Jan 13, 2023, 4:48 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
Club World and Concorde Dining at IAD
Note: in the Club World Dining section, the food offering ends about 1 hour before departure of flight BA292.
Note: in the Club World Dining section, the food offering ends about 1 hour before departure of flight BA292.
BA Lounge and Concorde Dining at IAD
Nov 17, 2019, 3:25 pm
#46
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 439
I actually quite like the IAD lounge, it's a decent size, lots of places to sit and perfectly located by the gates and directly above where you enter this part of the terminal (think it's B?). Agreed however that too much of it is taken up by the restaurant area for Golds only. If not travelling anything above WTP (which I rarely am), you shouldn't really ever expect much in terms of substantial food in a North American BA lounge. No idea if frowned upon or not, and frankly not that I care, another big plus to me about the IAD lounge is there's a Chipotle opposite. If no time to eat in the City before the flight, I'll go in there, grab a burrito bowl and enjoy a nice glass of red with it upstairs in the lounge.
Nov 17, 2019, 3:27 pm
#47
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 89
I suppose my view is that a hot buffet in a business class lounge shouldn’t be too much to ask – even if some of the Americans generally have a worse time of things.
Perhaps my expectations are too high across the board – I was irritated to find no hot breakfast at Galleries in MAN before an early flight, when the (perfectly pleasant) Priority Pass had a full buffet out. Same applies at LHR with the Plaza Premium. As an AmEx Plat I can just mix and match the lounges but I suppose it grates that I have to do this.
Perhaps my expectations are too high across the board – I was irritated to find no hot breakfast at Galleries in MAN before an early flight, when the (perfectly pleasant) Priority Pass had a full buffet out. Same applies at LHR with the Plaza Premium. As an AmEx Plat I can just mix and match the lounges but I suppose it grates that I have to do this.
Nov 17, 2019, 5:51 pm
#48
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 345
Don’t normally make posts like this (or at all) as it looks a bit DYKWIA. Have arrived quite early for the BA216 out of IAD – travelling in WT+ but am currently in the lounge.
I read another thread on here which prepared me for it being a bit underwhelming – with the good advice to walk all the way down to the end before choosing a place to sit – but still wasn’t prepared for quite how poor this lounge really is for the USA’s capital city and presumably a pretty business-heavy route.
A massive queue mounted up at the lounge entrance at the opening time of 15:15, dealt with politely but slowly by the agent. I was granted access without fuss, as expected. I watched the agent turn away a Qantas OWE and his wheelchair-using guest – he took it on the chin and walked away calmly although it seemed to me an incorrect decision. Perhaps he wasn’t travelling on a *OW flight although to me that seems unlikely.
I suppose I am shocked at the carving off of what looks like a sizeable area for Club and First dining to which even BA Golds do not apparently have access, while the rest of us, who – despite loyally trying to push flights to BA do not have a generous corporate travel policy allowing J/F travel – are relegated to (currently) a shrimp wrap, mini Reuben rolls, and vegetarian minestrone soup.
I knew some of the East Coast US lounges were like this – I thankfully am normally ex-BOS so haven’t noticed – and luckily there is a very nice bartender down the end of the lounge doing his best to keep guests happy and well-supplied. But, to be frank, this feels really quite a poor lounge offering and perhaps I should be trying to build up points with United instead?
I may pop out for a Five Guys in the main terminal shortly if no better food options arrive…
I read another thread on here which prepared me for it being a bit underwhelming – with the good advice to walk all the way down to the end before choosing a place to sit – but still wasn’t prepared for quite how poor this lounge really is for the USA’s capital city and presumably a pretty business-heavy route.
A massive queue mounted up at the lounge entrance at the opening time of 15:15, dealt with politely but slowly by the agent. I was granted access without fuss, as expected. I watched the agent turn away a Qantas OWE and his wheelchair-using guest – he took it on the chin and walked away calmly although it seemed to me an incorrect decision. Perhaps he wasn’t travelling on a *OW flight although to me that seems unlikely.
I suppose I am shocked at the carving off of what looks like a sizeable area for Club and First dining to which even BA Golds do not apparently have access, while the rest of us, who – despite loyally trying to push flights to BA do not have a generous corporate travel policy allowing J/F travel – are relegated to (currently) a shrimp wrap, mini Reuben rolls, and vegetarian minestrone soup.
I knew some of the East Coast US lounges were like this – I thankfully am normally ex-BOS so haven’t noticed – and luckily there is a very nice bartender down the end of the lounge doing his best to keep guests happy and well-supplied. But, to be frank, this feels really quite a poor lounge offering and perhaps I should be trying to build up points with United instead?
