This trip covered both the Korean Air Prestige Lounge at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 and the SkyTeam Lounge at Dubai International Airport.
On both the outbound and return flights, we flew Korean Air Prestige Class.
It was our Dubai trip this spring,
and because my husband really struggles with long-haul flights,
we booked business class. Being able to lie flat
made the 10-hour flight feel surprisingly easy.
You can check the flight review in the post above,
and now it’s time for the lounge review.
Since we were flying KAL business class,
we checked in at Counter A, which is reserved for First Class and Prestige passengers.
Check-in was quick and smooth,
and the staff also pointed us to the KAL Lounge while we were there.
I can still use it when flying economy thanks to my Morning Calm status,
but when you’re flying business class, it doesn’t count against your lounge visits, which is always nice.
At Terminal 2, the KAL Lounge
has two locations, East and West, and we used the East Lounge this time.
Our flight was departing at 1:25 p.m.,
so it was the perfect time to grab a light lunch in the lounge before boarding.
Korean Air Lounge at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2
After they checked our ticket or membership, we headed in.
The lines for Matina and Matina Gold were both pretty long,
but thankfully the Korean Air lounge felt much more relaxed and uncrowded.
There were plenty of work desks with power outlets,
plus lots of comfortable seats that made it easy to sit down and eat.
The Wi-Fi was fast, too.
Once we picked our seats, it was obviously time to eat.
There was coffee, beer, ramyeon, and all the usual lounge basics.
The food selection leaned heavily Korean, with a good mix of hot dishes, wine snacks,
fruit, salads, and desserts—basically everything you’d want.
Personally, I think the food at Matina Gold
is a little better overall.
Honestly, I just really love the Walkerhill gukmul tteokbokki there—
spicy rice cakes in a soupy sauce—and I missed having that option here.
Deeper inside the KAL Lounge,
there were also quiet rest areas where you could relax on your own.
Each seat had partitions, so it felt pleasantly private.
Of course, there were shower rooms and restrooms too.
One of the best things about the Korean Air lounge at Incheon Terminal 2
is this: the bar.
If you enjoy a drink, this is absolutely your kind of space.
There were several kinds ofwhite and red wine, and as forwhisky
and other spirits, from what I saw they had
Glenmorangie 10 Year Old, Hennessy VSOP, Smirnoff,
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7, Bacardi, Gordon’s Gin, and more.
Some were pretty standard,
but there were also a few bottles you don’t usually see in other airport lounges.
I started with a glass of Hennessy Cognac,
and yes, I also grabbed a few not-so-healthy snacks to go with it.
Then I had a glass of Glenmorangie too.
Wine and beer were self-serve, but whisky and
other hard liquor were poured by the staff.
They didn’t seem to mind if you went back for more,
but obviously, don’t get too carried away before boarding.
We had a really comfortable rest in the lounge,
then headed off to the gate.
Incheon Airport is always packed with travelers,
so I usually arrive early for international departures.
And honestly, compared with waiting at the gate,
where the seats are hard and not exactly comfortable,
it makes sense that more and more people are using airport lounges these days.
And even if you’re not using the KAL Lounge,
there are plenty of worthwhile airport lounges inside Incheon Airport
if you want to pre-book access before your trip.
Buying a lounge pass in advance
is usually cheaper than paying on site.Seriously.
Now for the lounge we used on the way back: Dubai International Airport.
As of 2023, it ranked second in the world
for international passenger traffic,so yes, it’s incredibly busy.
I expected it to feel chaotic,
but it was actually pretty intuitive and well organized,
so it wasn’t hard to navigate at all—just a little dim inside.
Check-in was quick,
and we also got a map for the Dubai Airport SkyTeam Lounge.
Dubai Airport duty-free
Before heading to the SkyTeam Lounge,
we wandered around the duty-free shops first.
My husband’s one and only focus there was alcohol.
There were stacks of Hibiki on display.
Hibiki Master’s Select was about $117,
and Rémy Martin XO was around $122.
The Glenlivet 18 was about $190,
and The Glenlivet 35 was a wild $8,906.
Compared with places like Japan or Taiwan,
which are famous for cheaper whisky prices,
Dubai duty-free doesn’t really have a huge price advantage.
But what Dubai does have is shelf after shelf of bottles that are hard to find in Korea.
There were also some unusual Glenfiddich releases,
including a Glenfiddich 30 Year Old priced at $1,416.
Overall, the liquor selection was seriously impressive.
Before I knew it, my husband had already put two bottles of Hibiki in the basket.
This was Hibiki Master’s Select—the one that got so popular at one point that some Japanese airport duty-free shops reportedly sold it by lottery.
And somehow, we casually brought home two bottles.
Right in the middle of duty-free, there was even a random Mercedes-Benz G-Class display.
We also picked up a box of dates as a gift,
and then finally it was time to wash up and relax
at the Dubai Airport SkyTeam Lounge.
The airline lounges, including the
SkyTeam Lounge, are on the second floor above the duty-free area.
Since Korean Air is part of SkyTeam,
the SkyTeam Lounge was easy to find right in the center of the lounge zone.
We showed our boarding passes and went in.
That morning, we had checked out of the hotel early,
done a long trip out to Ras Al Khaimah,
squeezed in a visit to the Museum of the Future,
and then headed to the airport—so before another 10-hour flight back to Incheon,
I absolutely needed a shower. There was onlyone shower room,
so you put your name down and use it when your turn comes up.
I added both my name and my husband’s at the counter,
then we relaxed until they called us, and we both managed to shower before boarding.
I’ll show the shower room below.
There was also
a business corner with computers and a printer,
plus a kids’ room and a TV room.
Just the general seating area.
We claimed seats near the outlets.
Then it was time to go check out the food.
The selection wasn’t huge to begin with,
and a lot of the dishes were unfamiliar,
so there wasn’t all that much that would really appeal to Korean travelers.
Most of it was halal food, of course.
You can get a rough idea from the photos.
The Dubai Airport lounge also had a beautifully designed bar,
but the liquor lineup itself was pretty average.
Mostly standard bottles you see everywhere.
The coffee and soda were good, though.
Since it was basically our last meal in the Middle East,
I tried a few new dishes.
I don’t think the sandwiches were very memorable,
but the yellow curry in the back was actually delicious.
Dubai Airport lounge shower room
There are a few lounges at Dubai Airport
where you can take a shower, so if I get the chance next time,
I might put together a full comparison.
After each person finished, the staff immediately wiped everything down,
reset the towels and amenities,
and then called in the next guest, so it was very clean when we used it.
There was a hair dryer too—a Dyson.
The shower booth itself
was very simple, and the showerhead was fixed to the ceiling, so you couldn’t move it.
The only amenities provided were shampoo and shower gel,
so bring your own cleanser and conditioner if you need them.
After a proper shower, we headed off to board.
Once I got on the plane, I was so exhausted that I completely passed out.
I barely ate anything and just slept lying flat the whole way.
And now I’m wrapping this up in a rush right before takeoff again.