Abu Dhabi lounges: which to choose in Terminal A

The first fork is the airline. The Etihad lounges occupy the stretch between piers C and D, on the north side of the terminal, and are meant for those with a premium ticket or a suitable Etihad Guest status. The Pearl Lounge, on the other hand, is an independent lounge near gate D43 and asks for neither class nor airline: a lounge card or payment at the entrance is enough.Those flying business with Etihad go to the Etihad Business Lounge, spread over three floors. It is the lounge in which to spend a long wait: the Liwan restaurant area has live cooking stations, there are shower suites and on the top floor the Roof Lounge hosts the Constellation Bar. Those without entitlement to enter can try to pay for it, but only if there is room: at peak hours it is not an option to count on. In First or in The Residence the lounge is the Etihad First Lounge, in the same stretch between the piers, where the Be Relax spa service is included and the shower suites are reserved. Those departing for the United States have one more option: after already going through the American preclearance checks in Abu Dhabi, premium passengers find the Etihad US Preclearance Lounge, which serves only those flights. For those travelling in economy the reference is the Pearl Lounge. It accepts Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass, American Express Platinum and Diners Club, and sells entry to anyone. Besides showers it has prayer rooms and a nursing room, handy for those travelling with an infant. A maximum length of stay must however be taken into account, and during Ramadan no alcohol is served. The schedule, here, weighs less than elsewhere: all the lounges stay open day and night, so even those with a connection in the middle of the night find the door open. The choice then depends on ticket, destination and available time. With a long layover and without a premium ticket, the Pearl's length-of-stay limit may push you to split the wait between the lounge and the terminal, going in when there is less time left before the flight.

To sum up, in Abu Dhabi you choose starting from the ticket. With an Etihad Business or First seat the lounge is already decided and it is worth making use of its showers and kitchen, plus the spa for those travelling in First; those departing for the United States in a premium class also have the lounge after preclearance. Without a premium ticket the road goes through the Pearl Lounge, with a card or by paying, bearing in mind the length-of-stay limit. Paid entry to the Etihad Business remains an attempt to make only when there is availability.