I may pop out for a Five Guys in the main terminal shortly if no better food options arrive…
Most of the post is entirely reasonable, the IAD lounge could be nicer but is what BA's typical lounge offerings were throughout the USA until BOS rolled out enhanced dining for all and the brand new JFK club.
For many years the standard was tea sandwiches, cheese, crisps unless one had access to CW or F dining. BOS and the new JFK club really elevated the game. My sense is that IAD does not have nearly the competition as JFK does for who has the best ground product. JFK is a standout amongst most of the lounge offerings while IAD lounges are pretty mediocre to downright woeful.
You mention trying UA from IAD....think again if you thought the BA lounge was not a good offering. Currently (and the likely at least several more years) the UA lounges at IAD are the pits and would leave most of us begging for the current BA lounge there. Most of UA flights from IAD also suffer from their previous generation business class seats which are also not nearly as nice as BA's current CW product. Currently at IAD the best lounge is actually the newly redone Air France which has a swanky first class section. Prior to that the Etihad lounge was wonderful but that has quite sadly had massive cutbacks and in some ways (at least in terms of food and beverage is a shell of what it used to be). I mention all this as a way of saying BA doesnt have a huge incentive to amp up the product there.
Also, LOL, you mention it being America's capital airport I assume as a way of saying it should be a flagship - you ever driven the roads around DC, terrible like much of the transportation around the DMV and that carries over to the airport system.
Nov 17, 2019, 6:30 pm
#49
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: somewhere north of stateside...
Posts: 4,153
A new United Polaris lounge is under construction at Dulles. The shell of the building appears mostly complete, so we are likely looking at six-nine months or so before that opens.
Given the number of international services at Dulles and the high standard of every other Polaris lounge, I expect this one to be very good and likely outshine the BA IAD lounge. (Granted, you need to be in business to get into a Polaris lounge, so not exactly apples-to-apples).
Given the number of international services at Dulles and the high standard of every other Polaris lounge, I expect this one to be very good and likely outshine the BA IAD lounge. (Granted, you need to be in business to get into a Polaris lounge, so not exactly apples-to-apples).
Nov 17, 2019, 6:36 pm
#50
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 7,268
The power brokers only fly out of IAD if they need to be on a big plane or a route that's outside the 'perimeter rule' or one of the handful of perimeter exceptions. There's a strong, strong preference to use DCA for as much as possible, even if it's meant decades of the dread 35X bus gates and high level politicians and government officials sharing the shuttle bus with tourists from Des Moines.
So not surprising that IAD is a little less posh an has fewer amenities than might be expected from a capitol city airport.
So not surprising that IAD is a little less posh an has fewer amenities than might be expected from a capitol city airport.
Nov 17, 2019, 7:20 pm
#52
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 345
A new United Polaris lounge is under construction at Dulles. The shell of the building appears mostly complete, so we are likely looking at six-nine months or so before that opens.
Given the number of international services at Dulles and the high standard of every other Polaris lounge, I expect this one to be very good and likely outshine the BA IAD lounge. (Granted, you need to be in business to get into a Polaris lounge, so not exactly apples-to-apples).
Given the number of international services at Dulles and the high standard of every other Polaris lounge, I expect this one to be very good and likely outshine the BA IAD lounge. (Granted, you need to be in business to get into a Polaris lounge, so not exactly apples-to-apples).
Nov 17, 2019, 11:13 pm
#53
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,691
If you're thinking about switching to UA then you should bear in mind that pre-flight dining is also a feature of the cabin (business class) rather than status on UA.
Dec 18, 2019, 12:54 pm
#54
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 189
BA Lounge and Concorde Dining Review at IAD
My partner and I visited this lounge on 12-17-19.
We arrived at IAD early in the morning. We went to the Turkish Airlines Lounge first thing, and headed over to the BA lounge around 12.
During this time (before 15:15) the BA lounge is a Priority Pass only lounge. Even if you have a BA boarding pass they will not let you in. I have Priority Pass too, so we went in and spent some time there. They have a good selection of beer, wine, soft drinks, and coffee machine. There is no food to speak of so do not go looking for food. Hit the Turkish Lounge instead. There is no liquor during this time of day in the BA lounge either.
At 14:00 they asked us to leave as the lounge closed. No problem. The lounge does not re-open until 15:15 though, and not 14:30 as is listed in Lounge Buddy.
