Heads up: You can now pay to get into an Emirates lounge...

Always wanted to see how the other half spends their waiting time in airports? Well, here’s your chance…

Got a long wait at Dubai International and dreading sitting around the gate or waiting for a free table at the perpetually busy Paul?

Well, if you’re a Skywards member (which is free to sign up to), you can now pay to access the business and first class Emirates lounges at Dubai airports.

So how much is it? Well, it’s Dhs367.30 for four hours in an Emirates business class lounge and Dhs734.60 for four hours in a first class lounge. Children pay half the price to enter the lounges, and the offer’s available to any Qantas or Emirates passengers (that are Skywards members).

The Business Class lounge is full of free food (and very well-dressed people according to this snap)

Meanwhile, Skywards silver and gold members who already get to access the business class lounge for free can now pay Dhs367.30 (aka, 100 USD) to access the first class lounge.

The first class lounge is basically an entire floor of the airport, and has multiple restaurants, as well as a spa (that’s complimentary) and a relaxation area too:

The first class lounge relaxation area (from when you want to get away from the crowds)

You can only pay for the lounge access via credit or debit card, not with cash or Skywards points.

One thing to note – if you pay for four hours, and have to stay longer, even if it’s because of a flight delay, you’ll have to pay to stay there for more hours.

Keep your fluids up at the health hub in the business class lounge

ALSO…

Emirates Airlines are also looking to introduce a ‘premium economy’ class on their planes as they battle falling financial returns.

What is premium economy? It consists of a few extra luxuries, which tend to include extra legroom, wider seats and seats which recline further.

President Tim Clark told an airlines conference in London that Emirates are also considering introducing charges for seat selection and additional baggage.

“We cannot sit back and wait for things to get better,” he said of the possible changes amid falling revenue for Emirates last year.

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