Aer Lingus’ home lounge is one that I’ve spent so much time in, and yet looking back over the past few years of reviews’, I realised I hadn’t written up a proper review of the Aer Lingus Dublin Airport lounge.

Despite a minor refurbishment in the latter stages of the pandemic years, the lounge has remained almost identical to when it first opened along with Terminal 2 – which as a result given the increase in passengers over the years, is making it become increasingly tight and short on space at busier times.

Getting to the lounge from Terminal 2 departures is easiest done by taking the lifts just after the retail space straight down to Departures, then following the corridor in front that takes a sharp left, and then is just further down that same corridor. You can also take the escalators, and then make an immediate u-turn back behind you, and then follow the signage.

Thankfully with 51st & Green now back open after its own refurbishment, there doesn’t appear to be the same need to so aggressively police eligibility outside the entrance, and instead, a signage billboard advises on eligibility – AerClub members, those travelling on Advantage or AerSpace fares, business class customers (generally advised to use 51st & Green however) and during all except the very peak early morning hours of the day, British Airways’ own status and business class passengers.

From reception, the space opens up into a very pleasant, double-height open seating area with a mix of plush leather chairs tucked in behind reception, typical lounge-style seating along with counters and wireless/regular charging facilities, and booths backed up against the wall of the lounge, all set alongside floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the airfield between both Terminal 2 and Terminal 1.

Further along is the main food & beverage station. First up are two self-serve coffee machines and the water station, where many of us, myself included, spend an inordinate amount of time trying to decrypt what the symbols on the tap mean. Yep, I’ve been there countless times every year and I still wonder am I getting carbonated water.

Further along is a well-stocked bar area with self-serve prosecco, wine, spirits, juices, and soft drinks. There’s also packaged snacks, brown bread and soup, and barista-made coffee.

One big issue I’ve typically had with this lounge, especially when compared even against Aer Lingus’ own London lounge – is that it has often been bereft of any substantial food other than brown bread and soup – though it does appear to be now improving, with the fridge now containing salads, sandwiches and wraps (which were pretty good).

Having said that, it’d still be lovely to see a hot food offering – and in fact, to my (and many others') delight, signage as in the image below would appear to indicate we may be in luck sooner than later.

The area continues further out beyond the buffet area to the other side, where you’ll find more window-side seating, as well as the bathrooms and shower facilities.

Upstairs, which to my surprise remains something of a hidden secret to this day, there’s additional seating – which is always quiet and almost guaranteed to have seats free regardless of the occupancy of the rest of the lounge. There’s also a mini-bar hiding up there, just after you exit the stairway, with soft drinks.

Despite its age, the lounge remains well-kept, a pleasant place to spend some pre-departure time, with a good range of facilities, beverages and – hopefully – improving food choice.

Given the wide range of eligible passengers from AerClub, British Airways, lounge access included in fares, etc. the lounge does get very busy at times – and I’m sure at some point either access will have to be tightened up, or the lounge will have to be expanded. If I was a betting man, I’d assume AerClub Silver will one day see the end of lounge access privileges – it feels highly unlikely Aer Lingus would remove it as one of the defining benefits of either the pricier Advantage or AerSpace fares.

Overall, Aer Lingus’ home lounge is perfectly pleasant – not exceptional by any means, but more than suitable, however, I still often find myself preferring their London lounge for what feels like its bigger space and wider offerings.