We went back to the Turkish Lounge until about 15:45, and then went back to the BA lounge.
We we went back to the BA lounge and the host lady was awesome. She greeted us pleasantly, and seemed happy to be there and interact with folks. I saw her with many other visitors, and she was consistent, and pleasant to everyone. She explained the Concorde Dining, and invited us to eat as many times as we wanted (our flight wasn't until 22:45). We elected to eat appetizers first, and then go back for our main meal closer to our flight time.
The sitting area of the Concorde Dining Room was crowded when we first got there so we sat in the main lounge. The contract folks, with the exception of a woman I assume was the lounge manager, were not very friendly. They rigidly adhered to the 16:00 start time to sit in the buffet area even though they had already removed the rope closing it off (we walked in at 15:58, and were asked to leave. No big deal, but just petty. We sat in there mostly to watch the planes. We didn't eat anything, but the food looked really good!
We went to Concorde Dining around 17:00, and had appetizers. My partner had the scallops. She said they were great. And we both had the blood orange salad. It was awesome. The waitress was amazing. She was funny, polite, and provided great service. Once she realized we were moderate drinkers the refills were provided without even asking. She was busy too. At one point there was 12 people eating, and she was the only waitress.
After we finished appetizers we went to get showers. This is the point things really began to go sideways with the lounge experience, and later the flight. My partner showered first. When she finished she said the shower wasn't very warm, and not very clean either. That was an understatement. When I went back there to shower the first thing I noticed was the toilet constantly ran. I was told this was normal. It was obvious to me they hadn't bothered to clean anything after my partner. Her dirty towels were still in there. The shower was not wiped down, or anything. It was a mess. I showered anyway.
There was plenty of hot water, but boy did things get worse from there.
The water leaked from inside to outside of the shower, and the shower was disgusting. There was mold all over the valve for the shower, the shower head itself, and the walls of the shower. Even one of the hooks on the back of the freaking door was broken. Oh, and there was an open tube of toothpaste beside the sink mixed in with the razors and shaving cream.
This was the nastiest shower I've ever been in save for Dahab, Egypt.
We sat in the main lounge area until, maybe 19:30 or 19:45.
At that point we went back to the Concorde Dining and had mains. I had the steak which was great, and she had the salmon which she said was great. Again, the waitress's service was also fantastic. After dinner we sat in the waiting area until they called our flight. In that area they have all the same beer, etc. that's available in the main lounge, and a huge selection of liquor. Pretty much anything you could possibly want, within reason.
Overall the dining, and general lounge experience was very good to great, but the cleanliness of the shower, and friendliness of the main lounge staff left a lot to be desired.
I'll add the pictures in separate posts below.
We arrived at IAD early in the morning. We went to the Turkish Airlines Lounge first thing, and headed over to the BA lounge around 12.
During this time (before 15:15) the BA lounge is a Priority Pass only lounge. Even if you have a BA boarding pass they will not let you in. I have Priority Pass too, so we went in and spent some time there. They have a good selection of beer, wine, soft drinks, and coffee machine. There is no food to speak of so do not go looking for food. Hit the Turkish Lounge instead. There is no liquor during this time of day in the BA lounge either.
At 14:00 they asked us to leave as the lounge closed. No problem. The lounge does not re-open until 15:15 though, and not 14:30 as is listed in Lounge Buddy.
We went back to the Turkish Lounge until about 15:45, and then went back to the BA lounge.
We we went back to the BA lounge and the host lady was awesome. She greeted us pleasantly, and seemed happy to be there and interact with folks. I saw her with many other visitors, and she was consistent, and pleasant to everyone. She explained the Concorde Dining, and invited us to eat as many times as we wanted (our flight wasn't until 22:45). We elected to eat appetizers first, and then go back for our main meal closer to our flight time.
The sitting area of the Concorde Dining Room was crowded when we first got there so we sat in the main lounge. The contract folks, with the exception of a woman I assume was the lounge manager, were not very friendly. They rigidly adhered to the 16:00 start time to sit in the buffet area even though they had already removed the rope closing it off (we walked in at 15:58, and were asked to leave. No big deal, but just petty. We sat in there mostly to watch the planes. We didn't eat anything, but the food looked really good!
We went to Concorde Dining around 17:00, and had appetizers. My partner had the scallops. She said they were great. And we both had the blood orange salad. It was awesome. The waitress was amazing. She was funny, polite, and provided great service. Once she realized we were moderate drinkers the refills were provided without even asking. She was busy too. At one point there was 12 people eating, and she was the only waitress.
