs, alongside a family area. Instead, it’s right across from the computer stations.
Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles seating
The Etihad lounge at IAD is fairly small but offers lots of different types of seating. Behind the computer station, there was a small seating area furnished with leather couches and a large tv showcasing the latest political disaster we’ve since become indifferent to.
The door leading to the gate is right past this area and to the right.
Across from this area, there is a row of seating facing the window. These don’t have any in-seat power outlets or USB ports. You’ll want to stick to the area by the TV if you need to charge your electronics.
Upstairs, there is a loft area with additional seating.
Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles food
The buffet at the IAD Etihad lounge wasn’t particularly extensive. At least not compared to the Etihad lounge in Abu Dhabi. There were three hot options, along with fruits, two types of salads and desserts.
I wasn’t super hungry but sampled a bit of everything and found it to be tasty. The Korma in the middle was especially good.
There is a fairly large seating area near the buffet stations. Behind that is the bar area, with the bathroom (including showers and prayer rooms) to the left.
Etihad lounge shower
If you’ve ever spent 8 hours flying and running through airports, you’ll appreciate the value of being able to shower before jumping on yet another. The shower at the Etihad lounge was in the bathroom, past the two stalls.
The bathroom was super clean and stocked with plenty of towels and a laundry basket near the door, for used towels.
The shower room itself had all the essentials: Plenty of towels, soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.
And what kind of fancy lounge would this be without a rain shower?
As much as I loved the spa at the Thai Airways first class lounge in Bangkok and the incredible restaurant at the Cathay Pacific Pier lounge, ultimately nothing beats a shower. I’ll gladly eat crackers and cheese as long as there’s a place to freshen up before I have to spend 12+ hours wearing the same clothes on an airplane.
Wifi and power outlets
The Etihad lounge at IAD really came up short in the tech department, if you want to call it that. The power outlets in this lounge are barely functional – I honestly don’t know how they keep the lights on. I bought a charger for my phone at a nearby kiosk and the owner warned me that the Etihad lounge’s power outlets were notoriously bad.
I thought the problem was with my charger, but none of my electronics were charging at any of the power outlets. Not when I plugged them into the wall by the TV and not when I unplugged one of the computers to test out that outlet. Luckily, my seat on the plane had power and everything worked fine, but this is definitely something to be aware of.
Not only were the power outlets nonfunctional, but the wifi sucked. The wifi password was displayed at pretty much every table. There were two lounge wifi networks and I kept switching back and forth, hoping one would improve over the other but it didn’t. Finally, I just used my phone as a hotspot when working on my laptop.
Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles service
The Etihad lounge is more of a self-service type of establishment. The check-in attendants were friendly enough, though the rest of the staff mostly huddled around the bar and chatted the entire time.
One staff member walked around, cleaning up after people and that was pretty much the only interaction any of them had with guests.
Is the Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles worth it?
The Etihad lounge at IAD was a comfortable, quiet place to hang out before my flight. The food selection wasn’t extensive, but I sampled a bit of everything and thought it was good overall.
The terrible wifi and weak power outlets made it difficult for me to get any work done. But I guess I ultimately needed a break from work, so it was fine.
Overall the ambiance of the lounge was nice and it was quiet. That’s the opposite experience I had at the Turkish Airlines lounge on my return, which resembled a Times Square Starbucks in its traffic and level of organization.
Other stories about my trip to the Maldives
- How I booked a $21,200 Maldives trip for $1,686
- Etihad business class Washington to Abu Dhabi
- Etihad business class lounge Abu Dhabi review
- Etihad Business Class review: A320 Abu Dhabi to Male
- Waldorf Astoria Maldives boat transfer
- Waldorf Astoria Maldives review
- Waldorf Astoria Maldives beach villa review
- Waldorf Astoria Maldives overwater villa review