After we finished appetizers we went to get showers. This is the point things really began to go sideways with the lounge experience, and later the flight. My partner showered first. When she finished she said the shower wasn't very warm, and not very clean either. That was an understatement. When I went back there to shower the first thing I noticed was the toilet constantly ran. I was told this was normal. It was obvious to me they hadn't bothered to clean anything after my partner. Her dirty towels were still in there. The shower was not wiped down, or anything. It was a mess. I showered anyway.
There was plenty of hot water, but boy did things get worse from there.
The water leaked from inside to outside of the shower, and the shower was disgusting. There was mold all over the valve for the shower, the shower head itself, and the walls of the shower. Even one of the hooks on the back of the freaking door was broken. Oh, and there was an open tube of toothpaste beside the sink mixed in with the razors and shaving cream.
This was the nastiest shower I've ever been in save for Dahab, Egypt.
We sat in the main lounge area until, maybe 19:30 or 19:45.
At that point we went back to the Concorde Dining and had mains. I had the steak which was great, and she had the salmon which she said was great. Again, the waitress's service was also fantastic. After dinner we sat in the waiting area until they called our flight. In that area they have all the same beer, etc. that's available in the main lounge, and a huge selection of liquor. Pretty much anything you could possibly want, within reason.
Overall the dining, and general lounge experience was very good to great, but the cleanliness of the shower, and friendliness of the main lounge staff left a lot to be desired.
I'll add the pictures in separate posts below.
Last edited by ibmman69; Dec 19, 2019 at 4:40 pm
Dec 18, 2019, 12:57 pm
#56
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
...
After we finished appetizers we went to get showers. This is the point things really began to go sideways with the lounge experience, and later the flight. My partner showered first. When she finished she said the shower wasn't very warm, and not very clean either. That was an understatement. When I went back there to shower the first thing I noticed was the toilet constantly ran. I was told this was normal. It was obvious to me they hadn't bothered to clean anything after my partner. Her dirty towels were still in there. The shower was not wiped down, or anything. It was a mess. I showered anyway.
There was plenty of hot water, but boy did things get worse from there.
The water leaked from inside to outside of the shower, and they shower was disgusting. There was mold all over the valve for the shower, the shower head itself, and the walls of the shower. Even one of the hooks on the back of the freaking door was broken. Oh, and there was an open tube of toothpaste beside the sink mixed in with the razors and shaving cream.
This was the nastiest shower I've ever been in save for Dahab, Egypt...
After we finished appetizers we went to get showers. This is the point things really began to go sideways with the lounge experience, and later the flight. My partner showered first. When she finished she said the shower wasn't very warm, and not very clean either. That was an understatement. When I went back there to shower the first thing I noticed was the toilet constantly ran. I was told this was normal. It was obvious to me they hadn't bothered to clean anything after my partner. Her dirty towels were still in there. The shower was not wiped down, or anything. It was a mess. I showered anyway.
There was plenty of hot water, but boy did things get worse from there.
The water leaked from inside to outside of the shower, and they shower was disgusting. There was mold all over the valve for the shower, the shower head itself, and the walls of the shower. Even one of the hooks on the back of the freaking door was broken. Oh, and there was an open tube of toothpaste beside the sink mixed in with the razors and shaving cream.
This was the nastiest shower I've ever been in save for Dahab, Egypt...
Dec 19, 2019, 9:45 am
#58
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 159
I fly IAD-LHR reasonably frequently, always in CW, and this absolutely chimes with my experiences. Many of the staff in the IAD lounge are superb, and overall in terms of the dining and drinking experience it's a very nice place to wait for an overnight flight. But the showers have really got grim in the past few months - poor water pressure and just a sense of being grubby and uncared for. It seems that they are no longer looked after proactively; staff always seem slightly surprised by the request to use them, which strikes me as odd in a lounge which serves almost exclusively red eye services.
Mar 13, 2022, 6:54 am
#60
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: Solihull, United Kingdom
Programs: British Airways Executive Club - Silver
Posts: 101
I flew from Washington DC to London in First last month and got to take advantage of the First Lounge. I was excited to try the dining options in the F lounge and was sourly disappointed when I discovered that the dining options were exactlythe same as the business lounge. I couldn’t believe it! The food was nice but it felt more like pub food than fine dining! Even the burger didn’t come with chips/fries but some crisps 
who has a burger with crisps? Hopefully it’s changed now!
Burger in F lounge
who has a burger with crisps? Hopefully it’s changed now!Burger in F lounge